Double Chocolate Peanut and Jelly Rugelach

Combine the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, salt, and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to mix 6 to 8 times for 1 second each time.

Add the butter and pulse 5 to 6 times for 1 second each time. Add the cream cheese and vanilla seeds and pulse another 10 to 12 times for 1 second each time, pulsing only until the mixture begins to form clumps.

Transfer the mixture onto a work surface and gather it up just to bring it together. Divide it into 2 pieces and shape them into disks about 5 inches across. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. (If you wish, the dough can be overwrapped in foil and frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator before using.)

When you are ready to roll out the rugelach, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (the sheet should be a size that fits into the refrigerator; if it doesn’t, use a flat board; see Kitchen Tip).

Transfer 1 disk of the chilled dough to a work surface. Roll out into a 12-inch circle. (To keep the dough from sticking, you can roll it out between sheets of parchment or plastic wrap.)

Spread with 1/3 cup of the jelly, leaving a 1/4-inch border uncovered around the outside edge. Sprinkle half of the peanuts, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and white chocolate evenly over the jelly. Roll the mixture lightly with the rolling pin to press it into the dough. (This will expand the circle about 1/2 inch.) Cut the topped dough into quarters, and then cut each quarter into quarters again, to make 16 equal-sized wedges.

Roll up each wedge, starting at the wider outside edge and rolling firmly but without stretching the dough. Place on one of the prepared baking sheet or board and refrigerate for 1 hour before baking. Repeat with other disk of dough, making 16 more rugelach, place on the other prepared baking sheet, and refrigerate for 1 hour. (If you do not wish to bake these immediately, cover them in plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 day.)

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Prepare the egg wash: In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and water. If the rugelach were chilled on a board, transfer them to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. If you have more sheets of the same size, place one each under the sheets holding the rugelach; this will help prevent scorching the bottoms. With a pastry brush, brush the tops of the rugelach with the egg wash. Sprinkle with half the turbinado sugar.

Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 14 to 15 minutes. Switch out the sheets between the oven racks, moving the top one to the bottom and the bottom to the top to ensure even baking, and bake for 14 to 15 minutes longer. (The color won’t change much. You will just begin to smell the chocolate and the cookies should feel somewhat firm to a gentle touch.) Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, and then, with a small metal spatula (an offset spatula works well), carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Kitchen Tips:

1. Turbinado sugar is a minimally processed, minimally refined sweetener made from cane sugar. Brown in color, it is often confused with brown sugar. With its large crystals, it’s great for sugar toppings on cookies and other baked goods. Like demerara sugar, it is made by drying the juice of the sugar cane and then spinning it in a centrifuge to purify it. Store in a cool, dry place. One brand is Sugar in the Raw.

2. The rugelach will spread during baking, so you will need to allow room for that on the baking sheet. You will be able to fit 16 rugelach on a baking sheet, which means you’ll need 2 sheets for this recipe. You can chill the rolled, filled rugelach right on the sheets and then pop them into the oven—if they fit into your fridge. If not, use a smaller board or other flat-bottomed container for chilling and place the rugelach closer together on it. You need the extra space around them for baking, but not for chilling.