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Makes
approximately 60 cookies
Author Notes
My Bubby used to make these cookies for every holiday, family event or gathering. They're like a hybrid bun/cookie: made with a yeasted dough that rises overnight and then rolled out like cinnamon buns, they're filled with a heady mixture of cocoa, cinnamon, sweet meringue and walnuts. The filled dough is then rolled into a log and sliced into cookie-like swirls, and they bake up sweet, puffy, crunchy, and almost marshmallow-y. The combination of the bitter cocoa and smooth, sugary meringue is out of this world. I've yet to find a better holiday cookie and my whole family agrees- these are a classic! —Chaya Rappoport
Ingredients
- For the dough:
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1 cup
warm milk
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2 1/4 teaspoons
active dry yeast
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4 tablespoons
granulated sugar
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1 teaspoon
fine sea salt
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3
eggs, whites separated and reserved for meringue
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1 cup
butter, melted
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3 cups
all purpose flour
- For the filling:
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3
egg whites, reserved from above
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1 cup
granulated sugar
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4 tablespoons
dutch process cocoa powder
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1 tablespoon
cinnamon
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1 cup
coarsely chopped walnuts
Directions
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Combine the milk, yeast, and one tablespoon sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit, covered, until the yeast is proofed and bubbly, ten minutes.
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Add the rest of the sugar, salt and egg yolks to the bowl. Mix well to combine.
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Add the melted butter and flour to the bowl and again, mix well to combine. Refrigerate the dough overnight.
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The next day, let the dough come to room temperature. Meanwhile, whip the reserved egg whites and the cup of sugar together until stiff, marshmallow-y peaks form.
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Preheat the oven to 350°. Divide the dough into four sections. On a floured surface, roll each section into a long rectangle (the exact length doesn’t matter, so long as the dough is rolled thinly, to its capacity.)
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Spread each rectangle thickly with meringue, leaving a 1″ border around the sides. Mix the cocoa and cinnamon to combine and divide into four, sprinkling it onto each rectangle, on top of the meringue.
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Top each portion of dough with 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts. Then, roll the dough up, starting with the side nearest you, to the side across from you.
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You will now have four long, thin logs. Slice each log into 1/2″ sections.
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Place the cookies on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake each sheet for approximately 25 minutes, or until the cookies are browned. Let cool and enjoy!
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