By: Robin Kurss

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Valentine’s Day! Chocolate is certainly a big part of the day…this recipe has a delicious chocolate filling to fill any craving, especially on this Shabbat of Love!

INGREDIENTS:
Dough:
• 1 packet (2¼ teaspoons) instant dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ¼ cup warm water
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup orange juice
• 1½ sticks (6 oz.) butter, softened
• 3 cups packed flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Canola or vegetable oil, for spreading
• 1 egg, for brushing

Chocolate Filling:
• 1 stick butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 2¼ cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 3 egg whites

DIRECTIONS:
• Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer, pour in yeast and teaspoon sugar. Pour warm water on top and let mixture foam for 5-10 minutes.
• Add in rest of dough ingredients and knead on medium speed for a couple minutes. If dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour. The dough is now ready – no need to rise!

Chocolate Filling: In a medium bowl, mix cocoa powder with melted butter. Add in rest of filling ingredients and stir till combined and mostly smooth.

Assembly: Flour work surface and rolling pin. Divide dough into as many logs as you’d like to make (2 large, 3 medium, 4 smaller etc.).
• Roll out first piece of dough into a very thin rectangle. Spread a light coating of oil on top of dough. Then, spread a generous layer of chocolate filling over dough, leaving about an inch of dough bare on all the edges.
• Roll up dough from shorter side, flattening the dough slightly between each roll, forming a flattish log. Brush top of log generously with a beaten egg. • Repeat process with rest of dough.
• Place logs onto prepared baking sheets and bake for about 25-32 minutes (depending on size of loaf), or until tops and bottoms are a deep golden brown.

Optional Streusel:
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup light brown sugar tightly packed
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled

DIRECTIONS:
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk or stir together flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt.
• Drizzle butter over the mixture and use a fork to toss and claw the ingredients together until combined but still clumpy. Don’t over-mix or the streusel will become like a paste, simply toss together until mixture is clumpy, no longer dry, and the flour is completely absorbed.
• If using on kokosh, brush each pastry with a beaten egg and sprinkle with the streusel before baking.