Chocolate Babka Puff Pastry Twists

I’m a huge fan of chocolate babka, but I’ve avoided making a classic version just because it seems like a lot of work. I’m all for long baking assignments, but there are certain things that just intimidate me, like homemade croissants for instance. I keep telling myself that I should make them but it still hasn’t happened. That’s the same thing with babka. I’ll do anything to recreate those classic chocolate babka flavors without actually making it from scratch. A couple of years ago I shared these babka cookies, and honestly they’re still some of my favorites. This year though, I’m bringing you these Chocolate Babka Puff Pastry Twists. The idea came to me after seeing those cheese twists and thinking to myself, wouldn’t a sweet twist be just as delicious. And so here we are.

For the filling, in a saucepan, combine heavy cream, sugar and salt. Set over medium-low heat and bring to a slight simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate, butter and vanilla until melted through and smooth and glossy. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

**Note: This mixture will thicken as it cools. We want it to be the consistency of nutella when spreading it out on the pastry later on. Plus you don’t want to put hot filling onto the cold pastry so cooling is crucial, but I find that by the time you’re ready to use it’s cool enough.**

For the streusel topping, in a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Add the butter and stir until coarse crumbs form. Stir in the chocolate chips and then set aside.

**Tip: The streusel can be made a few days in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer until ready to use. If you freeze, it can be kept for up to 3 months.**

To make the syrup, in a saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has come up to a simmer. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Unfold one puff pastry sheet at a time and roll out, on a lightly floured work surface, into a slightly larger rectangle. This also helps to remove those fold creases a bit.

Add half of the filling mixture and spread out as evenly as possible. Sprinkle with half of the streusel topping, trying your best to coat it evenly. Press the filling a bit with your hands to make sure it sticks.

Then cut into 8 even strips. Grab one strip at a time and turn both ends to create a twist. Place onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Continue this until all are formed and place 8 strips to a baking sheet.

**Note: It will be a messy job and some of the streusel might fall out but that’s okay. Trust the process. The twists don’t have to be perfect at all!**

Bake until golden brown and puffed up, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the twists with the syrup.

These are AMAZING eaten slightly warm so take advantage of that once they’re out of the oven and slightly cooled. But if needed, these can totally be made in advance and eaten at room temperature. They’ll be just as delicious, I promise.

These can be stored in an airtight container or large food storage bag and kept at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you want to rewarm them, you can do so in a 325°F oven for a few minutes!

If you’re looking for a quick babka fix, then I really do hope you’ll give these twists a try because they scratch an itch without having to be in the kitchen for long proving times making bread from scratch. I mean, nothing beats a classic babka obviously, but this option is a keeper for sure. Let me know what you think below and as always thank you so much for reading and following along.