FILED UNDER: Desserts Romanian

Romanian Chocolate & Apricot Sweet Bread (Cozonac)

Traditional sweet leavened bread called Cozonac, naturally sweetened dough with monk fruit, baked with a golden color, and filled with both a chocolate walnut spread and apricot preserve.
Ratings
5/5
JUMP TO RECIPE

Prep

90 min

Cook

1 hour

Servings

8

My family and I grew up with this sweet dessert for our Easter and Christmas holiday tables, a fluffy leavened bread filled with chocolate and walnuts, flavored with vanilla, rum, lemon zest, and baked with a golden color from a dough rich in eggs, milk, and butter.

This is a very popular dessert for the holidays as it does take some time to prepare the dough, but it’s so worth it! You will come across a plethora of varieties influenced from cultures not limited to Europe, but also the Middle East. This variation is more cake-like as opposed to bread-like since I personally love a more moist, chewy bite! 

Let me know in the comments below if you tried the recipe and if you have any variations you’d like to share! 🙂 

Romanian Chocolate & Apricot Sweet Bread (Cozonac)

RECIPE

Romanian Chocolate & Apricot Sweet Bread (Cozonac)

Ingredients

For the Bread:
  • 1/2 cup of brown monkfruit sweetener or erythritol (for the egg mixture)
  • 1/2 cup of milk (for the egg mixture)
  • Add a stick of unsalted butter (for the egg mixture)
  • 8 eggs (for the egg mixture)
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (for the egg mixture)
  • 1 teaspoon of rum essence (for the egg mixture)
  • Fresh zest of 1 lemon (for the egg mixture)
  • 1/3 cup of warm milk (for the yeast mixture)
  • 1 tablespoon of brown monkfruit sweetener (for the yeast mixture)
  • 2 and 1/2 teaspoon of dry yeast (for the yeast mixture)
  • 6 cups of flour
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 egg to brush on top
For the Chocolate Walnut Filling:
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon of caramel extract
  • 1/2 cup of stevia-sweetened chocolate salted caramel flavor baking chips
  • 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
  • 2 cups of walnuts

Directions

For the Bread:
  1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter, sugar, and milk over medium heat
  2. Then add eggs
  3. In another bowl, add a tablespoon of sugar, add dry yeast, and milk then mix
  4. Mix together and let the yeast activate
  5. Whisk flour and salt in a separate bowl
  6. Form a well in the center
  7. Add the yeast mixture and the egg mixture
  8. On a floured surface, knead the dough until soft
  9. Let the dough rest in a warm area covered in a plastic foil or a towel
  10. In a medium saucepan, boil milk, sugar, and ground hazelnuts until thick
  11. Add in cocoa powder, chocolate salted caramel baking chips
  12. Cut the dough in half once it has doubled in size
  13. Roll out both halves
  14. Spread the chocolate hazelnut filling then roll and pin the open edges
  15. Put both filled dough sections next to each vertically and then twist them over and under each other
  16. Add to a butter-brushed loaf pan
  17. Then brush egg yolk and water at the top
  18. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees Farenheight
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING)

Romanian Chocolate & Apricot Sweet Bread (Cozonac):

Calories: 620 | Total Fat: 47 g | Cholest: 370 mg | Total Carb: 40 g | Protein: 21 g

Click here for full nutrition label

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

 
 

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Hi, I'm Ophelia! Step into my kitchen where I take you on a delightful journey through the flavors of Eastern Europe. Experience my recipes with simplicity from step-by-step instructions and videos.

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