Flaky Hungarian Cookies Recipes

HUNGARIAN KIFLI COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and butter, cutting together with either two knives or a pastry cutter.
• In a separate mixing bowl, combine sour cream, yeast, and sugar. Mix until well combined and let sit while yeast dissolves.
• Add yeast mixture into the flour mixture along with the vanilla and egg yolks. Mix dough together by hand until it is well combined. Split dough in half and wrap up in either plastic wrap or wax paper. Refrigerate 2-3 hours or overnight.
• Right before dough comes out of refrigerator, combine ingredients for filling. Set aside.
• On a large cutting board, sprinkle 1/3 cup flour and 1/3 cup sugar. Roll out dough into a thin circle before cutting into 8 triangles.
• Place 1 tsp of filling on each triangle and roll up starting on the wider end. Place on a lined cookie sheet with the open end down and bend the cookie a bit so it looks like a crescent. Repeat with process for all of the triangles from both things of dough.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and serve.

AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN WALNUT ROLLS

Steps:

• Mix filling in a medium bowl using only ¼ cup of the boiled milk. The mixture should be thick.
• If the filling is not spreadable, use the rest of the milk. I used all of it. It will thicken as it sits.
• Note: You can make the filling ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready to use it. Just thaw at room temperature when you are ready to use.
• Sift flour and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a stand mixer or a hand mixer until completely incorporated and creamy (3-5 minutes).
• Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour. I used 5 additions and completely mixed in the flour each time. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and flatten each to ¾" thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until hard, at least 2 hours.
• Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Move the oven rack one setting higher than the center.
• Dust each side of the dough with flour. Generously coat a flat surface (countertop, marble board, etc.) with granulated sugar. Plop the dough on top and press gently to push some crystals into the dough. The sugar will keep your dough elevated off the rolling surface enough to keep it from sticking. Lightly coat the rolling pin with flour throughout the process, using as little as possible.
• With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, trim the dough into a square and then cut the square into 16 smaller squares. My dough never rolled out into a perfect circle so I would just cut as many 1 1/2 " squares a possible, saving the scraps for later.
• Place a dollop of filling in one corner of each square. I used ½ teaspoon.
• Starting in the corner with the filling, roll the dough around the filling from corner to corner, gently pressing down as you roll. Grab the roll on both sides and pinch as you bend the roll to create a crescent shape. Gently move it to a parchment covered baking sheet, placing the Rolls no closer than 1" apart.
• Repeat with all remaining squares.
• Sprinkle the middles of the Rolls with just a touch of granulated sugar.
• Bake 12-14 minutes or until the bottom edges are a golden and you can smell them. They should puff up slightly in the middle. With experience you can see when the dough is cooked. Let cool slightly on the pan on a wire rack and then move them gently to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Repeat with all remaining dough. Refrigerate and re-roll your scraps. Amazing.
• For a more traditional cookie, you can omit the granulated sugar and dust the final, cooled cookie with powdered sugar. I will warn you that it won't be as divine.

HUNGARIAN KIFFLES

Steps:

• Beat butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until pale yellow and creamy. Gradually add 2 cups flour to butter mixture until the dough is too thick for the mixer. Stir remaining 2 cups flour into the butter mixture by hand and knead until dough falls off hands easily. Roll dough into a ball, place in bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Stir walnuts and sugar together in a bowl. Pour milk into walnut mixture and stir to form a paste.
• Turn dough onto a floured work surface and roll to desired thickness. Cut dough into 2-inch squares. Place about 1 teaspoon walnut filling in the center of each square. Roll the dough from 1 corner to the other corner around the walnut filling and transfer to a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until light brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

FLAKY HUNGARIAN COOKIES

Steps:

• DOUGH:.
• Mix and blend flour, baking powder, water, vinegar, and egg yolks until dough comes clean of hands. Chill.
• Butter Mixture:.
• Mix margarine, lard and flour together and allow it to soften.
• When dough is chilled, roll it out and spread with butter mixture; fold dough and refrigerate.
• Repeat this process 4 times; next day, cut the dough into squares with a hot knife.
• Fill with chosen filling.
• Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Nut Filling:.
• Grind nuts.
• Beat egg whites until stiff but still moist.
• Fold in sugar and nuts carefully.
• Add lemon rind.
• Pot Cheese filling:.
• Mash cottage cheese with fork.
• Add sugar, salt and eggs. Mix very well.
• Poppyseed Filling:.
• Cook poppy seeds, sugar, milk, and butter until thick, for 10 to 15 minutes on low flame.
• Add lemon rind.
• Cool well before using.
• Apricot Filling:.
• Cook dried apricots until tender; mash and add sugar to taste.
• Drained crushed pineapple may be added.

HUNGARIAN NUT NUGGETS (COOKIES)

Steps:

• In a large bowl blend the ingredients with a wire pastry blender until the ingredients form when squeezed together.
• Form into balls (or nuggets) by tablespoons; dough will be very crumbly, I press and form them in my palms instead of my fingers.
• Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes until they start to brown around edges.
• Watch them so they do not burn.
• Cool and roll in powdered sugar.
• Store in cool place until serving.

HUNGARIAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325.
• Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x9x2 cake pan and set aside.
• Cream the butter, sugar, and yolks.
• Fold in flour and walnuts.
• Divide the batter in half. Do not over handle the dough. One half will serve as the top layer and the other as the bottom.
• Take a piece of batter and gently flatten it using your fingers. You will see that the batter tends to make its own sections. Work with those. Place this section on the bottom of the cake pan and continue until you have covered the bottom of the cake pan in a patchwork manner. Do not worry about the dough not looking smooth in the pan, you will fix that in a minute.
• If you have leftover dough from the half, fill in holes and build up areas that may be thinner than others.
• Take the back of a spoon and gently smooth the edges of the dough together so no holes are apparent.
• Spread a thin layer of jam over the dough. Do not make the layer thick, you are not making PB and J here.
• Use the final half of batter to make the top layer using the same technique as above.
• Place in the oven at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes. At around 25 minutes start peaking in the oven, the dough should be a nice golden brown color when it is finished.
• Let cookies cool completely before cutting into small squares.

KIFLIE, HUNGARIAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Lay out puff pastry on floured board.
• Combine grated walnuts and the sugars, mix thoroughly.
• Add cream until mixture is a thin paste, spreadable but not runny.
• Form cookies.
• Method 1. spread filling on top of pastry, edge to edge in one direction but leave 1 inch uncovered on both edges in the other direction.
• Starting with an uncovered edge roll the pastry into a cylinder. Wet the uncovered edge when you reach it and seal it to the side.
• Place rolled dough in freezer for no more than 20 minutes to firm it for cutting.
• Cut dough cylinder into 1/2 inch circles and place on greased cookie sheet.
• Method 2. Cut pastry sheets into squares 2 inches by 2 inches.
• Place a 12 teaspoon of the filling into the center of the square and bring two opposite points of the square together over the top of the filling.
• Either method, bake cookies at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. .
• Allow to cool and enjoy.