Hungarian Cookies For Beginners Recipes

HUNGARIAN WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until blended. Gradually beat flour into creamed mixture. Divide dough into 3 portions. Shape each into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 375°. For filling, in a small bowl, beat egg whites and vanilla on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on medium after each addition until well blended. Stir in walnuts., Generously coat a work surface with confectioners' sugar. Roll 1 portion of dough into a 12-in. square about 1/8 in. thick, sprinkling with additional confectioners' sugar as necessary to coat well. Cut into sixteen 3-in. squares., Shape 2 teaspoons filling into a small log about 2 in. long. Place diagonally onto a square. Overlap opposite corners of dough over filling; pinch tightly to seal. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and filling., Bake until bottoms are golden brown, 9-11 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar., To Make Ahead: Dough can be made 2 days in advance. Wrap and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. , Freeze option: Freeze cookies in freezer containers. To use, thaw before serving. If desired, dust with additional confectioners' sugar.

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.

HUNGARIAN COOKIES FOR BEGINNERS

Steps:

• Sift together dry ingredients.
• Cut in margarine as for pie crust.
• Add eggs, vanilla and milk, just enough to hold dough together. Do not work this dough, just blend ingredients.
• Roll out and cut into squares 3x3 inch, not too thin.
• Fill with any desired filling.
• Brush top with beaten egg.
• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown.

HUNGARIAN CREAM CHEESE COOKIES WITH PRUNE LEKVAR

Steps:

• Cream together the cream cheese and butter.
• To this, add the flour - in small portions by hand.
• When it comes together, turn over on a lightly floured surface and add the rest of the flour to form a dough (IT WILL BE SOFT - but it should be smooth)
• Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
• Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface.
• Cut into squares about 2 x 2 and fill center with about 1/4 tsp of the lekvar.
• Bring together opposite corners and pinch and fold over.
• Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet for about 15 - 20 minutes until lite gold at 350F (Be careful not to let them burn).
• While still warm, role in powdered sugar and let cool.
• Once cooled, repeat the powdered sugar coating once more.
• You can use any flavor lekvar or even an almond paste.
• It just has to be really thick so it doesn't run while baking.

HUNGARIAN COOKIE TREASURES

Steps:

• 1. With using a stand mixer, add the cream cheese, softened butter, and the 1 cup of granulated sugar. Mix on medium speed until well blended.
• 2. Add the flour one cup at a time, mixing until evenly incorporated. Remove dough from mixer and press it into a ball. Wrap in plastic and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• 3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• 4. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on a smooth countertop or pastry board and roll dough out to approx 1/4 inch thick sheets. Cut the dough into 2-inch circles. Re-roll excess dough as needed.
• 5. Place 1 teaspoonful of jam or preserves in the center of circle.
• 6. Wet the cookie edges around the jam or preserves with your finger. Then place a second circle over the jam or preserves and firmly press down around the edges to encompass the jam or preserves. Take a fork and go all around the edge to seal jam or preserves in tightly (like you would for a pie crust). Repeat this process until you have used up all the dough.
• 7. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown.
• 8. Remove from oven and place onto cookie rack.
• 9. If desired, dust cookies with powdered sugar.
• 10. These cookies keep well in the freezer for long-term storage. However, they should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator when completely cooled.
• 11. Enjoy! :-)

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 BUTTER COOKIES - POGACSA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in large mixing bowl. Add butter or margarine, and, using clean hands, blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg and sour cream, and mix until dough holds together. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
• Pinch off small egg-size pieces of dough and form into balls. Place on buttered or nonstick cookie sheet, and use fingers to press to about 1/2 inch thick. Make a crosshatch design by pressing the back of fork tines on top of each cookie. Cookies should be spaced about 1-inch apart.
• Bake in oven for about 20 minutes, or until pale golden. Continue baking in batches.
• Serve as a sweet snack.