This recipe was a family recipe given to me many years ago by a friend. It was passed down through her family and is one of my personal favorites. It makes a large amount of cookies, but they can be frozen and are coveted treats, so give them as gifts (including a printed copy of the recipe).
I have a short list of cookies that must be baked for Christmas time. This is on the short list. I put this recipe on the web back in 1999 when I first started the Loving Christmas site on Geocities, then it was on this site in 2015, but temporariy lost. Now I have it posted again!
There are probably many copies of this online now, but this is the one that I have personally baked throughout the years. Try it! I guarantee it will become a favorite.
Hungarian Nut-filled Kifli
Rich dough surrounds delicious nut filling in little pocket cookies. Traditional Hungarian cookie which requires refrigeration time before rolling out.
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups flour unsifted
- 2 cups butter
- 4 egg yolks slightly beaten
- 1 cup dairy sour cream
Filling
- 1¼ lbs. walnuts ground
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tbsp almond extract
- 2 egg whites whipped
Finishing
- confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Cut butter into flour with pastry blender 'til mixture resembles coarse crumbs
- Add egg yolks and sour cream. Stir. Turn out on lightly floured surface knead until smooth and shape into ball. (If too sticky, use more flour.)
- Refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.
- Make Filling: Combine nuts, sugar, milk, extract, and egg white; blend well.
- Heat oven to 400℉ and grease cookie sheets
- On floured surface, roll out quarter of dough at a time to measure, 16 by 12 inches, 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 2 inch squares.
- Place generous 1/2 tsp.filling in each square, then overlap two opposite corners. Pinch edges to seal. Place on cookie sheets and brush with beaten egg.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes til golden. Cool. Roll in confectioners sugar.
Notes
This recipe can be halved if you wish to make smaller batches. Try other fillings such as Lekvar (prune filling) or Poppy Seed, both equally traditional fillings for Kifli cookies.
