Heading back to Hungary for another great recipe, okay! Well since I had the chance to visit a few years ago and have had these cookies my whole life, I figured I would jump in and post again. Yup you guessed it, Randy here for this one. Wanted to share a cookie recipe that I grew up having during the holidays. It was usually limited to this because of the amount of work to create the cookie dough.
Okay so I am going to offer you a short cut from the way I had it growing up. Rather than having to start the dough a few days before you were read to make them, and having to roll them out 4 times or more adding butter each time, we are going to make this in a day and utilize cream cheese in the pastry dough and cut out good old shortening. Overall a little healthier and way less daunting than some of the traditional recipes out there.
The cookies you will find all over the country at the local stalls in the markets and made by many of the families at home. There are many variations and fillings you can use. The most traditional ones are Apricot, Almond and Poppy Seed. This go round we are going to use Apricot and Pecan. Why pecan you might be asking? Well I had requested a Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving and Karen was nice enough to make me one. We had some extra Pecans here and no Almonds, sooooooo we are going to make pecan ones. Some times it is great to improv and use things around the house, who knows it might end up being your favorite in the future.
Note: Feel free to sub in your favorite premade pie/cookie filling. You want to go with a fairly think filling so it doesn’t ooze out (technical term) during the baking.
Start off with your four, sift the 2 and ¼ cups into a separate bowl. I know, “Why all the sifting?” but this really does help to remove the lumps and just helps everything to combine better later. It really is worth the extra time. Combine the flour and the salt and mix well.
In your primary mixing bowl, use an electric mixer and whip up your softened butter and cream cheese till smooth and fully combined. It is easier if you cut the butter and cream cheese up into smaller pieces, this will help it to combine.
Slowly add in your flour, a quarter cup or so at a time, until it is fully combined with the butter and cream cheese.
Take the dough out of the bowl and on a lightly floured counter roll out your dough into a rectangle, approximately ¼ inch thick.
Divide this into quarters and use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut it apart. Take parchment paper or plastic sheets and stack the four pieces on top of each other. Place this in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Meanwhile, you can make your nut filling that is going to be in the center of the cookies. In a sauce pan, combine the 1/2 cup of honey, 2oz of Amaretto and the 2 Tbsp of Sugar. Heat this on low until it starts to foam. Stir this continuously with a spatula and coats a spoon evenly. Remove from heat, add in nuts and mix to combine. Allow to cool in a bowl.
When you are ready to bake, take out your dough and individually roll out each piece further so it is approximately 1/8 in thick. Make sure to use a little flour on your counter and rolling pin again to keep from sticking. Try to keep it in as much of a rectangle as possible to make it easier to cut. Now use your pizza cutter to divide the dough into 1 ½ inch squares.
Place a small amount, about a half a teaspoon of filling in the center of each cookie. Take the corners of the square cookies and pinch them together and push down slightly in the center.
Pre-heat your oven to 375 and place your cookies on a lined cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for about a minute before removing them from the cookie sheets.
Repeat the process of rolling out the dough and baking until you are done.
Sprinkle with a little power sugar once the cookie has cooled slightly and serve!
So most people in Hungary probably eat this for dessert or a treat some time during the day. But as Karen will tell you, I tend to be specific on certain items and what should be considered breakfast and what should be dessert. I grew up with this being breakfast with a nice cup of coffee. So I am going to stick with that. Nothing like a good sugary jolt to start the day is what I always say! Enjoy and feel free to add a little more powder sugar when you serve.
Hungarian Kiffles
Makes approximately 100 cookies
Kiffles Dough
- 2 ¼ Cups All Purpose Flour
- ½ Tsp salt
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
- 8 Oz unsalted butter
Kiffles Filling
- 1 Jar Apricot Preserve (the thicker the better)
- 6 oz Pecans, finely chopped
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 ounces Amaretto Liquor (optional)
Sift the flour into a separate bowl. Combine the flour and the salt and mix well.
In your primary mixing bowl, use an electric mixer and whisk your softened butter and cream cheese till smooth and fully combined.
Slowly add in your flour a quarter cup or so at a time until it is fully combined with the butter and cream cheese.
Take the dough out of the bowl and on a lightly floured counter roll out your dough into a rectangle, approximately ¼ inch thick.
Divide this into quarters and use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut it apart. Take parchment paper or plastic sheets and stack the four pieces on top of each other. Place this in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
For your nut filling, combine the 1/2 cup of honey, 2oz of Amaretto and the 2 Tbsp of Sugar in a sauce pan. Heat this on low until it starts to foam.
Stir this continuously with a spatula and coats a spoon evenly. Remove from heat, add in nuts and mix to combine. Allow to cool in a bowl.
After chilling, take out your dough and individually roll out each piece further so it is approximately 1/8 inch thick. Make sure to use a little flour on your counter and rolling pin again to keep from sticking. Try to keep it in as much of a rectangle as possible to make it easier to cut. Now use your pizza cutter to divide the dough into 1 ½ inch squares.
Place a small amount, about a half a teaspoon of filling in the center of each cookie. Take the corners of the square cookies and pinch them together and push down slightly in the center.
Pre-heat your oven to 375 and place your cookies on a lined cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool for about a minute before removing them from the cookie sheets.
Repeat the process of rolling out the dough and baking until you are done.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!