Hungarian Kiffles

Name: Hungarian Kiffles
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 8 h 25 min
Yield: 36 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound butter, softened; 1 pound cream cheese, softened; 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour; 1 pound walnuts, ground; 1 cup white sugar; 2 tablespoons milk, or more as needed

Rating: 4.44 stars

16 Ratings
12 Reviews
6 Photos

This is the real deal, direct from my Hungarian descendants. These yummy, delicate cookies are just the right amount of sweetness and are absolutely addicting! Simple ingredients, but do take some work, but well worth it! Always a holiday favorite!

By Rach

Gallery

Recipe Summary

prep:

15 mins

cook:

10 mins

additional:

8 hrs

total:

8 hrs 25 mins

Servings:

Yield:

36 servings

Nutrition Info

Ingredients

Original recipe yields 36 servings

The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified

1 pound butter, softened
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 pound walnuts, ground
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons milk, or more as needed

Directions

Step 1
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.

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Step 2
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Step 3
Stir walnuts and sugar together in a bowl. Pour milk into walnut mixture and stir to form a paste.
Step 4
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.
Step 5
Bake in the preheated oven until light brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Cook's Note:

You can add different types of nuts and jams inside the cookie, such as prunes, apricots, poppy seeds, etc.

The number of servings depends on how thin or thick you roll the dough and how large or small you make the squares; each is personal preference.

Don't spend too much time 'playing' with the dough because it will get sticky and melt some. Keep the dough you are not using refrigerated.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

289 calories; protein 4.4g; carbohydrates 18.3g; fat 23g; cholesterol 41.1mg; sodium 110.8mg. Full Nutrition

Reviews (12)

Most helpful positive review

Mooms

12/27/2014

Just made 'em. Nothing wrong with this recipe, but it's not for beginners. It helps to have someone show you if you're not used to working with this kind of dough. It's the standard old-country pastry dough for kiffles and rugelach, ratio 1 C butter: 1 C cream cheese: 2 C flour... no added sugar to please American tastes. A few more thoughts. The cookie sheet is ungreased since there's so much butter in the dough. The dough has to be chilled and stay that way, otherwise it will spread everywhere. The filling (any kind you like, from apricot to nut to chocolate to poppyseed), also should stay to a minimum so it doesn't explode on your pan, and you might want to use a little H2O to pinch the "arms" together so they don't open during cooking. Read More

Helpful

(23)

Most helpful critical review

cyndi

07/15/2014

these are not good at all. Read More

Helpful

(6)

16 Ratings

5 star values: 10
4 star values: 5
3 star values: 0
2 star values: 0
1 star values: 1

Reviews: Most Helpful

Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest

Mooms

12/27/2014

Helpful

(23)

cyndi

07/15/2014

these are not good at all. Read More

Helpful

(6)

Lia Marie

12/16/2018

I would make this again. They were light, buttery, and airy. I could really taste the walnut flavor. I got several compliments on them. It was a bit tricky rolling them. I rolled the dough as thin as I could and used slightly less filling so they wouldn't break open. Sprinkled with powdered sugar. Read More

Helpful

(4)

NancySSS

12/29/2015

These are great! I used a jelly glass to cut them after rolling. Instead of the walnut filling (which I will try next time) I used Solo canned cake and pastry filling (strawberry) and rolled them in confectioners sugar after they cooled a couple of minutes. I only chilled the dough about two hours and it was fine. Really good. Thank you! Read More

Helpful

(2)

rochmom

11/22/2015

This dough was the easiest kifli dough I ever worked with and I made kifli over half a dozen times.. The dough was never ever too sticky. These made very nice puffy cookies! Read More

Helpful

(2)

mindiekeller

12/13/2019

1. Roll them in powered sugar instead of flour. 2. Only use a little bit of filling like less than a teaspoon and you can buy filling in the baking aisle...apricot is a good filling if you re not into walnuts. 3. Make sure your kiffles are totally closed almost like a ravioli. I actually fold mine into a triangle pinch edges then roll. For some reason totally closed kiffles taste better and prevent the filling from getting dried out as it does when it oozes out of the cookie while baking. Honestly an ugly kiffle can taste much better than a beautifully rolled pastry kiffle. I keep my square small before I fold them over Read More

Helpful

(1)

David Mroczkowski

12/04/2020

My mother was an expert at these cookies and made them for years. One trick, when rolling out the dough, roll it on powdered sugar. Read More

Helpful

(1)

internationalcooking

07/06/2020

No problems with the recipe, but in Hungary it’s usually spelled “kifli”. Read More

Helpful

(1)

cathy

12/01/2019

we make these for the holidays but instead of cream cheese we us cottage cheese love your recipe too. Read More

More Reviews

Back to Hungarian Kiffles

All Reviews for Hungarian Kiffles

- of Reviews

Hungarian Kiffles

Servings Per Recipe: 36
Calories: 289.4

% Daily Value *

protein: 9 %

carbohydrates: 6 %

dietary fiber: 5 %

sugars:

fat: 35 %

saturated fat: 50 %

cholesterol: 14 %

vitamin a iu: 10 %

niacin equivalents: 14 %

vitamin b6: 5 %

vitamin c:

folate: 10 %

calcium: 3 %

iron: 7 %

magnesium: 9 %

potassium: 3 %

sodium: 4 %

thiamin: 16 %

calories from fat:

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

Reviews for: Photos of Hungarian Kiffles

1 of 12

All Reviews

Mooms

12/27/2014

Helpful

(23)

cyndi

07/15/2014

these are not good at all.

Helpful

(6)

Lia Marie

12/16/2018

Helpful

(4)

NancySSS

12/29/2015

Helpful

(2)

rochmom

11/22/2015

This dough was the easiest kifli dough I ever worked with and I made kifli over half a dozen times.. The dough was never ever too sticky. These made very nice puffy cookies!

Helpful

(2)

mindiekeller

12/13/2019

Helpful

(1)

David Mroczkowski

12/04/2020

My mother was an expert at these cookies and made them for years. One trick, when rolling out the dough, roll it on powdered sugar.

Helpful

(1)

internationalcooking