Hungarian Cold Dough Nut Cookies (Old-Fashioned Recipe) 🇭🇺

Tender, buttery, lightly flaky, and filled with a sweet walnut mixture, Hungarian Cold Dough Nut Cookies are the kind of old-fashioned treats that seem to belong on a holiday cookie tray. Known in many families as Hungarian Kifli, Kiffles, or Nut Foldovers, these delicate pastries are made with a chilled dough that is rolled thin, filled with walnut mixture, folded or shaped into crescents, and baked until lightly golden. (Astray)

The name and exact shape can vary from family to family. Some versions are folded into triangles, while others are rolled into small crescents. The defining idea is the rich cold dough and sweet nut filling.

What Are Hungarian Cold Dough Cookies?

These traditional-style cookies are made from a rich dough that is chilled before rolling. Keeping the dough cold helps the butter or other fat remain firm, making it easier to work with and helping create a tender, delicate texture.

Similar Hungarian-style kiffle recipes use fillings such as walnuts, poppy seeds, apricot preserves, or lekvár, depending on the family recipe. (BakedLean)

For this old-fashioned version, walnuts take center stage.

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Walnut Filling

• 2 cups finely ground walnuts
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons milk, if needed

For Finishing

• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• Powdered sugar, for dusting