Instructions
1. Make the dough
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Mix in flour and salt until a soft dough forms.
- Divide into 4 equal portions, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
2. Prepare the filling
- In a small saucepan, combine ground walnuts, sugar, and milk.
- Cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened (3–4 min).
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool completely.
3. Roll and fill
- Preheat oven to 175 °C / 350 °F.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough into a thin circle (about ⅛ inch thick).
- Cut into 8 wedges like a pizza.
- Place a small spoonful of filling near the wide end of each wedge.
- Roll up from the wide end to the point to form a crescent.
4. Bake
- Place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 15–18 minutes, until lightly golden on the edges.
5. Finish
- Cool slightly, then roll in powdered sugar while still warm.
Traditional Variations
- Apricot kifli: Use thick apricot jam or lekvár instead of nut filling.
- Poppy seed kifli: Use sweetened ground poppy seed filling (mákos töltelék).
- For a more old-fashioned taste, some grandmothers add a splash of rum or lemon zest to the dough.
If you’d like, I can also share the yeast-dough kifli version — a bit fluffier, more bread-like, and very traditional in Hungarian village baking. Would you like that recipe?
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