Kifli (hungarian walnut cookies)

Ingredients

Directions

DOUGH

FILLING

GLAZE

Make dough: in a large bowl, place the flour and the butter. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolks and sour cream; stir with a fork until combined.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board or pastry cloth. Knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth and can be shaped into a ball. If dough is too sticky, knead in more flour. If desired, wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Make filling: in a medium-sized bowl, place the ground walnuts, granulated sugar, milk and almond extract.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in walnut mixture until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Prehead oven to 400F. Grease baking sheets with solid vegetable shortening.

To shape Kifli: divide the dough into quarters; wrap three of the quarters separately in plastic wrap and set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining quarter of the dough to a 15" x 12" rectangle that is ⅛" thick.

Using a pastry wheel, cut the rectangle of dough into 3-inch squares. Place a heaping teaspoon of the walnut filling in the center of each square; bring one corner of the dough over the filling to the opposite corner; pinch edges together.

Place Kifli on baking sheets; brush with the beaten egg. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet. Fill the bottom of a pie place with confectioners' sugar. Roll Kifli in the sugar. Let cool on wire racks. Repeat steps with the remaining three quarters of dough.

From: McCall's Cooking School: Desserts/Cookies