These Hungarian Nut Roll Cookies are a flakey, cream cheese crust wrapped around a homemade walnut filling. The filling is sweet, crunchy, and caramelized around the edges!
Mix filling in a medium bowl using only ¼ cup of the boiled milk. The mixture should be thick.
If the filling is not spreadable, use the rest of the milk. I used all of it. It will thicken as it sits.
Note: You can make the filling ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready to use it. Just thaw at room temperature when you are ready to use.
For the Pastry Dough:
Sift flour and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a stand mixer or a hand mixer until completely incorporated and creamy (3-5 minutes).
Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour. I used 5 additions and completely mixed in the flour each time. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and flatten each to ¾” thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until hard, at least 2 hours.
Assembling the Walnut Rolls:
Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Move the oven rack one setting higher than the center.
Dust each side of the dough with flour. Generously coat a flat surface (countertop, marble board, etc.) with granulated sugar. Plop the dough on top and press gently to push some crystals into the dough. The sugar will keep your dough elevated off the rolling surface enough to keep it from sticking. Lightly coat the rolling pin with flour throughout the process, using as little as possible.
With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, trim the dough into a square and then cut the square into 16 smaller squares. My dough never rolled out into a perfect circle so I would just cut as many 1 1/2 “ squares a possible, saving the scraps for later.
Place a dollop of filling in one corner of each square. I used ½ teaspoon.
Starting in the corner with the filling, roll the dough around the filling from corner to corner, gently pressing down as you roll. Grab the roll on both sides and pinch as you bend the roll to create a crescent shape. Gently move it to a parchment covered baking sheet, placing the Rolls no closer than 1” apart.
Repeat with all remaining squares.
Sprinkle the middles of the Rolls with just a touch of granulated sugar.
Bake 12-14 minutes or until the bottom edges are a golden and you can smell them. They should puff up slightly in the middle. With experience you can see when the dough is cooked. Let cool slightly on the pan on a wire rack and then move them gently to a wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat with all remaining dough. Refrigerate and re-roll your scraps. Amazing.
For a more traditional cookie, you can omit the granulated sugar and dust the final, cooled cookie with powdered sugar. I will warn you that it won’t be as divine.
Video
Notes
Presentation – Pressing the dough down slightly while rolling and setting the cookie on top of the seam will keep them from popping open during baking. Make them as large or as small as you would like. The larger ones are easier to work with.Flavor Tips – Don’t skimp on the filling. The excess will just run out the sides and caramelize on the parchment paper. These were the most delicious one.Technique – Rolling the dough out on top of sugar adds more flavor to the unsweetened dough and allows the bottoms to caramelize in the oven. This is a tried and true Grandmother baking tip right here!Helpful Tools – You can use a butter knife to cut the squares but I love the ease of a pie cutter. Use the fluted side for extra flare!Variations – These nut roll cookies are also delightful with apricot filling or a traditional poppyseed filling. Pecans can also be substituted for the walnuts.Storage – I found that layering them between sheets of wax paper and then wrapping the stack loosely in foil will keep them as crisp as possible. They can also be frozen for up to three months.