Hungarian Kiffle Cookies (also spelled kipfel or kifli cookies) are traditional Eastern European pastries that are buttery, tender, and usually filled with nuts, jam, or poppy seed filling, then rolled into crescent shapes and dusted with powdered sugar.
They’re more like a soft, flaky cookie-pastry hybrid—very melt-in-your-mouth.
🥐 Classic Hungarian Kiffle Cookies Recipe
🧾 Ingredients (dough)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 225 g (1 cup) butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 225 g cream cheese (or sour cream in some versions)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1–2 tbsp sugar (optional, for slight sweetness)
🌰 Optional fillings (choose one)
Walnut filling (most traditional):
- 1 cup ground walnuts
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1–2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
OR
- Apricot jam
- Raspberry jam
- Poppy seed filling
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Make the dough
- Mix flour and salt.
- Cut in butter until crumbly.
- Add cream cheese and mix until a soft dough forms.
- Divide into 2–3 balls, flatten, wrap, and chill for 1–2 hours.
2. Roll and shape
- Roll dough thin (about 1/8 inch).
- Cut into triangles or squares.
- Add a small spoon of filling at the wide end.
- Roll into a crescent shape.
3. Bake
- Place on parchment-lined tray.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 15–20 minutes until lightly golden.
4. Finish
- Cool slightly.
- Roll or dust generously with powdered sugar.
🧠 Tips for perfect kiffles
- Keep dough cold for flakiness
- Don’t overfill or they may leak
- Powder sugar twice for the classic snowy look
- They taste even better the next day
🥨 What makes them special
Hungarian Kiffle Cookies are known for:
- ultra-tender, buttery dough
- simple ingredients
- rich nut or fruit fillings
- traditional holiday baking in Hungary and neighboring countries
If you want, I can also give you:
- an eggless version
- a quick 30-minute shortcut version
- or a professional bakery-style flaky version
