Hungarian Kifli Puffs are delicate, nutty, lightly sweet pastries that are baked to a crispy perfection! These little delicacies are a new spin on a family favorite dessert. My Mom makes Hungarian Kiflis during the holidays and for special occasions. She uses my Grandmother’s cinnamon roll dough, but I decided to make them with puff pastry. And, they turned out deliciously light and flaky!
My Mom and Dad loved these Hungarian Kifli Puffs so much she told me she may never make them with yeast dough again. Whoa, what a compliment. I sure wasn’t expecting that!
Not only are these pastries really, really, really delicious but, they’re easy to make too.
These little pastries are actually low in sugar and loaded with healthy walnuts. They’re also baked and not fried. So, they’re a healthier choice for dessert too.
For the walnut filling: Put 2 cups walnuts in a food processor. Pulse 3-4 times, or until the walnuts are finely chopped. Pour the ground nuts into a mixing bowl and repeat with the other 2 cups walnuts.
Stir in the sugar to the ground walnuts. *Reserve 1 cup for the tops. Then add a slightly beaten egg white to the larger amount of nuts/sugar mixture and combine well. Set aside.
For the puff pastry: Dust a clean counter with flour. Lay out one thawed (if frozen), but chilled, puff pastry sheet. Roll lightly to approximately 10″ x 12″. Cut evenly into 8 pieces with a pizza cutter, or knife.
For assembling: Put a small scoop (1 oz) of the nut mixture into the center of each pastry.
Bring the corners to the center and press down lightly. Pat off excess flour. Holding the pastry in hand, brush with the beaten egg whites and generously sprinkle with the reserved walnut/sugar mixture.
Place on a greased baking stone or a non-stick baking sheet.
For gluten-free little nut cookies: If you have left over nuts and egg whites, mix together and place small mounds onto parchment paper or a greased baking sheet. Reduce heat to 350 F and bake 5-10 minutes, or until the tops are a little firm.
These little nut balls are so good and make a delicious gluten free treat!
Bake in a preheated 400 F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until light golden brown.
Allow to cool a couple minutes then transfer the pastries to a cooling rack and ENJOY! We’re so excited for you to try this recipe. You’re going to love them!!!
Hungarian Kifli Puffs
Ingredients
Walnut filling:
- 3/4 pound ground walnuts, approximately 4 cups before ground
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
Pastry:
- 17.3 ounces puff pastry (1 box) (if frozen, follow thawing instructions on box)
- 1/4 cup flour, for dusting and rolling
Tops:
- 1 cup ground walnuts/sugar mixture, reserved from above
- 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F and grease a baking stone, or non-stick baking sheet.
Walnut filling:
- Put 2 cups walnuts in a food processor. Pulse 3-4 times, or until the walnuts are finely chopped. Pour the ground nuts into a mixing bowl and repeat with the other 2 cups walnuts. Stir in the sugar to the ground walnuts. *Reserve 1 cup for the tops. Then add a slightly beaten egg white to the larger amount of nuts/sugar mixture and combine well. Set aside.
Pastry:
- Dust a clean counter with flour. Lay out one thawed (if frozen), but chilled puff pastry sheet. Roll lightly to approximately 10" x 12". Cut evenly into 8 pieces with a pizza cutter, or knife.
Assembling:
- Put a small scoop (1 oz) of the nut mixture into the center of each pastry. Bring the corners to the center and press down lightly. Pat off excess flour. Holding the pastry in hand, brush each pastry with the beaten egg whites and generously sprinkle with the reserved walnut/sugar mixture.
- Place on a greased baking stone or non-stick baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until light golden brown. Allow to cool a couple minutes, then transfer the pastries to a cooling rack.
Notes
- If the puff pastry is frozen, follow the thawing instructions on the package.
- Keep the 2nd puff pastry sheet chilled in the fridge until the first sheet of pastries is in the oven.
- If you have leftover nuts and egg whites, mix together and place small mounds onto parchment paper or a greased baking sheet. Reduce heat to 350 F and bake 5-10 minutes, or until the tops are a little firm.
Nutrition
Check out our 1st Cookbook Savory ~ Sweet ~ Repeat. It’s a delicious eCookbook full of tried & true family-favorite recipes: 25 savory & 25 sweet. All of them are from this blog and some our family has enjoyed for 50 & even 60 years! There’s also a few newer family favorites as well. Our eCookbook downloads beautifully and is perfect for gift-giving!
Looking for more delicious dessert recipes?
Here are a few family favorites!
Brown Paper Bag Apple Pie
Coconut Pecan Bars
Incredibly Moist Banana Cake
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I have never had a kifli, but they look delicious! What a great way to make them too!
Hi Carlee. If you’ve never had a kifli than you’re missing out, especially when they’re made with puff pastry! Thanks for stopping by and hope you give them a try. ~Heather
Making these in honor of Grandma today! Regarding the topping… you said, “generously sprinkle with the reserved walnut/sugar mixture.,” but I thought you said NOT to add sugar to the reserved cup of walnuts? Just wanting to clarify. Love you, Aunt Heather!
That’s so nice that you’re making these kifli puffs in honor of Grandma, Kori. She would love it! You’re right, I edited this recipe because the topping does have the ground walnut/sugar mixture. Hope you guys love them as much as the original kiflis. Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle John and I sure do! Love you too, Aunt Heather
I just finished my first batch and these are really really good! Very easy using the Puff Pastry. I thought that 4 cups of walnuts was a bit too much so I cut it back to 3 cups (before chopping). It ended up being enough for 16 puffs, using both pastry sheets in the box. So that was actually a good thing because I got more of these delicious pastries to share. Also, I added about 1 tablespoon of Apricot Preserves before adding the nut mixture. Very nice flavor combination. Definitely added to my favorites folder. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Barbara. We’re thrilled that you enjoyed our Hungarian Kifli Puffs, they’re definitely a long time family- favorite! Yes, using Puff Pastry makes this recipe very easy. You’re right there is a little nut mixture leftover, which makes a few yummy nut cookies, so good! Adding a little Apricot Preserves sounds super delicious! You’re welcome and thank you so much for the 5-star rating, we really appreciate it. ~Heather
Hi Heather –
How do you store these and for how long? Thank you.
Hi Debbie. You can store our Hungarian Kifli Puffs in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days, or you can freeze them for up to 6 months and take them out as needed. Hope you enjoy our yummy recipe, it’s a long time family favorite! ~Heather
WOW!! These look very tasty. Dainty looking also. I have never made anything like this. Actually never heard of this particular recipe.
I really enjoy looking at your cookie recipes. Thanks for all you do.
Hi Charlotte. Well, thank you so much for the sweet comment about our Hungarian Kifli Puffs. They’re a long time family favorite but made with puff pastry instead of yeast bread dough. Actually, they’re much easier with the puff pastry and just as delicious! You’re very welcome and thank you for the kind words. 🙂 ~Heather