Oooh yes, Ashley! 🇭🇺✨ Hungarian Kiffles (also spelled kifli, kipfel, or kiflies) are one of the most beloved Eastern European cookies — buttery, flaky, and filled with sweet jam, ground nuts, or poppy seeds. They’re a holiday must (especially at Christmas), but they’re so good you’ll want them year-round.
Let’s dive into the classic Hungarian Kiffles recipe:
🇭🇺 Traditional Hungarian Kiffles (Kifli Cookies)
Yields: About 3 dozen
Prep time: 30 minutes
Chill time: 2–4 hours or overnight
Bake time: 12–15 minutes
🧈 Dough Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, cold
- 1 egg yolk (optional, for extra richness)
- Powdered sugar (for rolling)
🍑 Classic Fillings (choose one or mix!):
🥜 Walnut filling:
- 1 cup finely ground walnuts
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
🍒 Jam filling:
- Thick apricot, plum, or raspberry jam
- (Tip: reduce or cook your jam a bit if it’s too runny)
🌰 Poppy seed filling:
- 1/2 cup ground poppy seeds
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- Simmer until thickened, then cool