Hungarian Kifli Christmas Cookies with Dates
Delight your taste buds this holiday season with Hungarian Kifli Christmas Cookies, a traditional treat filled with a rich, sweet date center. These crescent-shaped pastries feature a buttery, tender dough made with sour cream and egg yolks, which is chilled to perfection for easy handling. The homemade date filling, infused with vanilla, adds a natural sugary depth, making them irresistibly festive. Rolled and baked until lightly golden, each cookie is dusted with powdered sugar for a snow-kissed finish, perfect for your Christmas dessert spread. With just 45 minutes of prep time, these cookies are a wonderful balance of old-world charm and modern ease, ideal for gifting or sharing with loved ones. Bring a touch of Hungarian tradition to your holiday celebrations with these melt-in-your-mouth cookies!
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Recipe Information
Ingredients
- 240 grams All-purpose flour
- 170 grams Unsalted butter
- 120 grams Sour cream
- 50 grams Granulated sugar
- 2 large Egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 200 grams Pitted dates
- 60 milliliters Water
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 50 grams Powdered sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and salt. Add the unsalted butter, cutting it into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in the granulated sugar, sour cream, and egg yolks until the dough begins to come together. Knead lightly to form a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to chill.
While the dough chills, prepare the date filling. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the pitted dates and water. Cook, stirring frequently, until the dates soften into a paste-like consistency, about 5-7 minutes.
Remove the date mixture from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Allow it to cool completely to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a large rectangle, about 3-4mm thick. Cut the dough into 7x7cm squares.
Place a small spoonful of the date filling in the center of each square. Fold the dough diagonally over the filling to form a triangle, then roll the triangle loosely into a crescent shape, pinching the edges to seal.
Place the crescents onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving a bit of space between them.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until they are lightly golden on the edges.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool slightly on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled, dust the cookies generously with powdered sugar before serving or storing them in an airtight container.
Nutrition Facts
Calories |
3414 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
% Daily Value* |
|||
| Total Fat | 181.5 g | 233% | |
| Saturated Fat | 104.5 g | 522% | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.0 g | ||
| Cholesterol | 805 mg | 268% | |
| Sodium | 2489 mg | 108% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 442.9 g | 161% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 19.9 g | 71% | |
| Total Sugars | 242.2 g | ||
| Protein | 39.0 g | 78% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.9 mcg | 5% | |
| Calcium | 407 mg | 31% | |
| Iron | 13.9 mg | 77% | |
| Potassium | 1732 mg | 37% | |
*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
