Kifles (Nut Rolls or Horns)

  • Prep Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hrs
  • Yield: 80Kifles

    • About This Recipe

    “This is from the Ellis Island Immigrant Cookbook.”

    Ingredients

    Dough

  • 4cupsflour
  • 2 (1/4 ounce) envelope yeast
  • 1cupbutter
  • 4egg yolks, save whites
  • 1cupsour cream
  • 1cuppowdered sugar
  • 1/2 cupgranulated sugar

    • Filling

  • 2cupsground nuts
  • 1cupsugar
  • 4egg whites, stiffly beaten
  • 1teaspoonvanilla

    • Directions

  • Combine nuts, sugar and vanilla.
  • Fold in egg whites; set aside.
  • Put flour into a large bowl.
  • Add the yeast to the egg yolks in a small bowl and let soften.
  • Cut butter into the flour until crumbly.
  • Add egg yolks and yeast and sour cream.
  • Mix well until it forms a smooth ball.
  • Form into 10 balls and chill.
  • Mix 1 cup granulated and 1 cup powdered sugar.
  • On counter top, sprinkle a spoonful of sugar mixture, place 1 ball on the sugar, add more sugar on top, roll out ball Roll until dough is 1/8-inch thick, forming a circle.
  • Cut the circle into 8 pie-shaped wedges.
  • Fill the wide end of each wedge with 1 level teaspoon of filling.
  • Roll from wide end to the point.
  • Continue with all the balls.
  • Place on greased cookie sheets.
  • Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes.

    • Reviews

  • “I’ve been baking these cookies all my life.The yeast is not meant to dissolve fully.And as the nut mixture rises and expands when you bake it, changing it’s texture to “spreading consistancy” would likely ruin the delicate and delicious finished product.”

  • “Excellent kifle recipe…thanks for posting!This couldn’t be easier to follow and directions and bake time were right on.I did add the grated rind of one lemon to the dough and a tbl of lemon juice to the filling, because my Grandmother used these in her kifles and that’s what I was trying to duplicate.Note: The filling does expand, so be sure to roll these up loosely!Thanks again ;)”

  • “These were good & well-received at a church function. I’d suggest dissolving the yeast in a tiny bit of water with 1 tsp. sugar, since it didn’t dissolve completely into the dough.Also, the stiff egg whites made the nut mixture quite runny (did the Ellis Island immigrants have mixers?)Next time I would addunbeaten egg whites slowly until the mixture is a good spreading consistency. These were similar to nut horns my aunts made many yearsago in Cleveland using Hungarian recipes.”

  • “Being from Cleveland and Skr mentioned the city and eating the product I was anxious to try.Did as others suggested and the end product was excellant.Thanks ladies :)”

  • “These were really good!As somebody else mentioned, the filling was a little runny and definitely expands during baking.I overfilled a few of mine.Tasted great though – thanks!”

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