These old fashioned cookies, made of yeasted dough with a walnut filling remind me of a Holocaust Survivor that my husband and I met at a coffee shop in Israel years ago. Mr. Paschkarevitcz who was originally from Bratislava/Pressburg was sent to the Lodz ghetto and from there to Auschwitz. He would come to a particular bakery in Jerusalem every Friday for a coffee and their Pressburg Kipfel as a reminder of the taste of his youth.
The filling recipe makes twice as much as you will need, you can either cut the recipe in half or do as I do which is make the full amount and freeze the filling to make these delicious cookies again super soon. The filling will keep in the freezer for a month. Why didn’t I just make the right amount of filling you may ask? There is a part of me that never wants to be stingy with filling and so I overcompensate, feel free to not give into my neurosis!
For the dough:
- 80ml (⅓ cup) milk (or almond milk)
- 100g (6 ½ tablespoons) butter (or vegan alternative) at room temperature
- Pinch salt
- 25g (5 teaspoons) granulated sugar
- 15g (½ oz) dry yeast
- 10g (2 teaspoons) vanilla sugar
- 250g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Juice of ½ a lemon
For the walnut filling:
- 150g (1 cup) walnuts, ground
- 180ml (¾ cup) milk (or almond milk)
- 50g (3 ½ tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 10g (2 teaspoons) vanilla sugar
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon Slivovitz (or other fruit liqueur/brandy)
- 2 eggs
- 100g (3 ½ oz) cookie spread (or almond butter)
- 130g (4 ½ oz) sponge cake (or vanilla cookie crumbs)
For the topping:
- 1 egg white
For the dough:
Place all the dough ingredients for the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the dough thoroughly until well combined. Tip the dough onto a floured surface and continue kneading by hand until you have a very smooth dough.
Alternatively, you can make the dough entirely by hand.
Once you have a smooth dough roll it into a log and wrap in baking paper. Allow to set in the fridge for an hour. While the dough rests. Make the filling.
For the filling:
In a small pot over a medium flame, mix together the milk, granulated sugar, vanilla sugar, and cinnamon stick and Slivovitz, cook until the sugar has dissolved and the milk comes to a boil.
While the pot with milk is cooking, in a second pot, mix together the eggs, cookie spread, cake crumbs, and walnuts. As soon as the milk comes to a boil add it to the pot with the walnuts and turn on the fire to medium, cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens.
Place in the fridge to cool.
Walnut filling can be made up to 3 days before use, store in the fridge in an airtight container.
To assemble:
Preheat oven to 180℃ (350℉).
Line two baking sheets with baking paper set aside.
Take the dough out of the fridge and knead a couple of times to make sure it is smooth and supple. Shape back into a log, cut approximately 25g (1oz) pieces from the dough and using a floured rolling pin on a floured surface, roll the dough into a small oval.
Fill the dough with walnut filling either using a piping bag or two teaspoons. Place the filling on one of the short ends of the oval, roll the dough around the filling and bend into a crescent shape.
Place crescents on the prepared baking sheet, and brush with egg white. Bake for 18-20 minutes until slightly puffed and golden.
