Kiffles...A Christmas Tradition
Every Christmas, I make kiffles, lots and lots of kiffles.
Many years ago (10 give or take), I swiped the recipe from my mother's kitchen drawer. However, the word recipe may be stretching it a bit...
The recipe originally came from my aunt's aunt. That would be my father's brother's wife's mother or father's sister (or possibly sister-in-law). Did you get that? Gotta love a recipe with some family history!
It's your traditional cream cheese kiffle dough, maybe not quite as flaky as some other recipes out there, but trust me, they melt in your mouth. Mmmmm! There was a time or two when I thought about toying with a different recipe, but the consensus around here was 'DO NOT CHANGE A THING!' So if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Now, as far as filling...lekvar for mom, raspberry in the annual attempt to entice my hubby*, and apricot for everyone else, but most importantly...the more, the better!
That's a matter of taste though, some like just a hint of flavor. Not my gang. My gang goes more for the jelly donut concept, bite in to one end, the filling squishes out the other. Time to make the kiffles!
*Much to my dismay, my husband is not a fan of the kiffle. He wants to know where the chocolate chip cookies are...ugggh!
Kiffles
24 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 lb unsalted butter (6 sticks)
6 cups flour
Cream butter and cheese, slowing add flour until soft dough forms. Form ball and chill dough for 2-3 hours, or 2-3 days in my case ( I just don't have a whole day to commit to kiffles, so I make the dough and hope for the best). Split dough into smaller balls and roll in confectioner's sugar before rolling flat with a rolling pin, cut into 2" squares, place dollop of filling in center of each square and roll corner to corner. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar when cool.
Enjoy!
Many years ago (10 give or take), I swiped the recipe from my mother's kitchen drawer. However, the word recipe may be stretching it a bit...
The recipe originally came from my aunt's aunt. That would be my father's brother's wife's mother or father's sister (or possibly sister-in-law). Did you get that? Gotta love a recipe with some family history!
It's your traditional cream cheese kiffle dough, maybe not quite as flaky as some other recipes out there, but trust me, they melt in your mouth. Mmmmm! There was a time or two when I thought about toying with a different recipe, but the consensus around here was 'DO NOT CHANGE A THING!' So if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Now, as far as filling...lekvar for mom, raspberry in the annual attempt to entice my hubby*, and apricot for everyone else, but most importantly...the more, the better!
That's a matter of taste though, some like just a hint of flavor. Not my gang. My gang goes more for the jelly donut concept, bite in to one end, the filling squishes out the other. Time to make the kiffles!
*Much to my dismay, my husband is not a fan of the kiffle. He wants to know where the chocolate chip cookies are...ugggh!
Kiffles
24 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 lb unsalted butter (6 sticks)
6 cups flour
Cream butter and cheese, slowing add flour until soft dough forms. Form ball and chill dough for 2-3 hours, or 2-3 days in my case ( I just don't have a whole day to commit to kiffles, so I make the dough and hope for the best). Split dough into smaller balls and roll in confectioner's sugar before rolling flat with a rolling pin, cut into 2" squares, place dollop of filling in center of each square and roll corner to corner. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar when cool.
Enjoy!
I see and eat plenty of these every holiday season but never knew what they were called. They are always so delicious! Have a happy and safe holiday!
ReplyDeleteMy Croation friend calls them kiffles but uses yeast and walnuts mixed in whipped egg white sugar blend for filling. Husbands Polish great aunt called them Kolackes. Love both versions.
DeleteWe use that recipe , smaller amounts. 8 oz cream cheese. 2 sticks butter. 2 cups flour. Can a teaspoon of vanilla if want. We call them kolachi
DeleteIt's so nice to have memories from our moms and grandmothers, and such as yours, I would treasure it for many yearts to come...which you have already done so. Such beautiful kiffles. Love the recipe, and it is so yummy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, and a Happy Holiday to you, and yours!
Do you let the butter warm up or do you blend it cold?
DeleteI use the butter at room temperature as well as the cream cheese to blend because afterwards you chill the dough
DeleteMy mother law from hungry taught me to make these. She filled with lecvar fill with a variety. My family loves Christmas for all the special cookies I make.
DeleteWow!! What is lekfar??!!!
DeleteLecfar
DeleteThey look delicious and are delicious! I am glad that you keep on making them for all of us to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThey are pronounced keeflees
DeleteAlexandra, those are beautiful kiffles. I have that in my family tradition too..but in general on every big occasion somebody would bring them. :)
ReplyDeleteI've often seen these in a bakeries, but never knew they were called kiffles until now. They look great! Can you fill them with anything (like chocolate)?
ReplyDeleteThere is a Chech equivalent called Kolachki
DeleteSo pretty! Are they like rugulach? And I, like you, love the apricot ... and a great family recipe! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! Made the last batch last night. Whew!
ReplyDeleteYes rugulach and kiffles use the same dough, so they are similar, if not just a version of each other. As for filling, I'm not familiar with the traditional fillings used in rugulach, but you can never go wrong with apricot in my opinion. yum! Nut filling is another option for kiffles, but I'm not sure about chocolate, never tried it. You'd have to find a chocolate filling that would be able to stand up to the 10 minute baking time without melting everywhere?
Sounds delicious though!
Locally (Lehigh Valley in PA) you can buy Lekvar Filling at your local grocer and I add egg white, crushed walnut and a TB of white sugar to that and it's a hit. The rest we do are raspberry and apricot. I thankfully received my recipe from a friend that has been passed down in her family for generations. She indulged me by writing the recipe in her cursive for me to laminate.
DeleteCan you let me know the proportions that you use for this lekvar option?
DeleteI also fill mine with Nutella. So good!
DeleteI always make a variation of this that my Mother called "Italian filled cookies". The dough is made with yeast, egg yolks, flour and sour cream...but you roll and fill with fruit the same way...apricot, plum, raspberry, or my favorite almond...bake then dust with powdered sugar. Don't suppose you'd know what the real name for these are?
ReplyDeleteThe name is killing. Kovach in Slovak.
DeleteIt’s actually kipferl in austria
DeleteWhat do you use as filling? Apricot jam? Something else? These look so good and seem to be fairly easy. Can't wait to try them!!
ReplyDeleteSolo apricot filling
DeleteKolachki sometimes use a cottage cheese filling.
DeleteCan these be frozen?
ReplyDeleteYes. I have learned to leave the powdered sugar off until taking out of the freezer then dust with the powdered sugar
Deletehow many does it make?
ReplyDeleteI roll the dough in a circle and make mine in a crescent shape but the jelly always flows out. I like the the way you have a square. Do you ever have a problem with the jelly flowing out the sides onto the baking sheet?
ReplyDeleteI’ve been making these cookies for about 45 years. You have to use the canned (solo) apricot or raspberry fillings. Jams or jellies do not work. They melt. The best filling is homemade nut filling.Finely ground nuts, sugar, a little cinnamon and enough milk to make it moist. My friend makes her own filling using dried apricots.
DeleteI rarely have fillings ooze out...the secret is to put less than 1/2 tsp filling
ReplyDeleteThe Kifels my family has made for generations are filled with chopped walnuts. Mix 1 lb finely chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and just enough milk (start with 1 Tbs) to moisten so it holds together lightly. Oh my! No wonder they are the favorite family cookie!
ReplyDeleteI think these would be wonderful with a walnut Apple Butter! I'm drooling! Lol
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ReplyDeleteI was wondering what size the balls of dough should to get the right thickness when rolled out. Can you provide a measurement such as a Tablespoon?
ReplyDeleteI make the dough.. Form it into a large ball and refrigerate it. Then I cut it into at least 4 pieces. Flour the work surface lightly and quickly shape that chunk into a ball. Don't take too long so the dough stats cool. Roll it out nearly paper thin. I use a pizza cutter to cut it into squares. Put 1/2 tsp in center of 3 inch square before folding opposite corners over. Proceed with baking directions
ReplyDeleteWe made these but called them Kolache.
ReplyDeleteI have a recipe by the same name and I used jam and had no problem with them oozing out.
DeleteWe call them Kolache as well. I have also used apricot jam in a pinch and turned out just as good.
DeleteMy mother-in-law made Kolache and always used to fill them with cooked apricots & prunes
DeleteBut this
Our PA Dutch kills are filled with finely chopped walnuts; the filling is rolled up inside the dough and pressed down on both ends before baking. Recipe...1 lb walnuts, 1 cup sugar, then mix with just enough milk to slightly moisten.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know what ethnic background this recipe has..
ReplyDeleteYour dough recipe is almost identical to one my family has been making for generations.
We also use apricot preserves as a filling and sprinkle powdered sugar over them as a finishing touch.
We however call them APRICOT PINWHEELS and cut the dough in a square and slit the corners to fold into the center to form the pinwheel... And as with yours a total FAVORITE
Polish background. We fill them with raspberry filling, nuts and prune filling ( all made by Solo brand)
DeleteMy family makes them also filled with apricot or cherry Solo filling. Ours are cut in squares, then match 2 opposite corners to make a triangle. We have always called them kolaches, although I know they are not like a traditional kolaches.
DeleteThe Hungarian version (called Kiffles) uses the lekvar, walnut or farmers cheese fillings, but occasionally my grandmother would make them with an apricot filling. She made everything from scratch, including the fillings.
DeleteMy dad owned a bakery for ten years in Wisconsin and we call them Kipfels. I make them every year for Christmas. We fill with a nut and cinnamon/sugar cooked filling or fruit or both
ReplyDeleteIs that 24 oz. Of cream cheese or 2 - 4 oz. Pkg cream cheese? 😁
ReplyDelete24 oz cream cheese
DeleteMy recipe is 8oz cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, 2cups flour. Still makes quite a bit.
DeleteCan you use croissant dough or filo dough?
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried forming them into a cup, then filling and baking inside a mini muffin tin??
ReplyDeleteno, but I'm afraid the corners would burn before the bottom cooked! Make them per the recipe! They are worth it
DeleteYou can use the dough to make cups in a mini muffin pan. As I make Kiffles but I also have a Nut Tassie recipe that uses the same dough and you make balls and then push up the sides of a mini muffin tin and I fill with a brown sugar, egg and chopped nut mixture.
DeleteHow do you get them to stay sealed?
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem. Perhaps I should use a small amount of egg for sealing.
ReplyDeleteHungarians call them kifli (pronounced kee flee).
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI had a terrible time keeping them rolled up....had to take them out of the oven to pull them back together and punch hard....still really good....my granddaughter loved them!
Using pie filling vs jam helps.
DeleteStill Wondering if I can use CRESENT dough (rolls) instead of making the dough?
ReplyDeleteI have been making them for 60 years and called them Kolache and use solo filling sometimes jelly preserves or cream cheese sugar vanilla filling.
DeleteWould you share the recipe for the cream cheese filling? Thanks so much!
DeleteYes please share the recipe for cream cheese filling!!
DeleteI make 100's of Kiflik ever Christmas, Hungarian tradition in our family. Ours are filled with ground walnuts/butter/sugar.
ReplyDeleteWe called these Kolaczi and my grandmother made them every Christmas. Cream cheese is a MUST in the recipe, using puff pastry or crescent dough is not a substitute if you want to mimic the original
ReplyDeleteFinally! I'm so glad to come across this recipe with the cream cheese dough. I used to make it with my grandmother but sadly never wrote down the recipe. This is the first I am seeing of the simple original dough we used. Thank you!
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ReplyDeleteWe used to make these each Christmas season. There are a couple of differences, however, for the ones we made: 1) we always made a nut filling - finely chopped walnuts (about a pound), 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Combine the sugar and water in a pot, bring just to a boil to make sure the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the nuts and stir to combine - make sure all the nuts are coated with the simple syrup. 2) we rolled our dough out into a dinner plate sized round and cut triangles like we were making croissants, but smaller. Then each triangle was filled on the wide side and the dough rolled up crescent like. Then baked. So yummy!!
ReplyDeleteWe use lemon curd or apricot jam.
ReplyDeletemy father owned a bakery, and this was one of the cookies he did in his bakery. His most popular filling was fine chopped nuts, preferably pecans or walnuts, cooked in one cup of cream, and one cup of sugar with a tablespoon of cinnamon. You cook that till it gets really thick and that is your filling for these cookies. They would also take part of the nut filling and mix it with any flavor fruit, jam which was good. His version of the apricot filling was to take dried apricots, chop them up real fine and cook them on the stove with water and some added sugar and some chopped nuts until it got thick, which was much better than apricot jam. I have to make these every year for my daughter and I use the food processor to do my dough because it comes together really quick. I don’t let mine chill. I work it right away, using powdered sugar instead of flour on the board when I roll it out. Turns out perfect every time You can form it into a little square pockets or you can roll it lengthwise as in the picture shown.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous will you please comment further and tell me how many cups of the chopped walnuts or pecans are in that recipe Thank you so much
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I was given a very similar recipe by a fellow teacher 50 years ago. It was apparently one of the most popular desserts at potlucks, and as a newly wed, she thought I should have it for my recipe box. I have been making them ever since!
ReplyDelete8 oz each of room temp butter and cream cheese, 3 cups of flour, and preserves for filling. Blend, form into 60 balls, chill for at least an hour. Roll each one out on confectionery sugar covered surface into ovalish shape. Place about 1/2 tsp of preserve at one end, roll up, and pinch ends to keep preserves from leaking out. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Raspberry, apricot, pineapple, blueberry.... Little leakage. And just delicious!