Kifels, Cookies, Nut Rolls for Every Holiday can be prepared ahead and many dishes can be frozen! Save stress by not stretching yourself too thin to enjoy the fun! Recipes for Holidays must always include Nut Rolls, Poppyseed Rolls, Kifels and Mom’s extra delicious Roll-out CHRISTMAS COOKIES in my home. We love the traditional foods and celebrations and we Love, Love, Love a good wine with dinners…(AND while baking)!! And especially love patronizing a Wine Club that works for those less fortunate!
Publishing these Desserts and Recipes now gives you plenty of time to prepare and freeze for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year! You will love the serenity of working at a nice pace and accomplishing so much!
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MAMA’S BEST ROLL-OUT SUGAR COOKIES
2 eggs, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup soft butter (“not” melted and no substitute), 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teasp. baking soda, 1 teasp. cream of tartar, 1/2 teasp. salt, 5 -1/2 cups flour.
Mix all dry ingredients then use electric mixer to mix sugar, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream until smooth. If you have a dough hook for your mixer, use it now to “gradually” add flour to the liquid ingredients until well-combined. Dough will be sticky if not well mixed. Then, Divide dough into four and flatten each. Put each one in Ziplock bag and refrigerate at least two hours or until you are ready to roll out. I usually do all my mixing in one day and then roll out as I choose.
Roll these cookies very thin (about 1/8″). These are best when rolled thin, the thinner, the tastier, but experiment to your liking. My Family all preferred very thin and crisp!
I usually roll four trays at a time, with 24 cookies per tray, but that depends on the size of the cutters you use. To decorate, only sprinkle with colored sugars and they will remain crisp and tasty by storing in cans. Bake at 350* for 8 – 10 min. until lightly browned. Once you taste these cookies, you will never settle for any other!!
Chocolate Roll Out Cookies
Use the Above recipe and ADD: 1/2 cup cocoa and 2 bars melted chocolate. (You may need a bit more of flour) Very dark, chocolatey and delicious!!
World’s Greatest Spice Cookies
2 eggs slightly beaten, 1 pint molasses, 1/2 lb. butter, 1/2 lb. brown sugar, 1 teasp. baking soda, a teasp. cream of tartar, 1 teasp. each of ground allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger. Enough white all-purpose flour to stiffen. (I add a cup of flour at a time while mixing and stop when sides of bowl are clean). I still believe these are the best spice cookies I have ever had.
All above cookies stay fresh, crisp, and last for months if stored in large tins lined with only waxed paper! My Mother used the old fashioned flour tins and filled four or five of them! Of course, with a family of 8, she also had to find great hiding places!! Someone always managed to find them and sneak a handful often! No one ever kept this information secret either. So 10 fingers x 8 munchkins took a big chunk out of her stash!! However, come February, she amazingly found a smaller can on the top shelf in the laundry room. Wow! They were just as good and crisp then without any preservatives! Old folks knew things way back then that the world has since forgot!
Kifels and Cookies, Nut Rolls You can Make Early
The Kifel Recipe here is one of the most popular and everyone devours them! You can never make too many and they never go to waste! However, you will learn that no matter how many you make, there are never enough!! Even if you work slow, in two hours, you will have four trays ready for the oven and your cleanup is done while they bake. (Time to prop up your feet and have a glass of wine – unless you are making them in the morning, then it is tea time, of course.)
Kifels hold up in your freezer for a few months! Does that give you my idea? Make enough for Thanksgiving and Christmas at your designated rolling sessions. However, as they are freshly baked, allow extra for what you eat as you go!! Yes, you will!!! Kifels are delightful baking and your mouth will crave them while they are still too hot! Savor these delicacies as much as we do!
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KIFEL RECIPE
Ingredients: 1/2 lb. (8 oz) Philadelphia Cream Cheese; 1/2 lb. butter (2 sticks); In your Mixer, cream your butter and Cream Cheese until well-blended. Add flour a little at a time while your mixer is going to blend. Then Mix well. Cut dough in 4 quarters, Refrigerate overnight.
Mix Butter & cream cheese in mixer until well blended. Then add 1/2 cup of flour at a time (put a towel over your mixer when mixing flour so you don’t make a mess) When thoroughly mixed, divide your dough in 4 and place each wedge in a baggie and store in refrigerator overnight.
When rolling, use flour lightly on your board and rolling pin. Then add sugar to your board. Kifels and Cookies take more sugar and less flour when rolling out.
Roll one of your cooled doughs at a time until thin. Cut in 2-inch squares. Spread 1/4 tsp. of filling on ea. square and fold one tip of square over opposite tip using a drop of milk on both tips to seal (fold like an envelope). Set on a parchment covered cookie tray until two trays are full, then roll each kifel lightly in granulated sugar and replace on the tray. Bake 350 for 16 – 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Baking time varies with different ovens, so I advise you to watch oven closely until you know how much time your oven needs to lightly brown kifels. They burn easily if not watched closely. I roll out all my kifels before I start baking. That way I am not distracted and forgetting the oven. Then pull one end of parchment paper with the kifels off the tray and let cool thoroughly before storing.
When cool, they can be frozen in a plastic container and layered between parchment paper. If you are not freezing, store in boxes to prevent molding in plastic containers or cans.
Fillings should be the thick Fruit butters – (Apricot, Nut, Lekvar (Prune) or Raspberry. (Raspberry, Apricot and Prune will run when baking and kifels will open if too much filling used. Remember, “Less is More” with kifel fruit fillings) Nut butter can be used more generously. These are a real delicacy. Dust lightly with powdered sugar only when serving.
PERFECT HOLIDAY DESSERTS YOUR FAMILY WILL WANT EVERY SINGLE HOLIDAY!
NUT & POPPYSEED ROLLS
I prepare all my fillings before I mix the dough. Nut Rolls and Fruit or Poppyseed Rolls can also be frozen. However, they need a bit of care slicing after they defrost to prevent the crust from breaking. Enjoy my family Recipes and pass along! Keep traditions alive!!
Nut Roll Filling:
1/2 cup milk; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 lb. ground walnuts. Cook this mixture on low until boiling and thick. You can also add crushed , well-drained pineapple to nuts for variety. It gives it a pleasant sweet perk! This way is my favorite!
Poppyseed or Other Fruit Roll Fillings:
1/2 lb. poppy seed; 3/4 cup milk; 1 beaten egg; 3/4 cup sugar. Mix & cook on low 10 min. until at boiling point and thick. Cool & spread on rolled out dough the same as noted above. Let rise until doubled and spread with egg wash before baking. Coconut with 1/3 cup of powdered sugar can mixed in after the poppyseed is fully prepared! This enhances the poppyseed and even those that believe they don’t like it will love it now!!
You can also make Apricot rolls or Raspberry Rolls the same way as above with your fruit of choice. Boil your fruit (I often use dried apricots if I cannot get fresh or farm-made butters) I actually prefer the homemade fruit butters from farm stores. They are the best and save you from making your own.
After Fillings are prepared, Prepare Dough for Rolls:
6 cups Flour; 1 teasp. salt; 1/2 lb. butter; 3 tblsp. sugar; 3 eggs; 1/2 pint sour cream; 2 yeast pkgs.; 1/2 cup warm (not hot) milk. Combine all ingredients but hold the milk. Add warm milk to yeast and mix until dissolved. Then add this mixture thoroughly to dough. Once you get this done, Fill your wine glass if empty & sip!
Divide dough in 4. Roll each one the length of your cookie sheet and Spread with Nut OR Poppyseed Mixture. (See below) Roll like jelly roll tucking in the two ends of each roll. Place on greased pan, cover with towel and allow to rise until doubled. (2 to 3 hours) Cover roll with egg wash before baking at 350 oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until nicely browned.
Breakfast Crepes
Christmas Morning is Family Time, especially when their are young children who are anxious to see what Santa left for them. Prepare this quick and easy breakfast ahead (the crepes freeze nicely) and be ready to fill these young bellies!!
Palacinkas (Hungarian) or
Crepes (French)
Crepes (or Palacinkas, as my Hungarian Mother called them) are sooo delicious for Breakfast or Lunch and the pancake can be frozen without the fillings. Frozen Crepes heat great in Microwave (right from freezer) and then you can add the filling of your choice below and they are ready in a few minutes! Did you ever enjoy a glass of champagne with your Christmas or Easter Brunch?! Treat yourself and your guests to our Bubbly! Yum Yum with breakfast crepes!
Palacinkas are made from a very liquid batter. Use two eggs, 1/4 cup confectioners sugar, one cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt, one teaspoon vanilla. Makes 10 thin pancakes (crepes). Mix ingredients well with mixer and let batter stand for about 15 minutes.
A cast-iron frypan with slanted edges works best. Use a paper towel to lightly oil pan to season it and heat pan until a drop of water sizzles on it. Ladle a small amount batter into a hot pan and hold and swirl the pan until batter lightly covers the entire bottom. Swirling pan gives you a perfectly round and thin pancake for the perfect crepe! Pan fry until one side is browned before flipping over. Transfer to a heated platter and use wax paper to keep them separated. Next are a few of our favorite fillings to spread on while they are hot, or fill and lay on a cookie sheet in a warm oven until ready to serve.
Crepe (Palacsinka) Fillings
Cottage Cheese –Small curd (with sugar to lightly sweeten the cottage cheese) is my most preferred filling for these crepes. I love these topped with strawberries!!
Apple & Caramel Filled Crepes: Whisk together 2 eggs, 3/4 cup milk, 1 cup flour, 1/8 tsp. baking powder. Heat skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Add 1/4 cup butter to skillet tilting pan to thinly coat both sides. Cook over med. heat until crepe is lightly browned on both sides.
Toss 1 jar Dutch Baked Apple Slices with 1/4 chopped Almonds or Cashews and divide into crepes. Roll crepes. Drizzle with 2 Tblsp. Caramel topping over each crepe and top with whipped cream. So delicious!!
Banana Chocolate Filling: 5-6 bananas halved. Melt 1/4 butter and stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teasp each of cinnamon and nutmeg. Add half bananas at time and heat for 2-5 minutes spooning sauce over them. Roll a pancake around each half banana and place on platter. Spoon sauce over pancakes and top with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. Serves 5-6. Yummy! The variation of crepes is limitless with many meats, rice, veggies and gravy to serve as a dinner! Yummy!
