Hungarian Nut Rolls – Sweet, Nut Filled Pastries
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These sweet little nut filled pastries are another recipe that my mom used to make for the holidays. My uncle Joe called them Hungarian nut rolls. They are made with a yeast dough, but the method is a little different than other dough I’ve worked with in the past. The keys to success are keeping everything cold (the dough gets sticky when it gets warm) and working gently with the dough. Blend only until mixed, bake only until lightly browned.
These Hungarian nut rolls can be made ahead and frozen in layers stacked between waxed paper. They store quite well – easily a month or more in the freezer and a week or two chilled or on the counter in a sealed container. Mom always made them ahead so she didn’t have quite so much to do on the day of or the day before the event.
Hungarian Nut Rolls Recipe
Dough
1 tablespoon active dry yeast or 2 teaspoons SAF-INSTANT yeast
4 cups white all-purpose flour
1 pound butter (no substitutions)
3 eggs
1 cup full fat sour cream
Filling
1/2 lb walnuts, chopped fine
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
powder sugar, for dusting
Directions
In a large bowl, mix flour and yeast, cut in butter with pastry blender.
Whisk together three eggs and sour cream, then add to dry mixture. Mix gently until dough just holds together. Do not overmix, or your dough will get tough.
Form dough into large roll.
Divide dough evenly into 8 disks. I like to hack the dough apart with my cutter/scraper. (It’s great for cleaning off the counter after you’re done rolling, too.)
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Place each disk between wax paper. Refrigerate overnight.
For filling, mix walnuts, egg whites and sugar. Set aside.
Roll disk between wax paper with powdered sugar to about 12″- thinner than pie crust. (Sorry I missed photos of this!) Dusting your wax paper with flour will help keep the dough from sticking, as will keeping everything as cool as possible.
Cut into 8 wedges/triangles. Put about a teaspoon of filling on the wide end and roll up like crescent rolls. Curl them fairly tight, as they like to straighten during cooking. Place the nut rolls on well greased pan or pan lined with parchment or reusable parchment. I prefer using air bake pans for these so they don’t too brown.
Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, until just lightly browned. (On the airbake pans it takes around 15-16 minutes.) Dust with powdered sugar while still warm. (I like to use my Pampered Chef Sugar Shaker.) Move to wire rack to cool. Makes about 4 dozen.
As you can see from the cross section, these little treats bake up light and flaky with a tasty nut filling.
Printable Recipe
PrintHungarian Rolls
Hungarian nut rolls are a delicate, flaky pastry with a lightly sweetened nut filling. A favorite holiday tradition in our family, they can be made ahead and frozen.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 64 rolls 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Hungarian
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast or 2 teaspoons SAF-INSTANT yeast
- 4 cups white all-purpose flour
- 1 pound butter (no substitutions)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup full fat sour cream
Filling
- 1/2 lb walnuts, chopped fine
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
Sprinkle with
- powder sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix flour and yeast, cut in butter with pastry blender.
- Whisk together three eggs and sour cream, then add to dry mixture. Mix gently until dough just holds together. Do not overmix, or your dough will get tough.
- Form dough into large roll, divide dough evenly into 8 disks.
- Place each disk between wax paper. Refrigerate overnight.
- For filling, mix walnuts, egg whites and sugar. Set aside.
- Roll disk between wax paper with powdered sugar to about 12″- thinner than pie crust.
- Dusting your wax paper with flour will help keep the dough from sticking, as will keeping everything as cool as possible.
- Cut into 8 wedges/triangles. Put about a teaspoon of filling on the wide end and roll up like crescent rolls. Curl them fairly tight, as they like to straighten during cooking. Place on well greased pan or pan lined with parchment or reusable parchment.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, until just lightly browned. (On the airbake pans it takes around 15-16 minutes.)
- Dust with powdered sugar while still warm.
- Move to wire rack to cool. Makes about 4 dozen.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll
With a cup of coffee or tea these Hungarian nut rolls are really quite sinfully delicious. Once in a while mom made these with poppyseed filling, too, but I suspect that might have been because she misjudged the amount of nut mixture per roll and ran a little short. Whatever the reason, those were tasty, too. I’m sure you could substitute honey for the sugar, too, to give these more of a baklava flavor. Just remember than honey is sweeter than sugar, so you should reduce the amount by half.
Baking is Better with Family and Friends
Thanks to my friend, Emma, for helping me get this recipe back (I had lost my copy). My niece, Kira, helped roll out most of these Saturday night while I did the dishes, so a big thanks to her, too. 🙂 We had a nice visit (her brother helped make kolache earlier in the day). Here’s my niece with her baby girl, Brit.
Do you do any special holiday baking? I’d love to hear about your family traditions here or on the Facebook page. If you think this recipe looks tasty, please pass it along. 🙂
Get More Holiday Recipes
Do you enjoy recipes like these Hungarian nut rolls? Our Recipes and Kitchen Tips page lists over 100 recipes, ranging from traditional family favorites to new fun ideas and allergy friendly treats, including:
- Edible Shot Glasses or Mini Serving Cups – Fun and Easy to Make
- Gram Irene’s Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Grandma Catherine’s Polish Doughnuts
- Chocolate Chestnut Brownies – gluten free, grain free, dairy free, no refined sugar
- Homemade Mounds or Almond Joy Bars with Coconut Oil – gluten free, dairy free, no refined sugar
Originally posted in 2011, updated in 2018.