Some of the best holiday desserts aren’t very aesthetically pleasing. There’s always a few astray apples in apple pie, and who could forget how challenging it is to decorate sugar cookies? Luckily, there is one treat your holiday spread has been missing: Hungarian nut roll. Not only is the confection delicious, but it’s also beautiful.
Because of its flavor and impressive look, Hungarian nut rolls are perfect for holidays, weddings and more. But the nut filling is so tasty that you'll want the treat year-round. The delicate swirl of yeast dough and sugary filling can be made with common pantry staples like milk, salt, sugar and butter.
The most challenging part of a dessert like this is rolling it. A little baking hack: after spreading some of the nut mixture onto the dough, moisten the edges of the dough with water and then roll. Once that part is done, cover the nut roll and let it rise for one hour, then bake it for about 40 minutes.
This recipe serves about 24 people, so if you’re hosting a smaller holiday dinner this year, just freeze the leftovers and reheat it later. But if you’re on a time crunch and need a dessert fast or if you simply want to add more treats to your holiday spread, try out some of our all-time best cookie recipes.
Hungarian Nut Roll
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 stick margarine or butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 package dry yeast
- 1/3 cup lukewarm water
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 5 cups ground walnuts
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Scald milk.
Add salt, margarine and sugar.
Stir to dissolve and let cool.
Meanwhile, dissolve yeast in the lukewarm water.
In a large metal bowl, add to the above cooled mixture.
Then, add in the beaten eggs.
Stir in flour. Dough will be firm, but keep mixing with spoon by hand until dough is very smooth. It will form a ball and loosen from the sides of the bowl.
Sprinkle lightly with flour all around, including the underside.
Cover bowl with a dishcloth and let rise until it doubles in size, 1-2 hours.
On lightly floured surface, cut dough in half.
Roll out one of the halves of dough to make a rectangle, 10-by-15-inches.
Combine ground walnuts and sugar.
Spread half the nut mixture evenly onto dough.
Moisten edges of dough with water and roll up, starting with the long end.
Place on a greased cookie sheet.
Repeat with remaining dough and nut mixture.
Cover and let rise one hour.
Bake 35-40 minutes, until lightly browned.
