Walnut or Fruit-Filled Crescent Cookies (Roszke or Rosky)

filled walnut cookies

Getty Images / Janna Danilova 

Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 18 servings
Yield: 36 cookies

So many Eastern European countries claim roszke (RRAWSH-kee) as their own—Croatians, Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, and the spellings include roski, rozky, rosky, roscici, among others. There is a town in Hungary named Roszke, so they may have originated there, even though Hungarians call these kiflik. Poles call them rogaliki and Croatians call them roscici or "little horns" and that's exactly what they look like when baked.

There are numerous recipes for rosky. Some use sour cream, some cream cheese and some are made with yeast. This recipe is the best.

Ingredients

For the Dough:

  • 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For the Walnut Filling:

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 2 cups ground walnuts

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the Apricot (or Prune) Filling:

  • 8 ounces dried apricots, or pitted prunes

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 3/4 cup sugar

Steps to Make It

  1. In a large bowl, mix butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine flour and baking powder, and add to butter mixture, blending well. Divide dough into 3 pieces, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

  2. Heat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Dust work surface with equal parts granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar.

  3. Take one ball of dough out of refrigerator and roll it to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a non-serrated pizza or pastry wheel, cut into 3-inch squares.

  4. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling at one corner and roll it away from you (no need to tuck in the ends). Place seam side down on the baking sheet and shape into a crescent. Repeat with remaining dough.

  5. Bake 20 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Cool completely and store covered. Dust with confectioners' sugar when ready to serve.

  6. Walnut Filling: In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cook over low heat just until the butter has melted. Cool before using or store covered in the refrigerator and rewarm slightly when ready to use.

  7. Apricot or Prune Filling: In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower heat and, stirring occasionally, simmer 8 minutes or until fruit is soft and liquid has been absorbed. Puree and cool. This can be made ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator for up to three months.

Tip

  • For a shortcut, use canned walnut, apricot or prune filling.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
365 Calories
23g Fat
38g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 18
Amount per serving
Calories 365
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g 30%
Saturated Fat 10g 51%
Cholesterol 42mg 14%
Sodium 145mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 38g 14%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 25g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 52mg 4%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 242mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)