Butterhorn Cookies
These butterhorn cookies, filled with a walnut-egg white mixture and shaped like rugelach or mini croissants, are crispy-soft and utterly delightful.
Servings: 56 butterhorns
Calories: 75kcal
Equipment
- Food processor
- Rolling Pin
- Pizza Cutter or sharp knife
- 2 Baking sheets
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 250 g, Note 1
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter very cold, 230 g
- 1 egg yolk save the egg white for the filling
- ¾ cup sour cream 185 g
Filling (Note 2):
- 1 egg white saved from making the pastry
- ¾ cup walnut roughly ground or finely chopped however you want to see it, 90 g
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 160 g
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1-2 tablespoons milk for brushing the cookies
Instructions
Pastry:
- Cutting in the butter: Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. Cut the cold butter into very small cubes, add it to the processor, and pulse several times until the mixture is crumbly, with some small bits of butter still visible.
- Add wet ingredients: In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and sour cream (with a fork), then add them to the flour mixture. Pulse a few more times until the dough comes together, being careful not to overwork it (see the images in the blog post for visual guidance).
- Chill the pastry: Turn the dough onto a work surface and briefly shape it into a ball - don’t knead, just bring it together. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (Note 3).
Filling:
- Preparations: Make the filling while the pastry chills. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat the egg white and set it aside.
- Combine filling: Mix the walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Fold in the egg white.
Fill and roll:
- Divide the pastry into four equal portions. Wrap three portions in plastic wrap and refrigerate them while you work on the first batch of cookies.
- Roll the pastry: Roll the first portion on a well-floured working surface with a floured rolling pin into a circle of approximately 10 inches/ 25 cm. Cut the circle into 14 wedges (Note 4).
- Fill and roll: Place a small amount of filling (less than ½ teaspoon) on the wide end of the triangle. Using the teaspoon, spread it slightly across the rest of the pastry, but not all the way to the edges. Then, carefully roll the triangle from the wide end towards the tip.
- Bake the butterhorn cookies: Place on the prepared baking sheet and brush them lightly with milk. Bake them for about 15 minutes or until golden (just golden, not golden brown).
- Cool cookies: Remove them from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the second batch of cookies while the first batch is in the oven.
Notes
- Measurements: I always recommend using a digital kitchen scale in baking (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab); it guarantees the best results.
- Alternative filling: You can also fill the butterhorn cookies with jam, preferably a smooth, tangy jam like redcurrant, raspberry, or apricot jam.
- Chilling: To speed up the process, you can place the wrapped ball in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, make the pastry ahead of time and refrigerate it for several hours or overnight.
- For cutting the wedges, I use a cake cutter with 14 sections (see the images in the blog post). While this tool can be helpful and speed up the process, it's not essential. You can easily use a pizza cutter or sharp knife instead - just make sure the wedges are all the same size.
Nutrition
Serving: 1butterhorn | Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.3mg