Delicate butter dough with vanilla and lemon zest, creamy walnut filling, and fresh curd make for fragrant homemade pastries perfect for holidays, celebrations, or a weekend treat. One batch yields about 90 pieces.
The dough just needs to be prepared and left to rest in the fridge for two hours. Then, fill the pastries with either walnut or curd filling and bake until golden. The original recipe gives approximate ingredient amounts for the fillings, so you can adjust the sweetness and consistency to your liking.
What you’ll need
For the dough:
- 250 g block curd,
- 250–280 g plain flour,
- 250 g butter or butter-flavored Hera,
- a pinch of salt,
- a pinch of baking powder,
- vanilla sugar,
- lemon zest.
For the walnut filling:
- ground walnuts,
- milk, enough to soak the walnuts,
- a splash of rum,
- plum jam or marmalade,
- a slice of butter,
- cinnamon,
- lemon zest,
- honey,
- fine breadcrumbs as needed.
For the curd filling:
- curd,
- sugar,
- egg,
- 1 teaspoon potato or corn starch,
- lemon zest.
For finishing:
- walnut halves,
- plum jam,
- streusel topping.
The original recipe does not specify exact amounts for the fillings and finishing, so adjust according to the approximate 90 pastries, desired consistency, and your own taste.
Step-by-step preparation:
1. Preparing the dough: Mix the block curd with 250 g of plain flour, butter or butter-flavored Hera, salt, baking powder, vanilla sugar, and lemon zest. Work into a smooth dough. If it remains too sticky, gradually add some of the remaining flour.
2. Letting the dough rest: Place the finished dough in the fridge and let it rest for two hours. Chilling makes it easier to roll out and cut.
3. Preparing the walnut filling: Soak the ground walnuts in enough milk and briefly simmer. Add a splash of rum, plum jam or marmalade, a slice of butter, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Sweeten with honey and thicken with fine breadcrumbs as needed.
4. Preparing the curd filling: In a bowl, whisk the curd with sugar, egg, one teaspoon of potato or corn starch, and lemon zest. Mix until smooth and easy to spread onto the prepared dough.
5. Rolling and cutting: Take the rested dough from the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface to about 4 mm thick. Cut out circles about 5 cm in diameter.
6. Filling the pastries: Pipe walnut filling onto some of the circles and top with walnut halves. For the curd pastries, add the prepared curd filling, a bit of plum jam, and sprinkle with streusel topping.
7. Baking: Bake the pastries at 180°C for about 15 minutes. They’re done when lightly golden; adjust baking time according to your oven.
8. Cooling and serving: Let the baked pastries cool so the fillings set and the pieces are easy to serve. Then enjoy them at family celebrations, during the holidays, or as a sweet treat with coffee.
How to adjust the walnut filling consistency
Use just enough milk to soak the ground walnuts and allow them to simmer briefly. If the finished mixture is too runny, thicken it gradually with fine breadcrumbs. Add them little by little so the filling stays creamy and can be piped easily.
How to work with chilled dough
After two hours in the fridge, roll the dough out on a floured work surface. If it still sticks, don’t add too much flour at once—use the remainder from the original 250–280 g range. This keeps the dough delicate and buttery in flavor.
Final tip
You can prepare the walnut filling with either plum jam or marmalade to taste. Adjust the sweetness with honey and sugar, as the original recipe gives only approximate amounts for the fillings. One batch yields about 90 small pastries.
