How to Prepare Kiflies
Ingredients: Unsifted flour, butter, sour cream, egg yolks, lemon zest, sugar, egg whites, walnuts, powdered sugar, lemon.
Steps:
Mix flour and butter until the mixture has a crumbly texture.
Whisk together sour cream, egg yolks, lemon zest, and sugar, then add to the flour mixture.
Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.
The dough will have a satiny appearance and will completely pull away from your hands.
Knead for at least 20 minutes.
The more you work the dough, the flakier the final product will be.
Do not shorten the kneading time.
Take portions of dough no larger than a walnut and form them into balls.
Place the balls next to each other in a cake pan.
Separate the layers with wax paper.
This should make approximately 85 balls.
Cover well with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
Take 1 dozen balls out of the refrigerator at a time.
If the dough is too warm or too cold, it is difficult to roll out.
Roll each ball into a 4-inch circle.
The circles will be as thin as tissue paper.
Use the least amount of flour possible to prevent the dough from sticking to the pastry board.
It's better to make a mixture of 6 tablespoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar to dust the board.
Place the rolled-out dough circles on a large tray, barely overlapping so they don't stick to each other.
Use wax paper between layers.
Once a dozen balls have been rolled out, refrigerate the tray so the dough doesn't become too soft.
If this happens, the kiflies will not look attractive.
It is easier to assemble if you roll out about 36 balls, then fill and bake them.
All the balls can be rolled out at the same time, but keep the dough circles refrigerated until ready to fill.
Work only with the number of circles that can fit on one cookie sheet at a time.
To assemble the kiflies, place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle, but not reaching the edge.
Fold one third of the dough over the filling, overlapping to about the middle.
Fold the remaining third of the dough so it overlaps the first third.
Use a gentle hand when overlapping the filling so that when baked, the filling has room to expand.
Shape the rolls into a crescent form, using your thumbs and fingers.
When forming the crescents, the edges can curve slightly upwards.
Do not try to smooth out the dough.
Doing so would prevent the dough from expanding and becoming flaky.
Always place the filled kiflies on a fresh, ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake only one sheet at a time.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, reduce the temperature to 375 degrees, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or just until lightly golden.
While the kiflies are still warm, cover them generously with powdered sugar by sifting it over them with a small sieve or a shaker.
Filling Preparation
Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
Gradually add powdered sugar and lemon juice while beating.
Use a spatula to fold in the ground walnuts until well combined.
If the filling seems a bit "weepy," add about 3 crushed Graham crackers.
Do not cover airtight.
These kiflies freeze very well.
They thaw at room temperature in about 3 hours.
Refresh with powdered sugar when ready to serve.
