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Walnut tartlet baked golden brown, sprinkled with icing sugar
Traditional buttery tartlets filled with rich walnut cream

Hungarian walnut tartlets

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Cakes and Desserts
The secret to the perfect walnut tartlet lies in the fat content of the dough: the butter coats the flour particles, preventing them from developing too much gluten when in contact with moisture, resulting in a crumbly, short texture rather than a chewy one. This pastry is a staple of Hungarian weddings and celebrations, where roasting the walnuts in the oven adds a caramel depth to the sweet filling, harmonising with the neutrality of the buttery pastry cup.
🕒 Prep Time 45 mins
🍳 Cook Time 20 mins
⌛ Total Time 1 hr 5 mins
🍽️ Servings 12 servings
🔥 Calories 210 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Hungarian

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Kitchen scales: In pastry making, ratios are sacred; guesswork is not enough here.
  • Tartlet tins: To create the characteristic fluted shape.
  • Mixing bowl: For assembling the dough.
  • Rolling pin: For achieving even dough thickness.
  • Round cutter: For cutting out circles to fit the tins.

Allergen Information

⚠️ Cereals containing gluten
⚠️ Milk
⚠️ Eggs
⚠️ Nuts (Walnuts)

Instructions

1 ✓

Sift the flour into a bowl, mix in the salt and the first batch of icing sugar (80g). Rub the ice-cold butter cubes into the flour with quick movements until you get a texture like damp sand.

Tip: Work quickly, or use a food processor! If the butter melts from the heat of your hands, the flour absorbs it, and the pastry will be hard after baking.
2 ✓

Add the egg yolk, the lemon zest, and bring the dough together just until it forms a ball. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Tip: During resting, the butter solidifies again (crystallises), which is essential for the crumbly texture.
3 ✓

While the dough rests, prepare the filling: mix the ground walnuts with the 50g icing sugar, vanilla sugar, apricot jam and enough milk to get a thick but spreadable paste.

Tip: The acidity of the jam counterbalances the oiliness of the walnuts and the sweetness of the sugar, giving a more complex flavour experience.
4 ✓

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease the metal tartlet tins thinly with butter.

Tip: If using silicone moulds, greasing can be omitted, but the pastry browns better in metal tins.
5 ✓

Roll out the cold dough to approx. 3-4 mm thickness on a floured surface. Cut out circles slightly larger than the tins, then line the tins with them, pressing evenly against the bottom and sides.

Tip: Use your finger to press the dough into the flutes of the tin so it takes on the pattern.
6 ✓

Fill the pastry cups with the walnut filling, but not to the brim, as it might rise slightly during baking. Place in the hot oven.

Tip: You can put a walnut half on top of the filling for decoration, which adds extra crunch when roasted.
7 ✓

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry edges turn golden brown and the smell of roasted nuts fills the kitchen.

Tip: The smell is the best indicator: when you smell 'baked cake', it's almost ready.
8 ✓

Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes, then carefully turn them out while still warm. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

Tip: The warm pastry is fragile, but sugar can stick to the cold tins, so the lukewarm state is best for removing from the mould.

Recipe FAQ

Why did the dough stick to the tin?
Likely you didn't butter it thoroughly enough, or the dough was too warm when put into the tin. Use cold butter and flour the tins too!
Why did the pastry become hard?
You kneaded it too long. If the butter melts from the warmth of your hands and the flour meets water, the dough becomes elastic (rubbery) instead of remaining short.
Can I make it with other fillings?
Of course! Poppy seed, chestnut or curd cheese fillings are also excellent, but walnut is the classic choice.

Ingredients

  • 200 g Plain flour (sifted)
  • 100 g Butter (ice cold, cubed)
  • 80 g Icing sugar
  • 1 pc Egg yolk
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 0.5 pc Lemon zest
  • 150 g Ground walnuts
  • 50 ml Milk
  • 1 sachet Vanilla sugar
  • 50 g Icing sugar (for the filling)
  • 1 tbsp Apricot jam