Nazook, Buttery Armenian Streusel-Stuffed Pastries

Submitted by CocointheKitchen

"This is my grandmother Nina's recipe and yields about 4 dozen cookies, which seems like a lot, til you taste one, then it won't be enough!"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs
• Ingredients: 17
• Yields: 4 dozen

ingredients

• 2 teaspoons yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons warm water
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1 1⁄2 cups butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 free-range egg
• 4 1⁄2 cups flour
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 vanilla beans or 2 teaspoons extract
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 1 1⁄2 cups flour
• 1 vanilla beans or 2 teaspoons extract
• 1 egg

directions

1. Make the dough:

2. Mix sugar and yeast in a small bowl. Add lukewarm water and mix. Set aside until frothy, ~2-3 minutes.
3. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and sugar.
4. Measure the rest of the dough ingredients into a bowl and add the butter mixture.
5. Stir and knead for 5-10 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions, shape each into a ball, wrap each in plastic.
7. Chill in the fridge for 6 hours.

8. Make the filling:

9. Add a teaspoon of sugar to a small mortar and pestle, add the saffron threads and crush them to a powder.
10. Then steep in hot water, maybe 5 minutes.
11. In a clean bowl, measure the dry ingredients for the filling.
12. Cut butter into the dry ingredients using a fork or your clean hands to a sandy consistency.
13. Add the vanilla, then steeped saffron.

14. Put it all together:

15. Remove dough from fridge and set aside to warm to room temp, 15-20 minutes.
16. Preheat oven to 325 F, then immediately reduce temperature to 300°F.
17. Make the glaze by beating together one egg and a splash milk in a small bowl.
18. Lightly dust a rolling pin and clean surface with flour.
19. Unwrap one of the dough balls and roll it out to about 1/8th inch thickness.
20. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the filling over the dough and gently press filling into the dough with the rolling pin.
21. Roll the dough over from one end to the other end, carefully tucking it the filling in to form a log.
22. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
23. Transfer the stuffed dough log to the baking sheet.
24. Using a sharp knife, cut log into about 6 pieces.
25. Repeat the process with another dough ball, leaving about 1/2-inch of space between the cookies as they will plump up in the oven.
26. About 3 dough balls/logs will fit onto a standard cookie sheet.
27. Brush the tops of the nazook with egg + milk glaze and bake for roughly 20 minutes, until golden brown.
28. These pastries are best when eaten fresh from the oven. Store them in a metal cookie tin for a couple of weeks. Nazook also freezes well. Anoush!