Czech Prune Crescents Recipes

CRESCENTS

Steps:

• If using butter it must be cold. Mix butter with flour until it resembles fine crumbs. Add white sugar, nuts, and salt. Mix well, adding ice water till you make stiff dough.
• Add vanilla extract and knead lightly. Roll out on floured board 1/4 inch thick.
• Cut into crescent shapes using a whiskey glass coated with flour.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) until bottoms are lightly browned. While hot, roll in confectioner's sugar, (I usually use a brown bag or baggie bag to roll the cookies in with the powdered sugar).

GRANDMA SKEET'S PRUNE KOLACHES

Steps:

• Place the warm water, salt, egg and 2 tablespoons butter in the pan of a bread machine. Add bread flour, and pour 1/4 cup sugar on the edge of the pan. Make a shallow hole in the flour and add the yeast. Close the lid, and set machine for the DOUGH cycle.
• While the dough is mixing, combine the prunes, prune juice, 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, cloves and lime juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until prunes are soft and the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and blend in a mixer or food processor until smooth.
• When the bread machine signals the end of the dough cycle, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 20 small egg-sized pieces. Cover with greased plastic wrap, and set aside for 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix together 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Stir in melted butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon to make a crumbly streusel.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a large baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
• Shape the kolache dough into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Press a shallow hole in the center of each one, and fill with prune filling. Top each of the kolaches with streusel. Let the kolaches rest until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
• Bake until the tops are lightly browned, 14 to 16 minutes.

FANCY CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Combine flour and butter in large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
• In a separate bowl beat egg yolk and sour cream together with spoon. Add to flour mixture. Mix together well. Chill covered in refrigerator at least 4 hours. If you make this in the evening, store overnight.
• Stir sugar and cinnamon together to use instead of flour for rolling dough. Sprinkle some over working surface. Roll about 1/4-1/3 of dough into circle about 10 inches in diameter, sprinkling with sugar-cinnamon mixture on both sides as needed both to roll and for taste. Cut in 16 pie shape wedges. Beginning at outer wide edge, roll toward center. Arrange on ungreased baking sheet close together, not touching.
• Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until browned.

BUTTER CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Warm the milk in a small saucepan until bubbles form at the edges; remove from heat. Mix in the butter, sugar, and salt. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine milk and yeast mixtures. Stir in 1 egg. Beat in flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, and form into rounds. Cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
• Using a floured rolling pin, roll each dough half into a 12 inch circle. Cut each circle into 6 wedges. Roll each wedge up towards the point. Bend ends inward to form crescents, and place point side down on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Brush rolls with beaten egg, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

CZECH PRUNE CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.
• Mix flour, salt, sugar.
• Cut in butter or lard.
• Add milk, egg yolks, and yeast.
• Mix well and refrigerate overnight. the dough is VERY soft and you need it to be cold to even work with it ,it does rise in frig very well . i always use gluten in my baking .
• Divide into 4 pieces. use floured hands to do this dough is still soft
• Roll out (EACH PIECE) 1/4 inch thick.
• Spread on filling and roll up like a jelly roll. i sprayed cookie sheet with pam and patted out with floured hands
• Place on a cookie sheet (It doesn't say to make a crescent shape but I think you do here).and you need LARGE COOKIE SHEET. as you see from pictures they rose and spread like crazy
• Let rise 1 hour. (IT DID NOT TAKE AN HOUR FOR ME TO GET DOUBLED ).
• Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Ice with powdered sugar frosting, warm or cold.
• FILLING:.
• Beat 3 egg whites until stiff.
• Add 1 cup sugar.
• Fold in 1 cup cooked cut up prune.

CZECHOSLOVAKIAN CRESCENT COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix butter with sugar-vanilla.
• Add flour slowly stirring until it is smooth.
• Stir in chopped nuts.
• Dip hands in flour.
• Then shape dough in to small crescent.
• Place on a ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown.
• When cool, sprinkle with sugar.

MR. GOKITTENGO'S NUTELLA CRESCENTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degreen Farenheit, or whatever temperature is called for on the can of crescent rolls.
• Unroll the crescent rolls per package instructions.
• Put about 1/2 tablespoon of Nutella on the large end of each roll.
• Roll them up.
• Bake for the amount of time specified in the package directions, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Let cool for about five minutes before attempting to eat - the Nutella is like lava when they first come out of the oven, and will hurt you. I speak from experience.

CZECH KOLACHES WITH FILLED POPPY SEED, CREAMY PEACH, OR PRUNE

Steps:

• FOR THE PASTRY: In a small bowl, combine the yeast with the lukewarm water. Set the bowl aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and 1/4 cup sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolks, milk, and salt, combining well. Stir in the dissolved yeast and the flour, and mix until the ingredients are thoroughly blended into a soft dough. Cover the dough with a towel, and set the dough aside to rise to about double in size, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• While the dough rises, choose and prepare one of the three fillings.
• Grease a baking sheet. Pinch off pieces of dough about one and a half times the size of a golf ball, flatten the balls slightly, and transfer them to the baking sheet. Place the balls at least 1 inch apart, and brush them liberally with the melted butter. Set them aside to double in size again, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• With your thumb, gently indent the top of the dough. Make the holes especially deep if you plan to use the poppyseed or creamy peach filling. Spoon in a couple of teaspoons of filling, and, with the poppyseed or creamy peach versions, coax the dough over the filling. Let the kolaches rest again for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F Bake the kolaches for 10 to 12 minutes, until they are golden brown.
• Remove the pan from the oven immediately brush the kolaches with more butter, and sprinkle them with the remaining sugar. Transfer them to a rack, and let them cool.
• The kolaches should be tender somewhat like a light butter Danish. They're best eaten the day they're made. Makes 3 dozen.
• FOR THE CREAMY PEACH FILLING: Drain the cottage cheese in a sieve or cheesecloth for 30 to 45 minutes. Squeeze any accumulated liquid from the cheese. Mix the cheese with the remaining ingredients in a bowl.
• FOR THE PRUNE FILLING: Put the prunes into a saucepan, and cover them with water. Add the vanilla, and simmer until the prunes have softened, about 15 minutes. Drain and pit the prunes, and chop them in a food processor with the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Or chop the prunes by hand, and then add the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
• FOR THE POPPYSEED FILLING: To make the poppyseed filling, stir together the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Set the bowl aside.
• Grind the poppyseeds in a blender with about half the milk. Place the poppyseed mixture and the remaining milk in a large, heavy saucepan, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and stir in the reserved sugar and cornstarch mixture and the almond extract. Simmer, stirring often, until very thick-a matter of a few minutes.
• NOTE: Some kolache recipes call for "proofing" the yeast in milk, but the fat in milk can actually hinder the yeast's development. It's best to "proof" the yeast in water first and then to add milk later for tenderness.
• You can make kolaches with sausage or almost any type of cooked fruit filling. Don't use jelly, though, because it's too runny. The fruit needs to be cooked to fruit butter consistency.
• Make the center depressions carefully so the bread doesn't go flat.
• Enclose cheese based fillings, like the creamy peach, and poppyseed fillings totally with dough. Stiffer fillings like prune can peer out the top.
• Don't skimp on the amount of butter brushed on the dough.
• Texas Home Cooking.

HAMANTASCHEN WITH YEAST DOUGH

Steps:

• Starter:.
• Place the milk in a large mixing bowl and mix with the water, yeast, sugar and flour to make a sloppy batter.
• Cover and allow to stand for 20- 30 minutes.
• Dough:.
• Stir the sponge and add it to the sugar, melted butter, vanilla, eggs, salt and enough flour to make a soft, kneadable dough.
• Knead for 5 to 8 minutes until smooth.
• Cover well with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
• At this stage, you can also refrigerate until the next day but allow dough to reach room temperature before proceeding.
• Divide the dough in half.
• Work, with one piece, leaving the rest of the dough covered with a tea towel.
• Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick.
• Cut out 3 inch circles with a cookie cutter or glass.
• Brush the circles with egg wash.
• Put tablespoon of desired filling in each.
• Bring 3 edges together to form triangles.
• Brush the filled hamantaschen with additional egg eash and sprinkle lightly with sugar if desired.
• Repeat with remaining dough.
• 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F Line 1 or 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
• Place the hamantashcen on the trays.
• Cover lightly with a tea towel and let them rise 15 to 25 minute.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes until medium golden.
• Cool on the baking sheets.

PRUNE AND WALNUT CRECENTS

Steps:

• Make pastry dough:
• Pulse butter, cream cheese, sugar, salt, and flour in a food processor just until a dough forms. (Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough and form into 2 balls, then flatten each ball into a 6-inch disk. Chill disks, each wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Make filling:
• Pulse walnuts, prunes, sugar, cinnamon, and Sherry in food processor until nuts are finely chopped and filling forms a thick paste.
• Form and bake crescents:
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough (keep the other chilled) into a roughly 14-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Cut out rounds with floured cookie cutter. Chill scraps.
• Put 1/2 teaspoon of filling in center of 1 dough round. Brush some of egg wash halfway around pastry, near edge, then fold dough over filling, forming a half-moon shape. Pinch edges to seal. Make more crescents in same manner, rerolling scraps (but only once).
• Arrange crescents 1/2 inch apart on 2 buttered large baking sheets and lightly brush tops with egg wash. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in middle of oven until tops are pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.