Nazook is a flaky, crisp, buttery, sweet, but not too sweet, Armenian pastry. It looks like the filling is soft and oozing out of the pastry, but the filling is crumbly. A delicious contrast to the light, flaky layers of pastry.
Earlier this year I posted a Citrus Cranberry Nazook recipe. I took the Nazook to a party of food bloggers and everyone loved it. So when I asked if I could bring something to a luncheon my dear friend was having after her son’s mission farewell, and she said yes because she knew I would “bring something special”, this Nazook came to mind.
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I also thought it would be a great addition to my 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats posts. I changed it up with cinnamon and raisins so it’s perfect for the holiday season. It tastes a little bit similar to Rugelach. The dough is easy to roll out, and other than a long wait in the fridge, comes together easily.
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Citrus Cranberry Nazook, an Armenian Pastry
Ingredients
Pastry dough
- 2 ½ - 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup 2 sticks softened butter (room temperature)
Cinnamon Sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
Filling
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour sifted
- ¾ cup softened butter room temperature
- 1 cup dried cranberries Craisins or raisins, optional
Egg Wash
- 1-2 egg yolks for the wash; alternatively, some yogurt, egg whites, or a whole egg
Instructions
Pastry Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, combine 2 ½ cups flour, yeast and salt. Mix in sour cream and softened butter to form a soft dough.
- Switch to the dough hook and mix in the remaining flour a little at a time, to make a soft dough that’s not sticky to the touch, adding more or less flour as needed.
- Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 3-5 hours, or overnight.
Cinnamon Sugar
- Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, mix well.
Filling
- Mix flour, 1 ½ cups cinnamon sugar and softened butter in a medium bowl. (Reserve some cinnamon sugar to use later.) Mix the filling until it looks like clumpy, damp sand. Set aside.
Nazook
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Divide the refrigerated dough into four equal pieces.
- On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle. The dough should be thin, but not transparent.
- Spread ¼ of the filling mixture across the rolled-out dough in an even layer. Spread the filling to the edges on the short sides, keeping 1 inch of pastry dough uncovered along the long edges. Sprinkle cranberries (raisins) evenly over the top, if using.
- Start at the long edge and slowly rolling the dough in to a log. Making sure the filling stays evenly distributed. Roll all the way across until you have a long, thin loaf.
- Pat down the loaf with your palm and fingers so that it flattens out a bit (just a bit). Apply egg wash with a pastry brush. Sprinkle on a tablespoon of cinnamon sugar.
- Use your crinkle cutter (or serrated knife) to cut the loaf into 8 equally-sized pieces. Put onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I used parchment paper).
- Repeat with remaining dough. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool complete.
Today’s post is part of 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats hosted by Brenda, Meal Planning Magic. Be sure and check out all of the fabulous treats the other 12 weeks of Christmas Treats bakers baked up for this week.
Vera Zecevic – Cupcakes Garden
I love cinnamon,these must be delicious!
Elizabeth
Those look amazingly good. Suddenly, I want to make them with apricot filling. Or prune.
12 Weeks of Christmas?! Eeeeeek! (I can barely manage 12 days….)
Donna
I want to make these just so I can tell people I made a “nazook!”
Averie @ Averie Cooks
Barbara this looks easy enough to tackle (love the you can refrigerate the dough overnight and just bake it off in the a.m.) and the filling! Delish! Love cinnamon & sugar & raisins!
Rachael {SimplyFreshCooking}
Cutest little things ever! Great Xmas treat! 🙂
teresa
mmm, i would pay good money for something like this at the bakery. it looks awesome!
Deb
I have a serious weakness for sweet yeasted breads. Usually I fall head over heels for homemade Cinnamon Rolls. What intrigues me with the Nazook recipe is the adorable slices of sweet goodness which would be much easier to serve than gooey Cinnamon Rolls. A stellar recipe for a autumn party!
Dawn@simplegourmetcooking
These are absolutely beautiful cookies! I love the name, the look and the ingredients!
Valérie (France)
Baarbara, c’est très original
Bon vendredi, ensoleillé chez moi
Valérie
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
I want to make these so I can pass them around and call them “nazook”. I think you get extra points if you make things with exotic names, right? they look DELICIOUS!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
They look so buttery and gorgeous!
Blond Duck
Those look like these little pastries I bought Ben in Austin!
Barbara
Sounds like I need to visit Austin!
Cheah/No-Frills Recipes
Nazook sounds new to me. Very keen to try. Just one question though, will it work out well if I substitute sour cream with plain yoghurt?
Barbara
Generally plain yogurt is a good substitute for sour cream. My guess is it would work fine. If you try it, please let me know.
Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl
These are gorgeous, Barbara! I have a good friend from school who is from Armenia–he’d be impressed if I could make these successfully. =)
Paula
I love the look of your Nazook! Hopefully I can make some during the upcoming holiday season as they look delicious and I’m anxious to taste them.
Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen
So darn cute, Barbara! Just like a lazy little cinnamon roll laying on its side! Love it. For some reason it makes it look a little healthier. Or am I being delusional here?!
Sue
When I saw “Nazook”, I knew it was Armenian (My mom was full Armenian)! That’s a perfect reason to try these, plus the fact that they look delicious!
Judy
Hi Barbara, I tried to enter a recipe using your linky and had some problems. Not sure if it went through. Anyway, this ethnic recipe is so interesting. The dough is like a Hungarian kieflee (I’m Hungarian), but it’s rolled out like a rugelach. And I’ve never seen a filling using so much flour. I bet they are delicious.
Barbara
Thanks Judy – I’ll have to Google kieflee. If you want to participate in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop, you need to contact Brenda to sign up. I hope you’ll give these a try.
Becky
Another great holiday treat!! I can almost smell these right now they look so good!
Matt mmWine Horbund
Delicious looking pastry! They remind me of rugelach, and sure enough, you said they were similar!