Guglička

Although Csömör is only one kilometer away from Budapest, it has nevertheless managed to remain a Slovak village which has preserved many traditions. Among other things, every family has its own cookie recipes. At the sight of the ample cookie tables jointly laid on village days, harvest festivals, Lutheran church days, everyone instantly recognizes which cookie by whom was brought, and is committed to make sure by way of ampling and then to dispute in detail whether every cook was at her best in comparison with the previous occasion.


The guglička, or by other name walnut basket is one of the finest and most characteristic Slovak cookies of Csömör, which was made only for great feasts, weddings and illustrious events. Its preparation was now photographed and documented by Ágó Tenczer, with whom we edit together the local civil news portal Csömör News, and whose earlier interview with an old local witness of WWII you could already read here in Río Wang. And who presents it: the 82-year old aunt Erka Gerhát, who has also shared with us her old family photos: they will soon also be published on our blog.


Ingredients (for 72 pieces of cookies):

500 g white flour • 400 g granulated sugar • 150 g sugar • 1 packet of baking powder • 2 packets of vanilla sugar • 250 g margarine and 50 g fat • 7 eggs • ½ dl milk • 400 g ground walnut • home-made apricot jam


Mix the margarine and fat with the flour, 100 g of granulated sugar and the baking powder. Mix the egg yolks with the milk, and add them to the dough. Knead it well and refrigerate for half an hour. For the filling, mix the walnut, 300 g of granulated sugar and the vanilla sugar. Beat up the seven egg whites, while gradually adding 150 g sugar, and finally the walnut as well.

Stretch the dough one finger thick on the dish-cloth spread over the pastry-board, then cut out out the cookies with a scalloped-edge form of about 8 cm in diameter. Put the pieces in metal baking forms, then put in each a spoonful of homemade apricot jam and on its top a large spoonful of the walnut mass. Bake it in a preheated oven at high heat for approximately 10 minutes, and then at low heat for an additional 20-30 minutes. When finished, wait until it cools down, then pour them out from the baking forms. Decorate them with granulated sugar.

Tricks: If the margarine is frozen, you can grate it, and then the dough will be more easily composed. You can also use remaining egg whites for the filling. Traditional baking forms can be still purchased in village markets.