Spectacles

Spectacles is my best translation for 'papaszem', a Hungarian Christmas cookie. It stores well due to the high butter content. The jam-filled bits melt in your mouth, and the ground walnut or poppy seed filling is moist thanks to the whipped egg whites it's mixed with.

Ingredients
200 g flour
2 egg yolks
75 g butter
0.5 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp yeast
80 mL warm milk
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar

filling:
8 tbsp apricot jam
0.5 tsp grated lemon zest
50 g icing sugar
75 ground walnut
2 egg whites

Preparation
Bloom the yeast in the milk with the sugar. Mix in the melted butter and the egg yolks. Add the flour, lemon zest and vanilla sugar, and knead until smooth and elastic. This yields a sticky dough.

Coat with oil and allow to rise at room temperature for one hour in a covered bowl.

Cut in half and roll each into a baking sheet-sized, thin rectangle.

Spread the two long edges of both with 2 tbsp of the jam each. Roll up symmetrically toward the center.

beat the egg whites and the sugar until had peaks form. Fold in the ground walnuts and lemon zest. Distribute evenly in the middle of the pastry.

Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a cookie rack. Slice and dust with icing sugar. Serve!