Nutella Filled Kiflice

Soft and flaky Nutella Filled Kiflice that melt in your mouth. You may have noticed two variations of kiflice (pronounced as khee-flee-ce), one made with a pillowy yeast dough and another with a buttery pastry dough. A lot of Serbian recipes use the yeast dough and most Croatian recipes use the buttery dough. I find that both cultures go back and forth between each dough recipe. It depends on personal taste or the occasion. I loooveee the buttery dough. It gives the kiflice a soft and flaky biscuit that is so delicious to bite into. Rolled into croissant shapes and filled with a chocolatey filling, these Nutella Filled Kiflice are my favourite way to enjoy this dessert. Enjoy them as a special treat or make them for a crowd. This makes a big batch. 

About this recipe

Kiflice are an old and traditional recipe across the Balkan regions. The recipe is not exclusive to Serbia. Other Balkan countries make this dessert, with some variations in the dough or the filling. The dough can be made with yeast dough or buttery dough. In recent times there have been butter-cream cheese doughs (which I do not personally use often). The dough is then filled with jams, grounded walnuts, fruit fillings or hazelnut paste and chocolate. 

I have grown up eating kiflice for the most part of my childhood. My brother and I devoured them. What I loved about them most was the warm jam that oozes out of the middle. It was hard to resist them. The wait for them to cool down sometimes seemed like it took forever. However, as I have grown older, I have taken a liking to the buttery dough. And while I still love the jam filling, I also enjoy a Nutella based filling from time to time. 

This recipe is one I have made over the last 5 years or so. While I love the traditional yeast dough kiflice, I also love the convenience of a buttery dough, as there is no waiting time for the yeast and dough to rise. A buttery-dough is basic, requires little chill time and you end up with a soft, buttery biscuit with a delicious chocolate moment in the middle.

Making the dough

I love an easy buttery dough recipe. One that is simple to put together and turns out great. For this recipe, I like to use semi-chilled butter. I know a lot of butter dough recipes require that you use cold butter, but I like to leave my butter out at room temperature for about 15 minutes. This is because it makes it so much easier to work the butter into the flour. The dough is refrigerated prior to rolling, so the buttery will have time to firm up again.

Anyway, onto the dough. In a large bowl add the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and lemon zest. Mix well until all the ingredients are combined. Next, add the butter. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter and mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add ice-cold water and egg yolks and stir until combined. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface, knead until smooth, then shape into a disk. Cover the dough with foil and refrigerate for 45 min or 1 hour. The dough should be chilled but not overly firm. 

Shaping the kiflice

Now, the part where you shape the kiflice into little crescents. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and divide it into four equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Start by working with one piece at a time. Roll the first dough ball out to a 25 cm circle and cut into 8 wedges. If you have a silicone baking mat with measurements, this can be super helpful. Place 1/2 a teaspoon of Nutella on the wider side of each wedge and roll the wedge towards its point to enclose the filling. Place each rolled kiflica on a baking tray, lined with baking paper. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Bake each tray in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 180°C or until the kiflice are golden brown. Keep one tray in the fridge while the other one bakes. Allow the kiflice to slightly cool before dusting some icing sugar. Serve the kiflice once cooled. 

I like to eat kiflice once they are cooled, almost always with a cold drink. You can serve these on their own or with hot tea, coffee or an iced drink. I also love to make them and serve them to friends.

Looking for more?

If you are looking for more ideas, try one of the recipes below:

Walnut Meringue Crescents / Orasnice

Serbian Cheese Pita / Pie

Poppy Seed & Chocolate Cake

I hope that you enjoy these soft and flaky Nutella Filled Kiflice. They are fun to make and are definitely so moore-sih. Once you try one, you will want another.. Leave a comment and let me know how this recipe turns out for you. If you get a moment, please leave this recipe a rating. If you get a little stuck or have any questions, you can also reach me over on Instagram.