Romanian cornulețe with lard, yogurt and walnuts

Name: Romanian cornulețe with lard, yogurt and walnuts
Ingredients: 200 g lard; 1 egg; 5 tablespoons sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 200 g yogurt; 1 lemon (grated zest); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 500-550 g flour; 20 g flour for shaping; 200 g ground walnuts; 100 ml milk; 5 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons rum essence; 1 tablespoon cocoa; 30 g powdered sugar

Dessert - Romanian cornulețe with lard, yogurt and walnuts by stefania O. - Recipia

Romanian cornulețe with lard, yogurt and walnuts are tender, with a walnut and cocoa filling. The soft lard is mixed in without melting it, and the dough is cut into little squares and baked just until lightly golden; each one is more like a filled cookie than a big crescent. I use the lard when it feels soft to the touch but still holds its shape. Preparation: 35 minutes. Cooking: 18 minutes. Resting: 35 minutes. Total time: 88 minutes. Servings: 10. Approximately 590 kcal and 10 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the dough

200 g lard
1 egg
5 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
200 g yogurt
1 lemon (grated zest)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
500-550 g flour
20 g flour for shaping

For the filling

200 g ground walnuts
100 ml milk
5 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons rum essence
1 tablespoon cocoa

To finish

30 g powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Mix the lard with the egg, sugar and salt until creamy. 2. Mix in the yogurt, grated lemon zest and vanilla extract. Add the baking soda, then gradually add the sifted flour until the dough is no longer sticky and is easy to shape. 3. Cover the dough and leave it to rest for 25 minutes. 4. Gradually pour the hot milk over the ground walnuts until you have a thick paste. Stir in the sugar for the filling, rum essence and cocoa. 5. Sprinkle the work surface with the flour for shaping. Tear off pieces of dough, roll them out into rectangles and cut them into small squares. 6. Put a little filling in the middle of each square and bring two opposite corners together. Arrange the cornulețe on a baking tray lined with baking paper. 7. Bake at 180°C for 18 minutes, until lightly golden on top. 8. Leave them to cool for 10 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar. Store them in a lidded tin or a container covered with plastic wrap.

Notes

I serve them with black coffee; the walnut and cocoa filling is quite rich. I let them cool for five minutes and ate half a tray with my friend; walnut is the filling I choose. They keep for a few days in a lidded tin, and the dough can be made ahead and kept in the fridge until shaping. The lard should be soft, not melted; if it is cold and hard, the dough is difficult to mix. Finely ground walnuts make a smooth paste, while more coarsely ground ones leave the filling less smooth. I make them about the size of a filled cookie; the small ones brown faster, so I take them out while they are still pale. Ground almonds can replace the walnuts in the same quantity; the dough contains gluten, dairy and egg, and the filling contains nuts.