Winter is a great season in Romania because it comes with so many amazing cookies. And let me tell you, we have a lot of different recipes. Who doesn’t love cookies and cakes anyway?
These Romanian walnut and plum jam cookies are a true winter classic. You’ll almost always find them on Romanian Christmas and New Year’s dessert tables, nestled among other homemade sweets, lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Despite their small size, these cookies pack an incredible amount of flavour. They are buttery, with a soft dough wrapped around a rich, fragrant filling of walnuts and plum jam.
What makes them especially lovely is how balanced they are. The dough itself contains very little sugar, allowing the natural sweetness of the plum jam to shine. This makes them perfect for people who don’t enjoy overly sweet desserts. You can even use sugar-free plum jam without compromising the final result. Delicate, tender, and deeply nostalgic, these cookies are meant to be enjoyed slowly, with a cup of tea or coffee on a cold winter afternoon.
Ingredients for Romanian Walnut and Plum Jam Cookies Recipe
The dough for these cornulețe is rich yet surprisingly light, thanks to the combination of butter and sour cream. All-purpose flour forms the base, while cold butter is rubbed in to create a sandy texture that later bakes into a melt-in-your-mouth dough. An egg helps bind everything together, while sour cream with a higher fat content adds tenderness and a subtle tang. Vanilla sugar and vanilla extract give a gentle aroma without overpowering the filling.
For the filling, thick plum jam is mixed with finely chopped walnuts. Powdered sugar is used at the end to coat the cookies while still hot, creating that iconic snowy finish.
How to Make Romanian Walnut and Plum Jam Cookies
Start by mixing the flour with the vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter, cut into small cubes, and work it into the flour using wither a mixer or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. This step is key for achieving tender cookies. Make sure though that your hands are not warm, as you don’t want to melt the butter before it incorporates with the flour.
Add the egg, vanilla extract, and sour cream, then gently bring everything together into a soft dough using your hands. Be careful not to overwork it, as this would make the cookies tough rather than delicate. Divide the dough into two portions, wrap them in cling film, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to allow it to rest and firm up.
While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling by mixing the chopped walnuts with the plum jam until evenly combined. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin, then roll out one piece of dough into a very thin square or rectangle. Cut it into small squares, place a small amount of filling in the centre of each, and fold them into crescent shapes, sealing the edges well.
Arrange the cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C until lightly golden. As soon as they come out of the oven, roll them in powdered sugar while they’re still hot so it sticks beautifully. Let them cool completely before serving.
Notes and Tips:
- Use cold butter and full-fat sour cream for a tender, melt-in-your-mouth dough.
- Don’t overwork the dough, as this will make the cookies tough instead of crumbly.
- Roll the dough as thin as possible to get delicate, light cornulețe.
- Use a thick plum jam to avoid the filling leaking during baking.
- Coat the cookies in powdered sugar while they are still hot, so it sticks better.
Romanian Walnut and Plum Jam Cookies Recipe – Cornulete cu Nuca si Gem de Prune
Ingredients
- 300 gr flour
- 150 gr butter
- 1 egg
- 120 sour cream with over 20% fat content
- 1 pack vanilla sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 200 gr plum jam
- 150 gr walnuts chopped
- powder sugar for decoration
Instructions
- Mix the flour with the vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Add the cold butter, cut in small pieces and mix until you obtain a sandy composition.
- Add the egg, the vanilla essence and the sour cream.
- Mix with your hands until you form a dough.
- Don’t overwork the dough as you want tender, melt in your mouth cookies.
- Split the dough into two balls, wrap in cling film, and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
- Meanwhile, mix the chopped walnuts with the plum jam.
- Sprinkle flour on your work surface and your rolling pin.
- Start by rolling the first ball of dough into a square or rectangular shape, very thin.
- Cut the dough into squares.
- Fill each square with a small quantity of the jam and walnuts mixture.
- Fold the square, seal the edges, turn the pointy bit upwards and bend the corners, to resemble a half moon.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Bake the cookies on a tray lined with baking paper for around 15 minutes, until starting to get golden.
- As you take them out of the oven, coat the cookies in powder sugar. Whilst hot, the powder sugar will stick to them so much better than cold.
- Let the cookies cool down and serve with tea or coffee.
FAQ
Can I use another type of jam instead of plum?
Yes, but plum jam is traditional and offers the best balance of sweetness and acidity.
Do these cookies keep well?
They do keep very well. Stored in an airtight container, they will keep for up to a week and often taste better after a day or two.
Can I make them sugar-free?
Yes. Use a sugar-free plum jam and skip the vanilla sugar, just increase the vanilla extract quantity. Also, skip the powder sugar. The cookies will still be delicious.
Why do I coat them in powdered sugar while hot?
The heat helps the sugar adhere better, creating an even, delicate coating that won’t fall off once cooled.
For more similar recipes check out my recommendations below:
- Romanian walnut crescent cookies recipe
- Romanian raisin cookies recipe
- Romanian caramel and walnut wafers recipe
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Please start using American measurements when you publish in English.
Cant figure out 350 grams or other grams – do it in ounces – thank you.
I calculated it for you using Google and 350 grams is 12.3 ounces. I am based in England and we don’t use ounces. I’m afraid I don’t know the conversions.