Today is the last installment of my Christmas Cookies Baking Series. Today’s recipe is my mom’s recipe for Nut Rolls. These were my probably my Dad’s favorite.
We believe that my mom developed this recipe after years of watching my grandmother make them. Apparently my grandmother didn’t have any written recipes – they were all in her head! And she didn’t measure anything! So I’m guessing that this written recipe is probably well over 60 years old and the original recipe from my grandmother – who knows!
But I do know that these nut rolls are unlike any other that I’ve had. The dough is more bread-like and the nut filling is substantial. Store-bought nut rolls tend to be more cake-like with a skimpy nut filling.
Here are photos of my mom’s original recipe:
That recipe (if you could read it!) makes six large nut rolls. I’m going to share the same recipe but it is scaled down to make three medium-sized nut rolls.
- in a small saucepan, scald 1 cup milk, add 1/4 cup water and 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar.
- Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
- add 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
In mixing bowl, combine:
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cut in 1/4 cup shortening
Add 2 egg yolks and the milk/yeast mixture
Knead until shiny but not sticky. I use the dough hook attachment on my Kitchenaid mixer and let it go for about 5 minutes.
Divide dough into three equal pieces on placed on greased cookie sheet. Cover with a clean dish cloth and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size. (About one hour)
While the dough is rising, make the nut filling:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons butter
Combine ingredients in a saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in 3-4 cups of chopped walnuts.
Roll dough out into a circle (about 1/8″ to 1/4 ” thick) and spread 1/3 of nut mixture to within an inch or so of the edges.
Roll it up and place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet. Cover with cloth and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Brush egg whites over rolls and bake at 350 degree for 30-40 minutes
Looks like I missed a spot on the top roll!
These freeze well if wrapped in plastic wrap and freezer paper.
These nut rolls are unlike any other that I've had. The dough is more bread-like and the nut filling is substantial. Store-bought nut rolls tend to be more cake-like with a skimpy nut filling. In mixing bowl, combine: Cut in 1/4 cup shortening Add 2 egg yolks and the milk/yeast mixture Knead until shiny but not sticky. I use the dough hook attachment on my Kitchenaid mixer and let it go for about 5 minutes. Divide dough into three equal pieces on placed on greased cookie sheet. Cover with a clean dish cloth and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size. (About one hour) Combine ingredients in a saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in 3-4 cups of chopped walnuts. Roll dough out into a circle (about 1/8" to 1/4 " thick) and spread 1/3 of nut mixture to within an inch or so of the edges. Roll it up and place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet. Cover with cloth and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Brush egg whites over rolls and bake at 350 degree for 30-40 minutes These freeze well if wrapped in plastic wrap and freezer paper.Nut Rolls
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Tollhouse Cupcakes
Apricot Pinwheels
Marshmallow Fudge Brownies
Pecan Tassies
These look so wonderful, and I love how you showed the original recipe. Hope you have a great day.
Heidi’s Wanderings
Thanks Heidi!
I am so happy you posted this recipe. It is the exact recipe that my mom’s aunt used to make from a long, long time ago. I remember my mom making it when I was little and we loved it! She would only make it at Christmas time. Thank you. I am going to make this tonight.
Thank you Cindi! My mom usually only made nut rolls around the Holidays too. I’m so happy that you’re going to make them!
I was looking doe some nut roll recipes. I found yours. I swear this is my moms recipe and I think that is my moms handwriting. Her name was Agnes Gulan (Blatnik). Omg. I saved a piece of paper (looks like the same paper outofan old recipe book)
This looks awesome! How much nuts and what kind? I didn’t see that in the recipe
The handwritten looks like my grandmas writing. I cant read hers anymore. It is over 80 years old, for one to the next. Thank you
Why do you roll the dough into a circle instead of a rectangle?
Good question! I guess that’s just the way I was taught!
I make the nut rolls every Christmas and they are the best, my family loves them, this is really the best recipe. Thank you
These are the nut rolls my husband grew up with, his family made them, i made them last year and will make them every Christmas, they are wonderful, thank you.
Thank you Robin! I just bought a big bag of nuts today at Costco. It’s soon time to make them again!
I have my Grandmothers not bread recipe, it is similar to yours and it was always a holiday tradition and treat. That being said my Grandmother would roll over in her grave if I gave her recipe away like this. It as an absolute top secret family recipe, and it took me until I was 30 and had a family of my own to get it out of her!
Thanks a lot look like in my childhood. I love nut roll so much. I am from west Ukraine and we make this roll 4 seasons. Just i cant eat it honey i poot sugar but its lovly enyway. Thank
We (wife and I) tried your recipe and had a couple major flaws, first we couldn’t get the dough to rise, so we dumped it and tried again with the same result and just went with it anyway. The bread did turn out ok just a bit dry. Secondly while preparing the filling mix something happened, I believe the butter separated as the honey and butter mix looked like egg drop soup, so we dumped that started over with the same result and just used it anyway. What are we doing wrong? We followed the recipe to the T. We assume maybe the yeast was bad even though it did proof and get foamy, but have no clue why the butter separated if that is in fact what happened.
Hi Robert. I adjusted the recipe to use a full cup of milk rather than just 1/2 cup. This will fix the rising issue. As for the filling mix . . . it doesn’t separate that way for me. Maybe the heat was too high? You just need enough heat for the butter to melt. Hope this helps! I just made these yesterday to freeze for Thanksgiving and they turned out perfectly.
If doubling the recipe to make six, use 2 cups of milk for the bread mixture?
I just tried this recipe and had the same problems you had! I’m not a novice baker!
Try adding sugar and honey.
Tried this recipe, dough cane out very dry and didn’t rise well. Changed from 1/2 cup of milk to full cup, and it turned out much better, doubled in size and was much easier to roll out after.
Overall though excellent recipe, and with a minor tweak, it turned out amazing, I willl definitely be making this again.
Thanks Megan. I corrected the recipe.
I wish I had read through all the comments before making, would have made some adjustments. The dough wouldn’t rise and came out so dry 🙁 I can hardly cut into slices without it crumbling. Perhaps something went wrong when reduced from original recipe? Was hoping this would be similar to my grandmother’s nut roll but I guess I’ll be searching for another recipe.
I just found this recipe and it looks like what my grandmother made. I see recipes with other ingredients in the filling like brown sugar, cinnamon and cocoa powder, which I do not remember in my grandmother’s povitica. She’s long gone and her son, my father, is 93 yrs old – still independent and sharp as a tack. He hasn’t eaten povitica in almost 30 years. The store-bought ones are blah. I’ve purchased all the fresh ingredients today and will try this tomorrow. I hope it’s what Dad remembers. This stuff is like gold in our family – all the guys particularly like it. Wish me luck!
Just about perfect – same bread color and texture as we remember, but the walnut filling wasn’t sweet enough. Ours was never as sweet as a dessert, but was pleasantly sweet like a breakfast roll. This filling tasted just a little bitter. I’m making more tomorrow but adding some granulated sugar to the nut filling. I think this recipe will be the one we keep!
My husband likes it sweeter too. This is what I grew up with though and I’m used to it.
Hi! I made these yesterday. They look beautiful. They are not sweet, but I did dust them with powdered sugar which gives it a bit more sweetness.
I bought yeast cakes by mistake. Can you tell me how to use them in place of the powder? Hopefully? Thanks ?
I just made these and they look right except the sides on all three busted open. I’m confident I put the seam on the bottom of the pan. Any other reason this might have happened? Just don’t want to repeat the mistake in the future. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe!
I have no idea why they split! I wish I was more helpful!
Mine always do too I finally figured out what I wasn’t doing and none of the recipes tell you to do this. The next time I make them I am going to try this secret. Before you put them in the oven use a fork to poke some air holes in them
Prick roll about every several turns with a thin knitting needle or cake tester to help eliminate air pockets and cracking. That should help.
I tried this and it came out Perfect! Thank you the recipe, it reminds me of the ones my grandma would make. I thought my Dad was going to cry he was so pleased when I gave him a loaf on Christmas Eve.
Oh I’m so glad you were both happy with them! Merry Christmas!
2 questions:
1. Can you use the same recipe for Poppy seed roll? And,
2: what would you do with the poppy seed, if anything, or is spreading it on as it is in the jar sufficient?
Thanks!
yes to both
I can only see the dough recipe here. Please share the filling recipe too! Grandma made these and I lost many recipes in a move so I am delighted to find this AND the Apricot sugar cookies!!! Thank You!
Hello – I attempted to make potica yesterday. The dough was easy to work with and I had perfectly shaped loaves, I let it rise again, but then after baking the loaves collapsed. Do you know what I did incorrectly? Thank You
I have a few recipes but I always like to add a recipe and try it if it looks as delicious as yours.
Thanks for sharing. Loved seeing your mother or grandmother’s original recipe. I have my mom’s.
Treasure it. Will try your recipe soon. Thanks again
How can I get your recipe for the apricots pinwheels?
Would love to try them. Thanks
I had to write down the recipe because the advertisements kept coming in between the recipe.
How can I get the recipe in full from you without advertisements
This is the best and easiest nut roll I ever made. Half of it was gone before it had a chance to cool down. I will make more and freeze them . Thank you so much for sharing it
Thank you very much! I’m so glad you and your family are enjoying the nut rolls!
In my country (Croatia), we make the nut roll for Christmas, for Easter and any special occasion. And I usually make it from my head :)) It is good that own is cold when you place it the rolls in it. On that way you’ll get less hard crust. And if it necessary, it is also good ( during the baking ) cover the rolls with baking paper.
I’m glad to find your website, and I’ll check other recipes too.
Can you put chocolate in this filling ?
Hi there,
Just wondering if I am able to mix dough by hand, I don’t have a mixer with dough hook
Thankyou from Australia!!
Vivien ?
Love love love this recipe !!! I have made this 3 different times now . Each time I’ve made 6 rolls . The nut filling is great but I usually fill three with nut and fill three with poppyseed . They come out perfect every time and they freeze well . Thanks for sharing ❤️
This is a very different variation from the real deal! The real recipe is called “Potica” or “povitca”. Old Slovenian /Croatian recipe for a sweet nut roll. Google the real recipe. Check it out!
A recipe that old is “real.” My grandmother who escaped Yugoslavia in the early 50s made something almost the same and she brought that recipe with her from the mother country. I dare say that’s pretty “real.”
That is a rude comment….and also not true. Google is not gospel.
Have you ever used pecans instead? I like them better
I followed the recipe to a T and my dough will not form a ball. At all. It’s wet and sticky. Help!
My Omama would make these 2 at time in a giant, heavy roasting pan. Sometimes there were added raisins but always the walnuts were ground not just chopped and cooked briefly in the liquid mixture. The nut paste was mildly sweet. The final touch was always the powdered sugar dusted over top and the crust was never hard or brown per se. Sliced but still warm out of the oven is the best way to eat. Comfort food of the gods.
Do you use butter or crisco shortening in the dough?
Just baked made these today. Came out perfect they taste delicious. Only thing I did differently was I only cut them in half instead of thirds. Also, put milk on top instead of the egg wash.
I made them exactly per recipe and my rolls came out really dry and hard after cooling. Help…..
If I can give you some constructive feedback, I probably would have made these nut rolls if the font was not in a grey that is almost impossible to read. O love looking at different blogs but this is one of the hardest to read and understand.
Had high hopes for this recipe. Came together fairly easy. Followed it to a T
Did not double in size, nuts too wet. Should have been two rolls, not three.
Did one on a greased cookie sheet, two on parchment paper. The greased cookie sheet burned 🤦♀️
Will hunt for another recipe.