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    You Are Here Home » Sweets Recipes

    Published: Nov 29, 2021 Updated: Dec 11, 2021 by Hilda Sterner | This post may contain affiliate links 14 Comments

    Nazook (Armenian Pastry)

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    Nazook pin

    Nazook are wonderful Armenian (some would argue Assyrian) pastries with a crispy, flaky crust, wrapped around a buttery, sweet roux-based filling. Traditionally, Nazook (or Nazookeh in Assyrian) are served for the holidays and when company arrives, and always accompanied by a hot cup of Chai.

    Nazook cookies on a white plate

    About This Recipe

    This Nazook recipe is so delicious that I only make it a few times a year for fear of eating the entire batch. Although the sweet roux filling is delicious as is, I like to mix in ground walnuts and cardamom. Cardamom makes everything better in my book!

    Speaking of "my book," I first shared this recipe in my cookbook (Mom's Authentic Assyrian Recipes) in 2008. I got the original recipe from my sister, but I did make some changes, especially to the filling.

    A few years later, this exact Nazook recipe was shared on a popular food blog by someone who claimed: "she got it from the net from someone named Hilda." I find that funny because this is the first time that I'm sharing my Nazook recipe online and I decided to halve my original Nazook recipe.

    So, if reading this Nazook recipe gives you deja vu, or if you think I copied the recipe from the other site, now you know the whole story!

    Why This Recipe Works

    I'm not gonna lie, this is a time-consuming recipe, but your efforts will definitely be rewarded. The ingredients are simple, the recipe is authentic, and the flavor is outstanding!

    Nazook are best when they're freshly out of the oven. However, you can easily reheat them in a toaster oven or a microwave, which revives them to their original glory. Or do what I do and freeze them and only defrost a few at a time.

    What Goes Into This Recipe

    Nazook dough ingredients
    Nazook filling ingredients
    glaze ingredients

    Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions

    • Flour — All-purpose white flour is used in both the dough and the filling. I have not tried this recipe with whole wheat or other types of flour.
    • Butter — Although the recipe calls for unsalted butter, you can substitute salted butter. However, omit the ½ teaspoon of salt that the dough recipe calls for.
    • Sour Cream — Instead of using sour cream in the dough, you can use yogurt. Or, if you don't have yogurt for the glaze, you can use sour cream.
    • Lemon Juice — If you don't have lemon juice, you can substitute it with vinegar.
    • Walnuts — Walnuts are not usually added to Nazook, but I've always added them. If you have a nut allergy or prefer not to add nuts, you may leave them out.

    How to Make Nazook

    Prepare the Dough

    Step 1: Add yeast to room-temperature sour cream and mix to combine. Set it aside for 10 minutes. 

    sour cream and yeast in 2 small plates

    Step 2: Combine flour, salt, and butter. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender (paid link) until crumbly. Add egg, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and sour cream; mix well. Knead the dough until it's no longer sticky. Add more flour if necessary. Form into a ball, mark with an ✝️, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 3 hours.

    sifting flour in a bowl
    scraping dough off of pastry cutter
    dough scored with a cross in a bowl

    To learn more about why we mark the dough with a cross symbol, check out my kileche recipe.

    Make the Filling

    Add melted butter, flour, sugar, vanilla, cardamom, and ground walnuts to a medium-sized bowl. Mix thoroughly until the filling ingredients are combined and crumbly.

    glass bowl with butter, sugar, and cardamom
    glass bowl with butter, nuts and other ingredients
    glass bowl with Nazook filling ingredients and a purple spatula

    Assembly Instructions

    Preheat oven to 350°F.

    Step 1: Melt 1-½ tablespoons of butter and set aside. Remove dough from refrigerator; divide into 4 equal portions. Roll out one portion at a time into a 10" x 6” rectangle. Brush with melted butter.

    rolling dough on a marble counter
    dough rolled out on a counter

    Step 2: Spread ¼ of the filling over each rectangle, leaving a ½” border. Cover the filling with a piece of parchment paper and lightly roll over it with a rolling pin so that the filling adheres to the dough. 

    Nazook pastry being rolled out
    Nazook dough covered with parchment paper and being rolled by rolling pin

    Step 3: Fold the edges in ½” over the filling and roll into a cylinder. Gently flatten the cylinder with your palms. Using a crinkle cutter (paid link), cut each roll into 9 pieces and arrange the Nazook on a parchment-covered cookie sheet. Prick a few times with a fork.

    Nazook covered in nut filling
    dough rolled into a cylinder
    Nazook dough sliced

    Prepare Glaze/Bake Nazook

    Step 1: Whisk egg yolk and yogurt together to make the glaze. You can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of cold water to dilute the glaze.

    Step 2: Brush Nazook liberally with the glaze and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Continue until all the Nazook are baked.

    unbaked Nazook on a parchment covered tray
    Nazook baked on parchment paper
    baked Nazook recipe on parchment

    Enjoy with a hot cup of tea!

    Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

    Gata vs. Nazook, what's the difference?

    Gata and Nazook are both Armenian pastries and both contain a sweet roux-based filling. Gata, like its Assyrian cousin, "Kadeh" or "Chada" is shaped like a pie and sliced into triangle-shaped servings. The Assyrian version, however, contains a savory roux filling. Sometimes sugar is added to the roux to sweeten up the Chada.

    Nazook, on the other hand, are individual-sized pastries or cookies. Assyrians also prepare these pastries, but we call them "Nazookeh."
    Generally, Assyrians credit the recipe to the Armenians.

    Nazook Origin

    Most credit Armenians as the ones who first prepared Nazook. However, similar to other Middle-Eastern recipes, there are other cultures that also claim the recipes, including Persians.

    What does Nazook mean in English?

    The word Nazook means delicate, fragile, or thin. Although I don't consider this pastry fragile, I think the "thin" translation is more fitting, since the dough has to be rolled very thinly before adding the filling and rolling it.

    How many calories are in one Nazook?

    There are approximately 100 calories in one Nazook, depending on the recipe.

    • If you don't want to chill the dough for 3 hours, you can let it rise in a warm spot for an hour instead. I've made Nazook both ways, but I prefer chilling the dough, which makes it easier to work with.
    • If you don't have a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour, you can use a fork or your hands.
    • Nazookeh are usually cut with a crinkle cutter (paid link), which gives them a pretty, decorative edge. I seem to have misplaced mine in the recent move. If you have to, you can also use a sharp knife to slice the Nazook.
    • Nazook taste best when they're freshly baked. However, they do freeze well. So you may want to freeze some and leave some out to enjoy with your tea or coffee.
    nazook up close

    Related Recipes

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      Kileche | Kleicha (Assyrian Holiday Cookies)
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      Kadeh Recipe (Assyrian Roux-Filled Pastry)
    • zalabia
      Zlabia (Middle Eastern Mini Funnel Cakes)
    • Muakacha dessert on a white plate
      Middle Eastern Dessert (Muakacha)

    Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.

    Stay in touch with me through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook. Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!

    📖 Recipe

    Nazook on a white plate, featured image

    Nazook (Armenian Pastry)

    Delicious, flaky pastry, loaded with a unique sweet roux filling made with butter, flour, sugar, walnuts, and cardamom.
    4.99 from 55 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine: Armenian
    Prep Time: 45 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
    Servings: 36 Nazook
    Calories: 100kcal
    Author: Hilda Sterner

    Ingredients

    Dough

    • 1⅛ teaspoon yeast (½ packet)
    • ½ cup sour cream (room temperature)
    • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup unsalted butter (chilled)
    • 1 medium egg
    • ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
    • ½ teaspoon lemon juice
    • 1½ tablespoon melted butter (for brushing the dough with)

    Filling

    • ½ cup melted butter
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour (sifted)
    • ½ cup sugar
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon cardamom
    • ½ cup finely chopped walnuts

    Glaze

    • 1 medium egg yolk (beaten)
    • 1 teaspoon yogurt

    Instructions

    Prepare the Dough

    • Add yeast to the sour cream and mix. Set aside for 10 minutes. 
    • Combine flour, salt, and butter. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender (paid link) until crumbly. Add egg, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and sour cream; mix well. Knead the dough until it's no longer sticky. Add more flour if necessary. Form into a ball, mark with an ✝️, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 3 hours.

    Make the Filling

    • Add melted butter, flour, sugar, vanilla, cardamom, and ground walnuts to a medium-sized bowl. Mix thoroughly until the filling ingredients are combined and crumbly.

    Preheat oven to 350°F.

      Assembly Instructions

      • Melt 1-½ tablespoons of butter and set aside. Remove dough from refrigerator; divide into 4 equal portions. Roll out one portion at a time into a 10" x 6” rectangle. Brush with melted butter.
      • Spread ¼ of the filling over each rectangle, leaving a ½” border. Cover the filling with a piece of parchment paper and lightly roll over it with a rolling pin so that the filling adheres to the dough. 
      • Fold the edges in ½” over the filling and roll into a cylinder. Gently flatten the cylinder with your palms. Using a crinkle cutter, cut each roll into 9 pieces and arrange the Nazook on a parchment-covered cookie sheet. Prick a few times with a fork.

      Prepare Glaze/Bake Nazook

      • Whisk egg yolk and yogurt together to make the glaze. You can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of cold water to dilute the glaze. 
      • Brush Nazook liberally with the glaze and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Continue until all the Nazook are baked. Enjoy with a hot cup of tea.

      Notes

      • If you don't want to chill the dough for 3 hours, you can let it rise in a warm spot for an hour instead. I've made Nazook both ways, but I prefer chilling the dough, which makes it easier to work with.
      • If you don't have a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour, you can use a fork or your hands.
      • Nazookeh are usually cut with a crinkle cutter (paid link), which gives them a pretty, decorative edge. I seem to have misplaced mine in the recent move. If you have to, you can also use a sharp knife to slice the Nazook.
      • Nazook taste best when they're freshly baked. However, they do freeze well. So you may want to freeze some and leave some out to enjoy with your tea or coffee.

      Nutrition

      Serving: 1nazook | Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 40mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 3g
      Tried this Recipe? Please leave A Star Rating!Mention @HildasKitchenBlog or tag #HildasKitchenBlog!

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      1. Judy Bowen says

        January 23, 2023 at 12:25 pm

        5 stars
        I have such fond memories of this pastry from my childhood. My maternal grandmother was Assyrian and my mother was part Assyrian, part Armenian. We used to eat this all the time when we visited my mother's sister in New Jersey. But alas, after my grandmother passed there was no recipe. So I am delighted to try this! I don't remember the crescents though. Ours was just flat like a pie and we cut it into slices. Then Nanny would bring out sweet, unsalted butter and jam. Wonderful!

        Reply
        • Hilda Sterner says

          January 23, 2023 at 3:58 pm

          Hi Judy, I'm glad that you found this recipe too. However, the way you described it being in a pie shape I'm wondering if you are referring to my chada (kadeh) recipe? Sometimes it's formed into a circle while other times people fold the dough over the filling to make a half circle. Here's the recipe, let me know what you think! https://hildaskitchenblog.com/recipe/kadeh-recipe-assyrian-pastry/

          Reply
      2. Marline says

        January 04, 2023 at 5:16 pm

        Can I use yogurt instead of sour cream?

        Reply
        • Hilda Sterner says

          January 04, 2023 at 5:19 pm

          Hi Marline, Yes, you sure can!

          Reply
          • Marline says

            January 05, 2023 at 12:02 pm

            5 stars
            Thank you for replying back I did use yogurt instead of sour cream and they turned out amazing. I've tried many recipes for nazook, but they always spread out in the oven for some reason and the filling comes out , but these came out absolutely perfect The dough is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us

            Reply
            • Hilda Sterner says

              January 05, 2023 at 3:28 pm

              Thank you for coming back and letting us know how it went! I think when the filling spreads too much it's because the ratio of butter to flour and sugar is wrong. Too much butter most likely. I'm glad you liked the way these came out. Enjoy!

              Reply
      3. Karen says

        April 05, 2022 at 12:23 am

        5 stars
        What an amazing recipe! The pastries came out beautifully and so delicious! For the filling, I added an extra 1/2 cup of walnuts and saffron for the glaze. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe !!

        Reply
        • Hilda Sterner says

          April 05, 2022 at 6:20 am

          Thank you, Karen, I wouldn't have considered saffron for the glaze. I will have to try that, thanks!

          Reply
          • Karen says

            May 30, 2022 at 3:46 pm

            Hi dear Hilda, could veg oil be used as a substitute for butter in this recipe?

            Reply
            • Hilda Sterner says

              May 30, 2022 at 7:30 pm

              Hi Karen, I supposed you could, but the texture won't be the same. Instead of being flaky, it will be dry and crispy (just my educated guess). If you decide to try it, please let me know how it goes!

              Reply
      4. Kelly Methey says

        December 05, 2021 at 4:39 pm

        5 stars
        These are so very good! I love them. I can identify with being able to eat a whole batch as they are that delicious!
        Make these for Christmas, you won’t be disappointed!

        Reply
        • Hilda Sterner says

          December 05, 2021 at 5:23 pm

          Thank you, Kelly! I appreciate the review. 😘

          Reply
      5. Kathy Fisher says

        November 30, 2021 at 12:12 pm

        5 stars
        Perfectly delicious. Greg and I love them. Even better with a fresh cup of coffee. A taste of Heaven.

        Reply
        • Hilda Sterner says

          November 30, 2021 at 6:02 pm

          Thanks, Kathy! I'm so glad you both enjoyed the Nazook!

          Reply

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