These delicious and delicate pastry rolls, filled with a nutty mixture and soaked in a sweet syrup, are a popular treat that will make your kitchen smell amazing. The crunchy layers of phyllo dough combined with the rich walnut and biscuit filling create a perfect balance of textures. Enjoy these tasty treats during special occasions or whenever you're in the mood for a sweet, homemade dessert.
Ingredients for Agda (Sugar Syrup):
- 600 g sugar
- 2 vanilla sugar packets
- 1 liter water
- 2 lemon slices
Instructions for Agda:
- Make the Syrup: In a pot, combine the 600 g sugar and 1 liter water, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the lemon slices, then remove the syrup from the heat and allow it to cool.
Ingredients for Ružice (Pastry Rolls):
- 500 g phyllo dough (baklava sheets)
- 600 g walnuts (half finely ground, the other half coarsely ground or chopped)
- 100 g ground biscuits (or "plazma" biscuits)
- 200 g melted butter (clarified, with foam removed)
- 100 ml oil
Instructions for Ružice:
Prepare the Filling: Mix the 600 g walnuts and 100 g ground biscuits together. Divide the mixture into 3 equal portions.
Assemble the Ružice:
- Take a single phyllo sheet and place it on your work surface with the wider side facing you.
- Brush the sheet with a mixture of melted butter and oil.
- Sprinkle one portion of the walnut-biscuit filling evenly over the sheet.
- Cover the filled sheet with another phyllo sheet, pulling it slightly towards you, leaving about 1 cm of dough exposed at the edge.
- Repeat the process for all five sheets, brushing each with butter-oil mixture and adding the walnut filling in layers.
Roll the Pastry: Once all five sheets are layered and filled, carefully roll the dough into a tight log. Before rolling up the final layer, brush the top sheet with butter to ensure it sticks together. The dough may crack slightly at the beginning, but that’s okay. Just continue rolling, and the cracks will disappear as you move forward.
Slice the Rolled Pastry:
- Use a piece of cardboard or paper to measure the desired thickness for your rolls (about 3 cm thick).
- Trim the ends of the roll to make them even, then slice the roll into equal portions using the paper as a guide. Place each slice in a baking tray, arranged neatly.
Bake the Ružice:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Bake the ružice for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
Soak in Agda: Once the ružice are baked, immediately pour the cooled agda (syrup) over them. Make sure to coat all the rolls with the syrup for the perfect sweet finish.
These ružice are irresistibly crunchy on the outside, soft and nutty on the inside, and beautifully sweet from the syrup. Perfect for gatherings or just a treat to enjoy with your loved ones!