Turkish Samsa is a wonderful, quick and easy to make dessert recipe that you will love. You can make it with a combination of walnuts and hazelnuts or either or. Just use whatever you like best.
Traditionally, the dough is made from scratch but this recipe calls for using puff pastry and it turns out perfectly. I have seen some recipes that call for Phyllo pastry sheets which I am sure would work fine too, just more work. Either way you will end up with a perfectly golden brown and delicious treat.
I made mine using the puff pastry and love the soft tender dough feeling vs the baklava's dough sheet which is crunchier than the puff pastry.
This traditional sweet is a crowd pleaser that is perfect for family gatherings featuring a delicious pastry, sweet syrup and a nutty filling. This dessert is popular in many central Asian cuisines. It is called Uzbek samsa in Uzbekistan. Sometimes orange blossom water is used instead of lemon in the sweet syrup.
Enjoy this traditional Turkish dessert as a sweet ending to your Turkish meal and it would be perfect with a cup of Turkish tea or coffee.
Learn more about Turkiye
Did you know that Turkey is one of the largest exporters of hazelnuts in the world. They are also a big supplier of hazelnuts to the famous Nutella spread that the world loves. Turkish hazelnuts are renowned for their exceptional quality and flavor. They are used in many desserts in Turkish cuisine including this samsa dessert recipe.
If you would like to learn more about the fascinating country of Turkiye be sure to check out "Our Journey to Turkiye" there you will find more authentic recipes like Stuffed Turkish mussels, red lentil soup, and manti that together with this samsa makes a lovely and authentic Turkish meal.
Craving even more? Be sure to join the culinary and cultural journey around the world, so you don’t miss a thing, it’s free, You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook , Pinterest and youtube to follow along our journey.
Turkish Samsa Recipe with Walnuts and Hazelnuts
Ingredients
- 1 box Puff Pastry Sheets
For the Filling
- 2 cups walnuts/hazelnuts crushed or combination of the two.
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 egg white for the filling, yolk for glazing before baking
Ingredients for the syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Thaw out the puff pastry to room temperature
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Prepare the Syrup
- Place all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil
- Boil for 6 minutes and let it cool completely
Making the Samsa
- In a bowl mix together the egg white, sugar, nuts and cinnamon, all the remaining ingredients for the filling.
- On a clean work surface, flatten out the puff pastry sheet and roll out thinner with a rolling pin.
- Place the filling mixture in the center of the puff pastry sheet and cover one side, then the other side, sealing the ends. Making a large roll.
- Flip over so the seam is on the bottom and cut into pieces.
- Arrange them on a greased baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper and glaze with the whisked egg yolk.
- Using the tines of a fork, make stripes on the top of each piece
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown, remove the oven tray.
- Pour the cooled syrup over the hot Samsa.
- Wait for 25-30 minutes for the dessert to absorb the syrup.
- Serve
Nutrition
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