Galician Nut-Filled Pastry Delights with Buttery Layers and Snowy Sugar

A traditional Galician pastry, often enjoyed during Christmas and Easter, features delicate layers of dough wrapped around a rich nut filling. This recipe combines simple ingredients with careful preparation to create a festive treat. The process involves chilling the dough, assembling the layers, and baking until golden.

However, the name Platsok—sometimes linked to this dish—has no documented place in Galician culinary history. Unlike well-known regional specialities such as filloas or rosquillas, no records confirm its existence in local baking traditions, which draw from Celtic, Roman, and medieval influences.

The pastry begins with a dough made from 400g of flour, 300g of cold butter or margarine, 4 tablespoons of sour cream, and 20g of fresh yeast. The yeast is first crumbled into the sour cream, while the butter is grated into the flour. These are quickly kneaded together into a smooth dough.

The dough is then divided in half, wrapped in plastic, and chilled for 20–30 minutes—or left at room temperature while the filling is prepared. The nut filling requires 200g of ground walnuts, 6 eggs, 200g of sugar (split between whites and yolks), and 3 heaped tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Egg whites are beaten with 120g of sugar until stiff, while the yolks are whisked with 80g of sugar. The walnuts, beaten whites, and breadcrumbs are gently folded together.

To assemble, the first half of the dough is rolled out and placed in a greased baking pan. The nut filling is spread evenly over it, and the second dough layer is added on top. The edges are crimped, and the surface is pricked with a fork before baking.

The pastry bakes in a preheated 180°C (350°F) oven for 45–50 minutes, until golden all over. Once cooled, it is cut into 4x4 cm squares and generously dusted with 100–150g of powdered sugar on all sides.

This layered pastry, with its buttery dough and sweet walnut centre, is a seasonal favourite in Galician households. After baking and cooling, the squares are coated in sugar, giving them a snowy finish. While the dish itself aligns with local baking customs, the term Platsok remains unverified in historical or culinary sources.