Vanilice / Vanilla Cookies - The Balkan Hostess (2024)

Vanilice / Vanilla Cookies

Recipe by The Balkan HostessCourse: DessertCuisine: Balkan, Serbian

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (226 g) unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (250 g) granulated sugar

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

• 1 large egg + 2 egg yolks

• 1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla sugar (1 kesica)

• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt

• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

• 2.5 cups (250 g) ground walnuts

• 4.5 cups (600 g) flour

• For Rolling & Filling

• Powdered sugar

• Apriot preserve (or jam) – about 1/2 cup (150 g)

Directions

• In the bowl of a stand (or hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Scrap the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure all the butter is incorporated.
• To the butter and sugar add the whole egg and egg yolks and whip until incorporated, then add in the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and vanilla sugar. Mix with the stand mixture until all ingredients are incorporated (1-2 minutes).
• Turn off the mixer and switch to a spatula at this point. Add in the walnuts and stir, turning the mixture into a thick batter. Once all the walnuts are incorporated, add in the flour and form a uniform and soft ball of dough with the help of your hands.
• Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap or in a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the dough is completely cold.
• When the dough has completely chilled, take it out of the refrigerator and preheat your oven to 350 F ( 200 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4 inch (6 mm). Use a cookie cutter, shot glass, or small cup to cut out small round pieces. I use a shot glass (for rakija) because I prefer this size and get about 40 cookies.
• Using a small knife or angled spatula transfer the cut-out cookies to your baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the bottom of the cookies begin to slightly brown but the tops remain light in color. Do not let them brown on top.
• When baked, remove the cookies from the baking sheet and transfer to a cooling rack or tray to cool.
• Re-knead the scraps of the remaining dough into a ball and roll it out again. Repeat the above steps until you’ve used up all your dough and baked all your cookies.
• When the cookies have cooled, spread a very small amount of apricot jam (or preserves but remove large fruit pieces) on one piece and place a 2nd piece on top, making a sandwich cookie. Roll the cookie in powdered sugar and place on serving tray.

Notes

• These cookies should be stored in a covered container. I use a cake tin (not airtight) and keep it on my dining table.
• Feel free to use any filling you’d like, but just know Nutella will not be sticky enough to hold the 2 pieces together so they will slide. Not recommended unless eating right away.
• Feel free to use orange zest instead, just don’t add too much juice. Only add about 2-3 tablespoons of citrus juice to the mixture.
• Feel free to leave out the walnuts, just use the same amount of flour instead.