If I had to name a dessert that I remember fondly from my childhood, I would have to say Vanilice. Just thinking about those little cookies brings back a rush of memories, both new and old. I remember family members, now long gone, who served me their homemade, from scratch, Vanilice, and how delicious they were. These cookies are traditionally made with lard, but because I don’t have a good source for top quality lard, I use butter instead. If you have lard, you should definitely use that instead.
Older generations, like my grandparents, refer to these types of cookies as “suvi kolači” or dry cookies. They grew up eating these simple cookies for dessert instead of the multi-layered extravagant cakes that we have now. For this reason, whenever I make a variety of cookies, these are most popular with older guests.
Vanilice are definitely a signature cookie in the Balkans. Found at every special occasion and on every dessert display, these cookies melt in your mouth. Two pieces of shortbread-like cookies are sandwiched with apricot preserve or jam and pressed together lightly. Then, the delicate cookie sandwich is rolled in powdered sugar and served. One unique thing about this cookie is that the longer it “sits” the better it tastes. They always taste the best 3-4 days after baking. I usually make a batch on a Sunday and keep them in a cookie tin to enjoy throughout the week.
Some recipes call for walnuts in the cookie dough while others do not. I prefer walnuts in mine because it reminds me of my childhood. As I mentioned in the Vasina Torta post, walnuts are a staple ingredient in Balkan desserts, so it’s not surprising they’ve made their way into this recipe as well. While the dough may look darker when rolled out, it does lighten up slightly as it bakes. However, they do have a brownish hue to them, so if you prefer completely white cookies, leave out the walnuts.
Vanilice / Vanilla Cookies
Course: DessertCuisine: Balkan, Serbian40
cookies20
minutes30
minutesA staple in the “sitni kolači” dessert category. Perfect for any occasion and super easy to make.
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.
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