Kuglice are my go-to sweet treat when I need something quick but fast. Over the holidays I reverted back to some traditional dishes and had some leftover Žito or whole wheat berries/grains that I had prepared for Orthodox Christmas. While we love eating it just on its own with walnuts and sugar, I decided to add a few extra holiday spices and roll these to make a 2nd and 3rd-day dessert to have available should anyone stop by. The combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, walnut, and vanilla make this the ultimate holiday treat. All these warm spices really take something with just a handful of ingredients to a whole new flavor dimension and I’m here for it. The taste of nutmeg specifically reminds me a lot of kolači made by my grandmother and other family members.

There’s really not much to these truffles, in fact they’re a great recipe to make for unexpected guests (are those still a thing these days by the way?), or for a tasty dessert for a birthday party or gatherings. Luckily, this recipe yields a lot of truffles so it makes a great hostess gift or something to contribute to a party. I’m a big fan of kuglice and will often make a kuglice tray with all kinds of flavors. I especially love my chocolate orange flavor combination and make them quite often.

You may be wondering about the wheat berries. You can actually find these in the Eastern European section of your grocery store or you may even be able to order them online through a host of dedicated Balkan stores.

I hope you give these a try very soon.

Are you following me on Instagram? Make sure you follow me there for even more Balkan content. I’ve very active on my stories and I’m also always glad to help should you ever run into any questions while preparing one of my recipes.

Žito Kuglice/Wheat Berry Truffles

Recipe by The Balkan HostessCourse: DessertCuisine: Balkan, Serbian

Servings

truffles

Prep time

minutes

Chill time

hour

Warm winter spices combined with the traditional taste of Žito make these an easy dessert alternative for parties and gatherings.

Ingredients

3 cups (500-600 g) cooked, drained, and cooled whole wheat berries (link to preparation here)
1 cup (200 g) sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar (2 kesice)
2.5 cups (300 g) ground walnuts
1/2 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon (Less than 1g) ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (50-60 g) ground Plazma Keks or Lane Biscuits
Additional
Ground walnuts for rolling

Directions

Pour your cooked and cooled wheat into a food processer. Grind to a paste. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your food processor. Blend just enough to where the wheat breaks down but leave some larger pieces as well for texture. It does not need to be processed excessively.
Pour the ground wheat into a large mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Taste for sweetness and adjust both the sugar and spices to taste.
Add enough ground Plazma Keks to where the mixture is rollable. It should not too dry.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for least 1 hour.
When the mixture has cooled, use a teaspoon to scoop out individual truffles, roll between your palms, and roll in the additional ground walnuts.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. These can hold up at room temperature for a number of hours but refrigerate any leftovers. They will soften if they are in an especially warm room.