Browsing Tag

sweets

Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Varenyky-style Dumpling Cookies

The Ukraine’s “national dish”, I have been told, are Varenyky. Varenyky are very very similar to Polish Pierogies. Like almost identical. The one thing that I did find unique is that in some places, and in some cases, there are also sweet dumplings in the style of Varenyky, however, they are filled with jam fillings and baked. That is what these are: Varenyky-style Dumpling Cookies, filled with black currant, peach and tart cherry jams. The dough itself isn’t sweet at all (barely any sugar) however once dusted with a bit of powdered sugar and the jam of course, they are lovely. Very flaky dough. I happen to have a ravioli press that I used to form these, but you can also just use a round cookie cutter and the tines of a fork to seal them.

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Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Passion Fruit Meyer Lemon Tart with Fresh Berries

It’s Easter Weekend, and in addition to all the breads that I have been making, and cookies, of course, I decided to make this little Passion Fruit Meyer Lemon Tart with Fresh Berries for Easter Dinner dessert. Something a little different but I am pleased with the result. If you’ve never used fresh passion fruit before, do seek them out (and pick the super ripe ones) as they are delicious!

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Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Sweet Snacks

Makivnyk – Sourdough Poppy Seed Crescent (маківник)

Back to baking things that are “Ukrainian-inspired” although this could also be Polish, Hungarian, Slovak, Czech, or from the Baltics (did I cover everything?!?) …. this is Makivnyk (маківник): a sweet, poppy seed filled sweet bread, with a dough similar to a cinnamon roll, although not nearly as sweet and cinnamony. It’s often baked as a breakfast bread or something for afternoon tea, and often during celebratory seasons like Christmas or Easter. I’ve sprinkled it with raw sugar, but you can also add coarse pearl sugar or confectioners sugar. I love it because it isn’t overly sweet. The original recipe that I found was yeast-based but I converted to sourdough.

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Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Ukrainian-Style Walnut Ring Cookies, with Chocolate (волоський горіх печиво)

Here’s another Ukrainian/Eastern-European-inspired cookie recipe: Ukrainian-Style Walnut Ring Cookies, with Chocolate. In my research, I saw these both with chocolate like this, or with just walnuts held on with an egg wash and sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. I guess it was how fancy one was being. Or what ingredients are on hand. The cookie dough is quite nice — mostly whole wheat flour (a little unusual for a cookie) and a touch of dark, buckwheat flour honey. As with many of the cookies that I am making, these are mostly made at Christmas time, so it feels a little strange to be making them in the run up to Easter, but oh well. They are yummy no matter what time of year.

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Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Summer Fruit Kolacky

In my research into Ukrainian food, I am finding one very consistent thing: the items and the flavor profiles of many central European foods, as well as Germany and Russia, are pretty similar. There are nuances of course — the further south (i.e. Hungary), the spicier the food, and there are some hyper-regional nuances (i.e. a Lviv-style cheesecake is from Lviv), but in general, there is a whole lot of overlap in Ukrainian, Polish, Slovak, Romanian, Hungarian, Russian and German food. Case in point: this style of cookie is found in Poland, Chechia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Russia. I chose fruit, but you can also use almond paste or even a sweet cream cheese filling. These are apricot and tart cherry. Yummy.

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