Bulgarian Maslenki, a Traditional Holiday Treat

Chances are, you have seen these traditional Bulgarian cookies.   Known as maslenki, they are a popular traditional Christmas staple. In Bulgaria they are traditionally made with lard, but you can substitute butter.  The lard will however make the dough very soft and keep them from spreading while baking.  If you want to knock the socks off of some of your friends this Christmas these are a cookie you must try!

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup lard or butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 4 cups Swany White Flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 jar tart jam (like rosehip, plum, raspberry or apricot)
  • Garnish: confectioner’s sugar

Directions

  1. Prepare all ingredients and preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs really well and sugar slowly until light and foamy.  This will take about 5 minutes.
  3. Melt the lard or butter and, once it cooled to room temperature, add it slowly to the egg-sugar mixture with the vanilla, mixing constantly.
  4. Mix together flour and baking powder in a separate bowl, and then slowly add it to the egg mixture to create a firm dough.
  5. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick on parchment-lined baking pans and cut with a round cutter.
  6. Use a small cookie cutter to cut out a decorative hole in the center of half of the cookies.
  7. Bake about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
  8. Sprinkle the cookies with holes with confectioner’s sugar and spread jam on the cookies without holes. Then sandwich the two cookies together.
  9. Serve and enjoy!