Serbian “vanilice” declared as the best holiday cookie in the world

Very complicated recipes and ridiculously expensive ingredients are not essential for making the tasty and excellent cookie, and Serbian vanilice are the proof of that. This traditional delicacy has been enriching the family dining tables since forever, and now, vanilice are declared as the best holiday cookie in the entire world by the prestigious culinary portal “Food 52”.

The scent and the taste of the soft cookie with home-made jam, make one remember their childhood and holidays. There’s almost no child in Serbia whose mum or granny haven’t ever made vanilice, and the recipe for this simple cookie is often a family secret which is being transferred to the new generations. Having said that, there are many recipes for vanilice which have been changed and enriched over time.

Still, the main ingredients for the favorite childhood sweet remained the same. A small cookie which inside itself hides a lot of love and sweetness, is made with very simple and affordable ingredients. These are: sugar, flour, eggs, lard, jam and the unavoidable confectioner’ sugar. Although making vanilice is not hard at all, one cannot compete with the recipe of the “skilled masters” of this cookie.

This is the recipe which has given the prestigious title to this Serbian delicacy:

Makes about 60 cookies:

200 grams confectioners’ sugar
1 vanilla bean, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
300 grams lard (ideally leaf lard)
250 grams granulated sugar
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
Juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
250 grams ground walnuts
600 grams all-purpose flour
Rose hip or apricot jam

Creativity during the production and decoration of vanilice is another specificity of this cookie. The most usual shape is a circle one, which hides home-made jam in the middle of it, and vanilice in shape of a moon, stars, flowers and hearts are very popular as well. A trademark of vanilice is confectioners’ sugar which represents an unavoidable part of the traditional delicacy. Serbian people love having it with their coffee, tea or milk.

In recent times, vanilice are also prepared with eurokrem (a type of hazelnut cream, similar to Nutella). Still, the original ones are made with home-made jam or marmalade. If you haven’t had a chance to try this Serbian cookie, holidays make the perfect time for that!

Enjoy!