Pryaniki (Spice Cookies)

Name: Pryaniki (Spice Cookies)
Cook time: 125 min
Total time: 125 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Russian
Ingredients: 500g All-purpose Flour; 180g Honey; 150g Granulated Sugar; 100g Butter, unsalted; 2 large Eggs; 100g Sour Cream, smetana; 1 tsp Baking Soda; 1/4 tsp Salt, fine; 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon; 1 tsp Ground Ginger; 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves; 1/4 tsp Ground Cardamom; 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg; 200g Granulated Sugar; 100ml Water

Pryaniki are tender, honey-sweetened spice cookies with a warm, aromatic blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg. They bake up soft and slightly puffy, then get a quick syrup brush for a glossy, crackled finish — perfect with tea or coffee.

Pryaniki are tender, honey-sweetened spice cookies with a warm, aromatic blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg. T... Show more

Traditional Russian Recipe

Health Grade

E · Indulgent

Rating

4.1

Time

2 hrs

Price

0,37 €

Calories

406 kcal

vegetarian

easy

kid friendly

comfort food

Method

Mix the dry ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the All-purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Salt (fine), Ground Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Ground Cloves, Ground Cardamom, and Ground Nutmeg until the spices are evenly distributed and the mixture looks uniform.

Warm the honey base

In a small saucepan, combine the Honey, Granulated Sugar, and Butter (unsalted) over low heat. Stir often until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves into a smooth, glossy mixture; do not let it boil. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Make the dough

Whisk the Eggs and Sour Cream (smetana) into the cooled honey mixture until smooth, then stir in the dry ingredients just until a soft, sticky dough forms and no floury patches remain.

Chill the dough

Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 1 hour, until it feels firm enough to shape cleanly.

Preheat the oven

Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Shape and bake

With lightly floured hands, roll the chilled dough into 12 even balls, set them a few inches apart on the prepared sheet, and flatten each one very slightly. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the tops look set and the bottoms are just lightly browned.

Cook the glaze

While the cookies bake, combine the Water and remaining granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then cook for 3–5 minutes until the syrup looks clear and lightly thickened.

Glaze the cookies

Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then brush or dip the tops with the warm glaze. Move them to a rack and let the glaze set for 10 minutes before serving.