Moist, delicious vanilla cookies. Doused in an easy-to-make, easier-to-devour glaze. These are the perfect addition to your holiday spread.
Oh boy, am I excited to share this special recipe with you. Pryaniki. They’re delicious. Nostalgic. Festive. And oh so versatile. They’re Russian spiced cookies, sometimes known as honey bread, that are traditionally served during special occasions. They’re one of my favorites, and soon they’ll be yours too. Yup. They’re that good.
You’ll find that many of my traditional Russian dough recipes include sour cream since it adds an additional level of moisture. Like these irresistible crumbled jam bars. And this cookie dough is no different.
When you combine the sour cream with egg yolks, flour, sugar, butter, lemon, and the perfect amount of vanilla, you’ll have a slightly sticky, slightly wet dough. Don’t panic. It’s supposed to be like that. Freeze it for an hour. Grab a drink. Stretch. And imagine yourself savoring one, or twelve, of these cookies. No judgment here. Never ever for cookies.
On your mark. Get set. Bake.
Skip the cookie scooper for these. We’re going old school and making these bad boys with our hands. Wet your hands and form the dough into even balls. Into the oven, these pretty cookies go.
Bake for about 20 minutes. The cookies will bake to light golden perfection.
In the meantime, make your glaze. Two ingredients. Super easy. Super yummy.
Oh, look. The cookies have baked. Now comes the magic. You brush the glaze on all sides of the cookies. They should be entirely covered. Drenched.
My mouth is watering.
These cookies and this glaze are absolutely divine together. Whether you’re hosting a holiday party or bringing a dessert to a potluck, you can’t go wrong with them. Want to kick it up a notch? Serve these with tea. Samovar and everything. Uh-mazing.
Here’s what you’ll need to make these yummy pryaniki:
- egg yolks
- sugar
- sour cream
- baking soda
- lemon juice
- vanilla extract
- flour
Here’s what you’ll need for the glaze:
- egg whites
- powdered sugar
Steps
Separate egg yolks from egg whites from 2 large eggs.
Beat 2 egg yolks with 1 3/4 cups of sugar.
In a little bowl, squeeze out juice from 1/2 a lemon, and mix it with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. It will foam, add to the eggs and sugar.
Add 2 cups of sour cream to the mix. Beat all together.
On low speed, mix in 3 cups of flour.
The dough will be a bit sticky. Transfer into a bowl, cover, and put in the freezer for 1 hour.
After an hour take the dough out. Preheat your oven to 350F. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (you can also just spray with oil).
Wet your hands, this will help you roll the batter into balls easily. Make balls and place on cookie sheets. Leave room between each ball.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the the bottom of the cookies start to get a brownish color.
While the cookies are baking, make the glaze: With a hand mixer beat together 2 egg whites for 1 minute. Then add 2 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and beat until well incorporated.
When you take out pryaniki from the oven, let them cool down for a few minutes. Brush the glaze all around each cookie. (The glaze will dry fast on the cookies, so brush the tops, let dry, then flip over and glaze the bottoms.)
Store either in a ziploc bag or in a covered dish.
Vanilla Cookies with an Easy Glaze (Pryaniki) Yum
Ingredients
- 2 egg yolks (from large eggs)
- 1.75 cups sugar
- 2 cups sour cream
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ lemon (juiced)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups flour (unbleached)
For the glaze:
- 2 egg whites
- 2.5 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Separate egg yolks from egg whites from 2 large eggs.
Beat 2 egg yolks with 1 3/4 cups of sugar.
In a little bowl, squeeze out juice from 1/2 a lemon, and mix it with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. It will foam, add to the eggs and sugar.
Add 2 cups of sour cream to the mix. Beat all together.
On low speed, mix in 3 cups of flour.
The dough will be a bit sticky. Transfer into a bowl, cover, and put in the freezer for 1 hour.
After an hour take the dough out. Preheat your oven to 350F. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (you can also just spray with oil).
Wet your hands, this will help you roll the batter into balls easily. Make balls and place on cookie sheets. Leave room between each ball.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the the bottom of the cookies start to get a brownish color.
While the cookies are baking, make the glaze: With a hand mixer beat together 2 egg whites for 1 minute. Then add 2 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and beat until well incorporated.
When you take out pryaniki from the oven, let them cool down for a few minutes. Brush the glaze all around each cookie. (The glaze will dry fast on the cookies, so brush the tops, let dry, then flip over and glaze the bottoms.)
Store either in a ziploc bag or in a covered dish.
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
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I'm going to make this pryaniki today.. They look good! Love your website, it's so simple and great recipe you have ..!
Yes, I recommend this recipe.
Glazed Vanilla Cookies These vanilla cookies (also known as pryaniki) are amazing! Pryanki will be soft inside not just the day you make them, a great cookie gift.
Yes, I recommend this recipe.
