Yugoslavian Christmas Cookies
Rich, buttery Yugoslavian Christmas cookies layered with seedless blackberry jam and a walnut-lemon meringue. The crisp, golden meringue contrasts with the tender pastry base and fruity filling, while chopped walnuts provide a delicate finishing crunch.
Pin it to remember it!
Print Recipe
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature, approximately 70°F
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour such as King Arthur
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
For the meringue
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 3/4 cup walnuts finely ground for a smoother-textured meringue
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
For assembly and topping
- 1 cup seedless blackberry jam such as Polaner
- 1/4 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the dough. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Have an 11 × 16-inch jelly roll pan or a 9 × 13-inch baking pan ready.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the softened butter with 1/2 cup sugar until the mixture becomes pale, light, and fluffy.
- Mix in the egg yolk and salt until thoroughly incorporated.
- Add the flour gradually, continuing to mix until a crumbly dough forms.
- Press the dough evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan. Lightly flour your hands as needed to keep the dough from sticking while pressing it into place.
- Prepare the meringue. Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks develop.
- Slowly incorporate 1 cup sugar while continuing to beat the whites. Whip until the meringue is firm and glossy.
- Carefully fold the finely ground walnuts and lemon extract into the meringue without excessively stirring or deflating the whipped whites.
- Assemble the layers. Stir or loosen the blackberry jam with a fork until it is easy to spread, then distribute it evenly over the unbaked dough.
- Gently spread the walnut meringue across the jam layer, creating light swirls over the surface if desired.
- Scatter the chopped walnuts evenly over the meringue.
- Bake the cookies. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the meringue develops a crisp, golden surface.
- Watch the cookies toward the end of baking so the meringue does not become excessively browned.
- Cut and cool. Remove the pan from the oven and cut the cookies into pieces while they are still warm. Use a serrated knife with a gentle back-and-forth sawing motion to minimize cracking or crushing the fragile meringue.
- If a section of meringue breaks away during slicing, carefully press it back against the jam layer beneath it.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely, either in the baking pan or after transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
Finely grinding the walnuts used in the meringue helps produce a smoother consistency.
The butter should be softened to approximately 70°F before mixing.
A serrated knife is particularly useful for cutting through the crisp meringue topping without applying excessive downward pressure.