Pracinky are classic Czech Christmas cookies flavored with cocoa and clove. They have a mild chocolate taste and a warm, rich fragrance. Spiced with cinnamon, clove, and cocoa, they smell and taste delicious.
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
2 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
5 yolks from hard boiled eggs, cooled
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup ground almonds
Directions
Sift the flour and powdered sugar together in a large bowl. Then add the vanilla sugar and stir until combined.
Add the softened butter to the bowl of dry ingredients and cut the butter into the flour mixture as you would when making a pie dough. Once the butter is incorporated transfer the dough to a clean flat surface and knead until smooth.
Once the butter is well incorporated, crumble the cooked egg yolks into the mixture and knead until blended.
Next, add the ground clove, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and ground almonds and knead into the dough until all ingredients are combined.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until thoroughly chilled.
Once the dough is cool, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and press the dough into molds.
Bake each batch for 7 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the molds.
Remove the cookies from the oven when they are firm to the touch and the tops are slightly dark. Let the cookies cool briefly before removing them from the molds.
Then you can either toss them in sifted powdered while they are still warm (this will create a sort of glaze) or you can let them cool completely and then dust with powdered sugar.
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How much is one packet of vanilla sugar and how to substitute?
Hi Millie,
Czechs (and most Europeans I presume) use vanilla sugar the same we we would use vanilla extract, as an additive for aroma and light flavor. The small packet would be used in the batter or mixed with the amount of any other sugar you are using…
Good eats!
Thank you. I’ll try adding a tsp vanilla to the dough since I have no source for vanilla sugar packets. My parents were Czechs and I love cooking/baking and am thoroughly enjoying the site. These cookies different from any that I remember.
Awesome Millie!
You will love these cookies!
Do you have any recollections of your Czech heritage you’d like to share?