Vanilice — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Delicate, crumbly butter cookies sandwiched with apricot jam and dusted in powdered sugar — a beloved Serbian holiday cookie.

Ingredients

250g butter, softened
100g powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
300g all-purpose flour
100g cornstarch
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
200g apricot jam for filling

Instructions

1 Cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla.
2 Sift flour, cornstarch, and salt together. Gradually mix into the butter mixture to form a soft dough.
3 Refrigerate dough 30 minutes for easier handling.
4 Roll out dough 5mm thick, cut small rounds. Place on lined baking sheets.
5 Bake at 170C for 10-12 minutes until barely golden — they should stay pale.
6 Cool completely. Sandwich pairs together with apricot jam. Roll generously in powdered sugar.

Did You Know?

Serbian vanilice are so popular during the holidays that bakeries start producing them weeks in advance, and families compete for the most delicate texture.