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Baking these tasty cookies bring flashes of childhood memories.. as I flipped through my mom’s cookbook, there were multiple different recipes for pryaniki. Occasionally pryaniki are also known as russian pryaniki or honey Russian spice cookies. This recipe is a little bit different and stands out among the rest for its simplicity. It’s a special recipe to me for the memories it brings and I’m also a huge fan of simple yet delicious recipes.
I bake these very often especially in the fall/winter seasons when my bake mood is ON. Depending on the season outside, i often like to switch things up here n’ there by adding a tiny splash of lemon juice to the icing or coloring the icing to make them a little interesting for the kiddos. Often times when my kids are helping me bake these, they’re likely to have sprinkles on them as well.
Because of sour cream, these soft cookies are fairly moist on the inside and not overpowering sweet in fact they’re mildly sweetened and the sweet icing cap combination makes a wonderful tea cookie.
The ingredients needed for this recipe are likely pantry staples in most homes, therefore when the baking mood hits, you won’t need to make a trip to the store and can make this easy recipe anytime.
These cookies can be made either in a stand mixer or in a large bowl just mixed by hand until all the ingredients combine. I have done both ways and the results are the same, it just all depends whether i want to bring out my stand mixer or not.
Ingredients:
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cups sugar
- 16oz of sour cream (2 cups)
- 1.5tsp baking soda (activate with white vinegar)
- 4.5 cups All purpose flour (add 1/2 more cup if the dough seems too sticky to roll out)
FYI: The type of flour used can make a difference on how much flour you’ll need. Add just enough to form a dough ball, and sprinkle additional flour as needed when rolling out.
Glaze:
- 2 egg whites
- 2 cups Powdered sugar
- (water or milk by teaspoon if needed)
- (Add mint or lemon juice to the glaze if desired)
Recipe Instructions:
Into a stand mixer (or a mixing bowl) add 2 egg yolks, 2 cups of sour cream, 2 cups of sugar and activated baking soda. Stir to combine and then add 4.5 cups of all purpose flour and stir everything together on low speed just until the dough comes together. If the dough seems too sticky, add 1/2 cup more flour and mix well until the flour is all incorporated.
The cookie dough is like a dense cake, it is a wet dough so it will keep absorbing flour but then result in a hard cookie so it is important to stop and dust flour as you work with the dough instead to get the soft tea cookie that it needs to be.
Transfer the cookie dough to a lightly floured surface and roll out to a thickness of about 1cm. (lightly dust your rolling pin with flour also to avoid sticking.
Using a round cookie cutter or a cutter of your choice, cut out the cookies, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper dipping the cutter into flour after each time to avoid sticking. You can also use a glass is you don’t own any cookie cutters.
Baking:
Preheat the oven to 350F and bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or just until the bottom of the cookie is lightly browned. The top of the cookies stay pale. Keep in mind, bake time depends on how big or small your cookies are so check periodically. (Do not over bake, they will be hard)
Icing Sugar Glaze:
Combine raw egg white with powdered sugar and beat until it is a thicker yet smooth running consistency. If you whip it for too long the glaze will become thick and leave bumps on the finished cookies. If you overwork the glaze, add a teaspoon of milk or water at a time and mix it in until you get the desired consistency.
Once the cookies are baked, carefully dip each cookie top into the icing sugar glaze while the cookie is still hot. (careful not to burn your fingers) and place them back in the oven for additional 2-3 minutes for the glaze to dry up and not be sticky. Allow to cool on a cooling rack and enjoy.
HOW TO STORE:
Transferred cooled cookies to a cookie jar or any airtight container to keep the cookies soft and leave on the countertop or place them in any dish and cover with plastic wrap or even a ziploc bag.
Enjoy with your cup of tea or coffee!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #alenashomecooking. I love seeing your creations.
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Mom’s Pryaniki With Sweet Glaze (easy cookies recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 Egg Yolks (reserve whites for later)
- 2 cups White granulated Sugar
- 16 oz Sour Cream (2cups)
- 1 tsp Baking Soda (Activated with vinegar-about 1.5tsp)
- 4.5-5 cups All Purpose Flour
Glaze
- 2 Egg whites
- 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
-
Into a stand mixer (or a mixing bowl) add 2 egg yolks, 2 cups of sour cream and 2 cups of sugar. Stir to combine and then add 4 cups of flour and stir some more on low speed just until the dough comes together. If the dough seems too sticky, add 1/2 cup more flour and mix well until the flour is all incorporated.
-
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll out to a thickness of about 1cm. (lightly dust your rolling pin with flour also to avoid sticking.
Using a round cookie cutter or a cutter of your choice, cut out the cookies, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper dipping the cutter into flour after each time to avoid sticking. You can also use a glass if you don't own any cookie cutters.
-
Once you've pressed all the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F and bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are lightly browned.
-
Combine egg whites with powdered sugar and beat until it is a thicker yet smooth running consistency. If you whip it for too long the glaze will become thick and leave bumps on the finished cookies. If you overwork the glaze, add a teaspoon of milk or water at a time and mix it in until you get the desired consistency.
-
Once the cookies are baked, carefully dip each cookie top into the icing sugar glaze while the cookie is still hot. (careful not to burn your fingers) and place them back in the oven for additional 2-3 minutes for the glaze to dry up and not be sticky. Allow to cool on a cooling rack and enjoy.
Shop Tools:
Some of the kitchen items that make my life easier you may consider… a full size baking sheet helps to bake more cookies at a time, a rolling pin with thickness rings helps to have all even sized cookies. The bench scraper makes cleaning the dough off the counter a breeze.
