The Christmas Cookies That Survived WW1

Today I’m going to show you how to make some very special Christmas cookies. These aren’t just any Christmas cookie either, they are The Christmas Cookies That Survived WW1.

History of The Christmas Cookies That Survived A War

I always knew that Great Grandma Mara was from what used to be called Yugoslavia. What I didn’t know until recently was exactly where in Yugoslavia she was from because after the war Yugoslavia was split and renamed into independent states. Another thing I didn’t know was that Great Grandpa Luban was also from what used to be Yugoslavia.

I’ve been learning that Grandpa immigrated from Croatia to the USA when he was 19, one year before WWI broke out.

Grandma also immigrated when she was 19, but she was 8 years younger than grandpa, and she didn’t immigrate until after the war had ended. That makes sense because Serbia was landlocked and blockaded during the war.

Grandma lived in what is now known as Serbia. This means grandma was at the heart of one of the greatest world wars. In WWI there were more more civilian deaths than military ones with 650,000 losses. Famine, cholera, and Austrian soldiers destroyed her land and people.

But Grandma survived.

Sometimes I think of what it must have been like for her. I wonder if the warrior and survivor spirit that runs strong in her granddaughters and great grandchildren came from her.

I also think about how if Grandpa had not gotten out when he did, he would have been drafted. It’s likely he would have been one of the 450,000 Serbian soldiers who was killed.

But both of them survived.

They came to the United States and met (we don’t know how). We do know that together, they had three daughters, My grandma and her sisters. Sadly though, grandpa had worked as a coal miner and passed away young from black lung. Grandma was just around 38.

Time marched on and the daughters grew. Interestingly enough, two out of three of the girls, including my mom’s mom, went into the military.

I don’t know much about Grandma Mara. I never got to meet her as she lived out east and I was born in the west. I do know that we shared a skill and affinity for crocheting and pie making.

And we do have something special to remember Grandma Mara by. You see, she wasn’t the only thing that survived WWI. Her Christmas Cookie recipe did too!

The Christmas Cookies That Survived WW1

I grew up to know these as Yugoslavian Cookies from Grandma “Mary”. During my childhood and teen years and to this day, my mother makes them every single early winter and gives them as gifts to her family. One of my aunts makes them too, she’s even come up with a GF version which I’d love to learn how to make someday.

These cookies can be tricky. They are not the easiest cookies to make, I’d say they are more intermediate level. I guess Serbian women were not afraid of a challenge in the kitchen!

I was a teenager before my mom would even let me try to roll them out. Mom used to roll them out in powdered sugar and sugar, and usually each batch has some that don’t turn out. Usually one or two would come open, spilling the sweet nutty contents inside, and often melting onto a couple surrounding cookies.

A couple years ago I figured out a secret to making them though that even my mom doesn’t know! It makes them perfect EVERY single time.

The traditional recipe calls for walnuts, or dried fruits. I use pecans instead because for one, I love pecans, and for two my oldest son has been clinically diagnosed with an allergy to walnuts (I think I might have an allergy to them too so he may have gotten this from me, and I got it from my other grandma-walnuts give us mouth sores).

So we use pecans. But you could use walnuts, or even almonds. I think they would be great with almonds and a little almond extract mixed in! Or oooh, almonds, almond extract and dried cherries!

Mom always makes these with walnuts or dried minced apricots. They are good both ways!

The Christmas Cookies That Survived WW1

Yugoslavian Christmas Cookies

These cookies came from what used to be the country of Yugoslavia, brought by my great grandma after WW1.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine Serbian/Croatian

Equipment

• cookie sheet
• blender
• mixer
• Parchment Paper
• Thin metal spatula

Ingredients

  

The Dough

• 1 lb softened butter
• 1 lb creamed (blended) cottage cheese
• 4 cups all purpose flour

The Nut Filling

• 1 lb finely chopped nuts (traditionally walnuts were used but we use pecans)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 can evaporated milk

Rolling Sugar

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 cups sugar

Instructions

 

The Dough

• Mix the creamed cottage cheese, butter, and flour completely. Divide into 4 or 6 sections. Wrap each section in plastic wrap. Chill for 12 to 24 hours.

Nut Filling

• Mince the nuts in a food processor or blender.
• Mix in sugar and enough evaporated milk to create a thick paste.
• Chill for 12 to 24 hours.

Making the Cookies

• Take out one section of cookie dough at a time, leave the rest in the fridge until ready to roll. It's important the dough stays chilled and you work with it quickly.
• Divide the dough into sections, about 1 to 1.5 inch ball size.
• Roll the dough using as little of the sugar rolling mixture as possible. You want the dough to be about 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter.
• Add about 1 tablespoon of nut filling and roll it up in the dough.
• Make sure to tuck all seams under the cookie.
• Roll the cookie in the sugar mixture. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Don't overcrowd the sheet.
• Bake at 400℉ for 8 to 9 minutes, watching closely so as not to burn the cookies. You want them to be just starting to golden.
• Once cooked, remove immediately from the cookie sheet and cool.

Video

Notes

Optional;

You can roll the dough into 5 logs, about 2 inches in diameter. When ready to use simply slice off pieces, about 1/4 inch thick and roll.

You can use dried cherries or apricots instead of the nut filling.

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