Let's make Bozi milosti, a crispy sweet treat from the old days of Bohemian grannies and aunties. Milosti cookies are most commonly associated with Czech Easter, but feel free to make them any time of year. Let's dive into the recipe!
This recipe was first published in September 2021, and it was replaced by a new one in February 2023. The original PDF version of the recipe can be found HERE.
➜ What are Bozi milosti?
Bozi milosti are cookies made of thinly rolled non-yeast dough with egg yolks, flour, and cream as the main ingredients. They are usually cut in a diamond shape with a few slits in the middle. Then they are briefly fried in oil and dusted with powdered sugar while still warm.
The result is a crispy, flaky pastry that puffs up when fried and blisters on the surface. A real treat, as light as a feather!
Except for diamonds with multiple slits, cut only one slit in the center of each diamond. Push one corner through the slit to make the cookies look fancier. This pretty shape is called a bow tie or a knot, or in Czech, "Suky." The other Czech name is "Krehotiny".
➜ Pronunciation
I recorded a short audio clip with the pronunciation of the Czech word "boží milosti." I am a native speaker, so you will hear the authentic Czech language!
➜ What are the English names for Bozi milosti?
There are several, and each family may call them differently. Here are some of the names: God's Favor, God's Grace, Listy (a Czech word for leaves), celestial crust, or crullers.
In the USA, they are also known by the more general name of Angel Wings. The cookies are very popular in Poland, where they are called Chruściki or Faworki.
The Slovaks, our Czech neighbors on the eastern border, call them Čeregy, Fánky, or Fašianky. So many beautiful names for this sweet delicacy!
➜ Ingredients
To make Czech Bozi milosti, you will need:
- Egg yolks; carefully separate the egg yolks from the whites. Save the egg whites and use them in another recipe.
- Heavy cream; with a fat content between 35-40 percent
- White wine; or other spirits like vodka or rum. Alcohol does not add any extra flavor, but it prevents the unnecessary absorption of fat into the pastry when frying. In this recipe, I used Slivovitz, a famous Czech plum brandy.
- Granulated sugar
- Oil; for deep frying. The best oil for frying is canola or sunflower oil, which has a neutral taste. Olive oil is not suitable for this recipe. If you want the most authenticity, then know that Bohemian grandmas used to fry Milosti in pork lard!
- Powdered sugar; for coating Milosti cookies
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Note on recipe: There are more recipes for Bozi milosti available. Some of them use butter, sour cream, or whole eggs. This recipe is based on egg yolks and heavy cream, which deliver incredibly flaky and crispy cookies.
Equipment: Prepare a wide frying pan with a higher rim. I used a cast-iron skillet with a diameter of 12 inches (28 cm).
➜ How to make Bozi milosti
STEP 1: Sift the flour into a bowl and add the egg yolks, heavy cream, alcohol, and sugar. Mix with a fork or wooden spoon, then turn the mixture onto a work surface and work by hand into a stiffer dough. If too sticky, dust with a tablespoon or two of flour and work in.
STEP 2: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest on the kitchen counter for about half an hour.
STEP 3: Divide the dough in half. Set one of them aside and wrap it again to prevent it from drying out. Roll out the other half of the dough thinly, turning it over as you roll it out. The dough is quite elastic and tends to shrink. Continue rolling it out until it's really thin.
STEP 4: Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut strips of dough about 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Then cut the strips diagonally to create diamond-like shapes. Make one or more slits in the middle of each shape. If you only make one slit, you can pull the tip of the diamond through it to create a nice, twisted shape.
Carefully set the prepared shapes aside and process the other half of the dough in the same way.
STEP 5: Heat about two inches (5 cm) of frying oil in a rimmed pan over medium-high heat. Put the Milosti into the heated oil. They will immediately begin to puff up and blister on the surface. Fry until their surfaces start to turn golden. Be careful; it takes a very short time—within a minute, they are done!
Scoop out the Milosti with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess fat. Continue until you have fried all the prepared pieces.
STEP 6: Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. While the cookies are still warm, completely cover them on all sides. If you have a sweet tooth, sprinkle with more sugar when serving.
➜ Serving
Bozi milosti are prepared on the same day that they are consumed. They lose their crispiness and become tougher the next day.
Serve as a sweet treat with coffee or tea when expecting guests or at a family gathering.
➜ When are Milosti made?
In the Czech Republic, the season for Bozi milosti cookies traditionally begins with Carnival (masopust or fašank). This festive time, characterized by joyful gatherings and culinary delights, commences shortly after Christmas, specifically on the Feast of the Three Kings, and lasts until Ash Wednesday. After Ash Wednesday, the carnival festivities come to an end, marking the beginning of Lent, which extends to Easter.
An even more usual time for the making of Bozi milosti is Czech Easter itself, when these little pastries were prepared in large quantities and given as a treat to the little carolers
➜ Tips and notes
- In the case of this recipe, it is a Czech pastry that is almost forgotten nowadays and is mostly made at regional festivals only. Too bad, because this is a real treat! The last time I made Milosti, it was for a family gathering at my mother's house, and all of the cookies vanished in an instant.
- If you've ever made egg noodle dough for a soup, then be advised that Milosti dough resembles it in texture, but it's made with different ingredients.
More sweet recipes:
- Buttermilk sheet cake – with chocolate topping
- Apple compote – a Czech fall dessert
- Easy kolacky cookies – made with cream cheese butter
- Trdelnik – chimney cake
- Hollow coffin cookies – Czech Rakvičky
- Fried rosettes – rozetky
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Czech Bozi Milosti (Listy)
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 5 egg yolks
- 5 Tablespoons heavy cream fat content about 30%
- 2 Tablespoons spirit (or white wine)
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- sunflower oil (or canola)
- 1 cup powdered sugar for coating the fried cookies
Instructions
- Sift 2 cups all-purpose flour into a bowl and add 5 egg yolks, 5 Tablespoons heavy cream, 2 Tablespoons spirit, and 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar. Mix with a fork or wooden spoon, then turn the mixture onto a work surface and work by hand into a stiffer dough. If too sticky, dust with a tablespoon or two of flour and work in.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest on the kitchen counter for about half an hour.
- Divide the dough in half. Set one of them aside and wrap it again to prevent from drying out. Roll out the other half of the dough thinly, turning it over as you roll it out. The dough is quite elastic and has a tendency to shrink. Continue rolling it out until it's real thin.
- Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut strips of dough about 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Then cut the strips diagonally to create diamond-like shapes. Make one or more slits in the middle of each shape. If you only make one slit, you can pull the tip of the diamond through it to create a nice, twisted shape.
- Carefully set the prepared shapes aside and process the other half of dough in the same way.
- Heat about two inches (5 cm) of sunflower oil in a rimmed pan over medium-high heat. Carefully put the Milosti into the heated oil. They will immediately begin to puff up and blister on their surface. Fry until their surfaces start to turn golden. Be careful, it takes a very short time—within a minute, they are done!
- Use a slotted spoon to scoop the Milosti onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess fat. Repeat this process until all the prepared pieces are fried.
- Sift 1 cup powdered sugar into a bowl. While the cookies are still warm, completely cover them on all sides. If you have a sweet tooth, sprinkle with more sugar when serving.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes about one full large bowl of Bozi milosti cookies (for 6-8 people).
- SERVING: Prepare Milosti on the same day you plan to eat them, as they lose their crunch and become tougher the next day. Serve them as a sweet treat with coffee or tea when expecting visitors or at a family gathering.
Anonymous says
Hi - just wondering what type of oil you use and what temperature it needs to be?
Petra Kupská says
Thank you for your question; it helps me better understand what information I need to add to the recipe! I use sunflower or canola oil for frying. These are the most common in Czech cuisine. But not olive oil; it is too aromatic for this sweet recipe. As for the specific temperature of the oil, I'm afraid I can't help with that, as I don't have a thermometer to measure the temperature. I usually heat the oil on the stove, which I turn on to 2/3 of its power.
Lurah says
I personally prefer pure corn oil. I like it’s flavor, I never use canola or pure soybean oil.
Jen Kandel says
I made these with my family for Easter and they are fantastic! I love the hint of lemon.
Petra Kupská says
Thank you very much for your nice feedback 🙂 We love milosti too, they appear on our festive table every Easter!
S. Marie says
I am going to make these for Easter. My 96 year old grandma was raised by her Czech immigrant grandparents. She described how her bubbie would make a treat like this for special occasions. She would fill a blue roaster with them.
Petra Kupská says
I firmly believe your grandmother will enjoy the milosti according to this recipe! Let me know how she liked it 🙂
Aimee says
My Babi always used rum - one for the cookies and one for her. 😉 But, before my grandmother died, my mom neglected to get two recipes. And we have been missing them since. This was one - thank you!! The other we have never found were the Blueberry Dumplings. That was what we called them, but they were very different from the Bread Dumplings (we have that recipe) and were served with Farmer's Cheese. any idea what that recipe might be?
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Thank you for the kind message and the memory of your grandmother - it made me smile! 🙂
As for the dumplings, I believe it was a yeast raised dough recipe, please see here: https://www.cooklikeczechs.com/ovocne-kynute-knedliky-czech-fruit-dumplings/
Lurah says
I fry at about 360-365 degrees F. Corn oil preferred over all others.
Marty says
These are a favorite of mine. Great instructions! I grew up eating Bozi milosti. Oddly enough, my family is Slovak and we used that term, as did the Slovak church up the street from where I grew up in Ohio. I've always been interested in how many names there are for these in the various slavic languages.