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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Jam Filled Carrot Cookies (Czech Mrkvanky)

    Published: Apr 11, 2022 · Modified: Apr 22, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    Looking for some real Czech cookies? Try mrkvanky, delicious shortbread crescent-shaped biscuits made with fresh carrots! The popular recipe of Bohemian grannies will amaze you with its simplicity and delicate taste.

    Turnover carrot cookies, Czech mrkvanky.
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ What are mrkvanky?
    ➜ Shredded carrots
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Instructions with photos
    ➜ How to roll out the perfect shortbread dough?
    ➜ Serving
    ➜ Other useful tips
    Jam Filled Carrot Cookies (Czech Mrkvanky)

    ➜ What are mrkvanky?

    Mrkvanky counts among Czech unique cookies, prepared from dough with the addition of freshly shredded carrots. The cookies are filled with fruit jam; the original recipe calls for jam made with plums. Finally, baked mrkvanky needs to be rolled from all sides in powdered sugar.

    Regarding the preparation method and their resulting shape, mrkvanky could be called turnovers or ravioli cookies. Thank you to my lovely community around Czech recipes for the fruitful discussion on this topic!

    MY TIP: Try also these Czech coconut biscuits, known as koka sušenky!

    ➜ Shredded carrots

    Shredding carrots on handheld box grater.

    Freshly shredded carrots come into the dough. Avoid shredded carrots you can buy in a grocery store, as these are coarsely grated and often quite dry.

    I recommend shredding the carrots finely at home on a handheld grating box. Such carrots deliver a delicious flavor and the right amount of moisture to the cookies.

    ➜ Ingredients

    Czech Mrkvanky carrot cookies ingredients with captions.

    For Czech mrkvanky, homemade carrot cookies, you will need:

    • Carrots; finely grated. Especially in the spring season, I recommend baby carrots, which are fresh and juicy.
    • Unsalted butter; softened at room temperature, take it out of the fridge about an hour in advance
    • All-purpose flour; plain flour in the UK. For the cookie dough plus a handful for flouring the work surface.
    • Baking powder
    • A pinch of salt; for taste contrast

    Next, prepare the plum jam for the fruit filling and the powdered sugar to coat the baked carrot cookies. Both the jam and the sugar coating ensure a pleasant sweetness of the cookies, as the dough itself does not contain any added sugar. 

    Note on filling: The original Czech recipe uses plum jam (povidla) in the list of ingredients. However, I know that classic plum jam is not easy to buy in the store. In that case, grab any proven fruit filling that you know won't ooze out when baked. 

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    ➜ Instructions with photos

    STEP 1: Clean, scrape and grate the carrots finely on a handheld box grater.

    STEP 2: In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Add grated carrot and butter to the flour mixture.

    Ingredients for carrot cookies in a white bowl.

    STEP 3: Make a soft, smooth dough. Cover the ball of dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour. Do not skip this step!

    Carrot cookie dough.

    STEP 4: Flour the work surface and roll out the dough to an even thickness of about ⅛ inch (3 mm).

    Cut the dough into rounds 2 and ½ inches (6-7 cm) in diameter using a cookie cutter.

    Put about ½ teaspoon of jam in the middle of each round. Fold one edge of the round over the filling and press the ends together around the circumference using fork tines. By using this method, you join the cookies and create a decorative edge.

    Making mrkvanky carrot turnover cookies.

    STEP 5: Place the turnovers on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the sheet on the wire rack and bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 338°F / 170°C (top and bottom heating).

    Mrkvanky carrot cookies arranged on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

    STEP 6: Sift the powdered sugar into a separate bowl. Let the baked cookies cool for a while and roll them in powdered sugar while still warm.

    Covering baked carrot cookies with powdered sugar.

    ➜ How to roll out the perfect shortbread dough?

    I have some quick tips for you to successfully roll out the cookie dough. Following them will prevent the dough from tearing when rolling out and sticking to the work surface and rolling pin.

    1. The dough you are working with must be rested and chilled.
    2. If the dough is too firm when you take it out of the fridge, knead it briefly to soften the butter it contains.
    3. Remember to lightly dust the work surface with flour and rotate the dough throughout the process.
    4. Roll the dough to the edges using a rolling pin placed in the center—this aids in rolling the dough to a consistent thickness.
    5. A good tip is to roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper.
    Baked and sugar-covered carrot cookies arranged on a dark brown platter.

    ➜ Serving

    The carrots are soft right from the oven, thanks to the baking powder. Serve on a plate with a cup of good coffee or tea.

    Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container and keep them cool and dry.

    ➜ Other useful tips

    • You only need about ½ teaspoon of filling for each cookie. Try filling one mrkvanky cookie, folding it over, and sealing the ends together. If the filling oozes out, reduce its quantity.
    • You can also bake the mrkvanky on a sheet not lined with parchment paper. The cookies contain a significant amount of butter and will not stick to the baking sheet.

    More Czech sweet recipes:

    • Easy Easter biscuits
    • Apple-carrot salad
    • Koblihy – Czech jam-filled donuts

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!

    Mrkvanky carrot cookies.

    Jam Filled Carrot Cookies (Czech Mrkvanky)

    Looking for typical Czech cookies? Try mrkvanky, delicious shortbread cookies made with fresh carrots! The popular recipe of Bohemian grannies will amaze you with its simplicity and delicate taste.
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Resting time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Servings: 22 cookies
    Calories: 103kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: cookies
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: carrot

    Ingredients

    Carrot cookie dough:

    • 3 carrots small, or 2 medium-sized
    • 1 stick unsalted butter (110 g) softened at room temperature
    • 1 and ½ cup all-purpose flour (200 g) plus a small handful to flour the work surface
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • pinch of salt

    Misc.:

    • ½ cup fruit jam (150 g) for filling; preferably plum jam
    • ½ cup powdered sugar (60 g) for coating

    Instructions

    • Clean, scrape and grate the carrots finely on a handheld box grater.
    • In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Add grated carrot and butter to the flour mixture.
    • Make a soft, smooth dough. Cover the ball of dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour. Do not skip this step!
    • Flour the work surface and roll out the dough to an even thickness of about ⅛ inch (3 mm). Cut the dough into rounds 2 and ½ inches (6-7 cm) in diameter using a cookie cutter.
    • Put about ½ teaspoon of jam in the middle of each round. Fold one edge of the round over the filling and press the ends together around the circumference using fork tines. By using this method, you join the cookies and create a decorative edge.
    • Place the turnovers on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the sheet on the wire rack and bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 338°F / 170°C (top and bottom heating).
    • Sift the powdered sugar into a separate bowl. Let the baked cookies cool for a while and roll them in powdered sugar while still warm.

    Notes

    • Makes about 22 mrkvanky carrot cookies.
    • The dough you are working with must be rested and chilled. 
    • Remember to lightly dust the work surface with flour and rotate the dough throughout the process. 
    • A good tip is to roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper.
    • You only need about ½ teaspoon of filling for each cookie. Try filling one mrkvanky cookie, folding it over, and sealing the ends together. If the filling oozes out, reduce its quantity.

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1518IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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