These are traditional but lesser-known Czech Christmas cookies called "Křehulky" or "Žloutkové cukroví." They are distinguished by their amazing delicacy and crispness. To make them, you need only two basic ingredients: eggs and sugar.
➜ What can you expect
These crispy cookies are prepared from whisked egg yolks combined with a whole egg and fine icing sugar, flavored with a little vanilla paste and lemon juice. You will need an electric mixer to beat the eggs and other ingredients properly.
The well-beaten egg mass is poured into metal molds, previously greased with fat. The cookies are first baked at 300°F (150°C), and once they puff up, the oven temperature is lowered to 220°F (100°C), where they are let slowly finish for about 30 minutes.
This method yields cookies that are incredibly crisp on the outside and hollow on the inside, with a tasty burst of lemon flavor in every bite. They taste very similar to Rakvičky coffin cookies, a Czech delicacy served with a cap of whipped cream.
MY TIP: Try Czech Masaryk’s Christmas cookies, which got their name after the 1st Czech president!
➜ Ingredients
To make crispy hollow cookies, you will need:
- Egg yolks + whole egg; get them out of the fridge for about 30 minutes before baking. The eggs will whisk better if you allow them to warm up at room temperature rather than taking them out of the fridge cold.
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon juice; freshly pressed
- Vanilla paste; for a better aroma. Substitute a few drops of vanilla essence if you don't have vanilla paste at home.
- Fat; to grease the cookie molds
Alternatively, you can omit the lemon juice and vanilla altogether.
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
➜ Instructions with photos
STEP 1: Start preparing the molds. Grease them thoroughly, ideally with solid fat and not liquid oil. You see Czech lard in the photo, which I love for cooking!
STEP 2: Place the egg yolks and whole egg, including the white, in a large mixing bowl. Add the icing sugar.
Using a hand mixer, beat to a fluffy and creamy mass. Be patient; it takes about 15 minutes, at least that's how long I whipped the mixture.
STEP 3: Pour the mixture into the prepared molds until it fills about ⅔ of their volume. Don't fill them to the brim, as the cookies will puff up during baking.
STEP 4: Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and place the baking sheet with the filled molds. The cookies will rise in 5–10 minutes. At that point, turn the oven temperature down to 220°F (100°C) and bake for another 30 minutes.
STEP 5: Towards the end of the baking time, remove one mold, let it cool for a while, and carefully remove the cookie from the mold. Cut it in half and check whether it is baked on the inside, i.e., if there are no wet parts.
If the cookie is dry and crispy, remove the baking sheet with the other pieces and let it cool for a bit.
STEP 6: Carefully remove the cookies from the molds. You don't need to tap the mold on the table; just gently twist the top of the cookie sticking out of the mold and release it.
If you greased the molds thoroughly beforehand, the cookie would easily come loose.
➜ Storage
To keep these hollow cookies crisp for as long as possible, it is recommended to store them well-sealed in an airtight container. A metal or plastic cookie box lined with foil is ideal.
Store in a cool, dry place.
How long do the cookies last? From my experience, the cookies last for a week without any problems. If I'm making them for Christmas, I bake them a few days before the holidays as one of the last Christmas cookies.
Can I freeze the cookies? I don't recommend freezing these cookies because they lose their crisp texture when thawed. In addition, they may collapse due to moisture.
➜ Equipment
For these crispy hollow cookies, I used metal molds with a diameter of 2–2.½ inches. You will need about 20-30 pieces.
➜ Useful tips
- Pay attention to the cookie molds before baking. Grease them carefully so that the crispy cookies are easy to remove after baking.
- Do not underestimate the time it takes to whisk the eggs with sugar. I recommend whisking for 15 minutes until the egg mixture is light and fluffy.
- The name of the cookies, "křehulky," comes from the Czech word "křehký," which means brittle.
- The cookies don't have any gluten or dairy in them, so people with celiac disease or who can't have dairy can eat them.
More Czech Christmas cookies:
- Podvodnice – raised under cold water
- Linzer cookies – linecke cukrovi
- Heavy cream cookies – slehackove cukrovi
Tried this recipe?
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Crispy Hollow Cookies (Czech Krehulky)
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 2 egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 whole egg at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice freshly pressed
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the molds. Grease them thoroughly, preferably with solid fat rather than liquid oil.
- Place 2 egg yolks and 1 whole egg, including the white, into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 ½ cups powdered sugar. Add ½ teaspoon vanilla paste and ½ teaspoon lemon juice.
- Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture until it becomes fluffy and creamy. Be patient, as this process takes about 15 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared molds, filling them about ⅔ full. Avoid filling them to the brim, as the cookies will puff up during baking.
- Preheat the oven to
300 °F and place the baking sheet with the filled molds inside. The cookies will rise in 5–10 minutes. Once they do, reduce the oven temperature to 220 °F and bake for an additional 30 minutes. - Towards the end of the baking time, remove one mold and let it cool for a bit. Carefully remove the cookie from the mold, cut it in half, and check if it is fully baked inside, ensuring there are no wet parts.
- If the cookie is dry and crispy, remove the baking sheet with the remaining pieces from the oven and let them cool for a bit.
- Carefully remove the cookies from the molds by gently twisting the top of each cookie sticking out of the mold to release it. There should not be a need to tap the mold on the table.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes about 20-25 cookies.
- STORAGE: To keep these hollow cookies crisp for as long as possible, it is recommended to store them well-sealed in an airtight container. A metal or plastic cookie box lined with foil is ideal.
- EQUIPMENT: For these crispy hollow cookies, I used metal molds with a diameter of 2–2.½ inches. You will need about 20-30 pieces.
- Can I freeze the cookies?I don't recommend freezing these cookies because they lose their crisp texture when thawed and may collapse due to moisture.
Rachael says
where are the moulds from? it looks great
Petra Kupská says
These are made of metal and have a diameter of about 6-7 cm (2 and 1/2 inches). If you have metal molds of another shape, don't be afraid to use them. However, they will always come out better if the shape of the molds is not too complicated. Also, don't forget to grease them before you pour the batter into them. Good luck and happy holidays!
Michelle says
Can you please advise at what part I add the lemon juice and vanilla?