This Christmas cookie might be a bit forgotten, but they are delicious and easy to make! We’re talking about the Masaryk cookies, the favorite Christmas treat of the first Czechoslovak president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk.
What Is Masarykovo cukroví?
It’s a type of traditional Christmas cookies, a favorite of the first Czechoslovak president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk.
Masarykovo cukroví is oval-shaped and resembles coat buttons. Because of this, it’s often called Masaryk’s buttons.
MY TIP: What Do Czechs Eat at Christmas?
Ingredients
Hazelnuts are the main ingredient of these Christmas cookies. They’re used whole, and you should soak them in water in advance so that they’re softer.
To make Masaryk’s Christmas cookies, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Egg yolk
- Whole raw hazelnuts; with skin on
- Vanilla; paste or extract
Some people even add cocoa or rum. It depends on your taste, but I personally find this simple recipe to be the best.
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Instructions
The preparation process is straightforward; Masarykovo cukroví can be done even by absolute beginners. You don’t need any special kitchenware, not even Christmas cookie cutters.
STEP 1: Soak whole hazelnuts in the water in advance (at least 1 hour).
STEP 2: Beat butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla together. Put in the flour and the soaked hazelnuts.
STEP 3: Make two thin loaves out from the dough and freeze for a while.
STEP 4: Slice the cooled-down loaf into slices about ¾ inches thick. Place them on a piece of baking paper.
STEP 5: Bake the cookies for 15 minutes until the surface turns a light brown color. Coat the still-warm cookies in powdered sugar.
TIP: Ask your kids to help you make Masarykovo cukroví! It’s easy enough for them to help you, and you’ll have a great time together as a family.
Read also: Czech Christmas Folk Traditions
Who was Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk?
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (also known as TGM, or President Liberator by his contemporaries) was a Czech politician who managed to convince the Entente in WWI to split up Austria-Hungary and create separate countries instead.
Tomáš Masaryk became the President of the First Czechoslovak Republic, the only persisting interwar democratic state in Central Europe, and held the office for most of its existence.
He resigned in 1935, shortly before WWII, due to his old age.
Today, he is fondly remembered as one of the most important Czechs in history and the Czechoslovak Republic’s first president.
More Czech Christmas cookies:
- Linecké cukroví – Czech Linzer cookies
- Vanilkové cukroví – vanilla crescents
- Vosí hnízda – beehive nests
Or browse the category Christmas cookies
Recipe card
Masarykovo Cukroví
Ingredients
- 1 and ⅓ cups (170 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (40 g) powdered sugar
- 1 stick (112 g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (100 g) raw hazelnuts
- 1 egg yolk
- vanilla essence
- powdered sugar (to coat cookies)
Instructions
- Soak the whole hazelnuts in warm water at least an hour in advance.
- Beat the butter, yolk, and powdered sugar into a smooth mixture.
- Add all-purpose flour and vanilla essence.
- Knead the dough with your hands quickly.
- Take out the nuts, let them dry off, and knead them into the dough.
- Split the dough into 2 halves, and make a thin loaf about 1.5-2 inches (3-5 cm) thick from both. Wrap them in a plastic foil and leave them to rest in the fridge, ideally overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 170 °C (340 °F).
- Slice each loaf into slices about ½ inch (1,5 cm) thick.
- Lay them on a baking paper-lined tray and let them bake for 15 minutes until slightly golden.
- Take the tray out of the oven. Coat the cookies from all sides with powdered sugar.
Notes
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
Perrin
You are not specific about what kind of hazelnut to use…roasted, salted, fried or raw?
Petra Kupská
I apologize for the inaccuracy in the recipe. These are raw hazelnuts, which should be soaked in water beforehand to soften them a bit.