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    Home » Recipes » Christmas Cookies

    Masaryk's Christmas Cookies (Czech Masarykovo Cukroví)

    Published: Dec 17, 2020 · Modified: May 16, 2024 by Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs · 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    • 1.2Kshares

    This traditional Czech recipe dates back to the 1920s, when Czechoslovakia was established, and Tomas Masaryk became our country's first president. This particular Christmas cookie was his personal favorite, and it was named after him: Masaryk's cookies.

    Czech Christmas Masaryk cookies served on a festive tray.

    ➜ What are Masaryk's cookies

    I made Masaryk's cookies for the first time about five years ago and was pleasantly surprised by the ease of the recipe and the delicious flavor.

    No cookie cutters or special molds are needed. You roll the dough into elongated cylinders, let it stiffen in the fridge, and then cut it into rounds, like a sausage.

    After baking, just coat the cookies in powdered sugar and let them rest for about a week to soften.

    The Czech name for these cookies is: "Masarykovo cukroví" or "Masarykovy sušenky", which means Masaryk Christmas cookies and Masaryk bisquits.

    MY TIP: Try pracny, another delicious Czech Christmas cookie!

    ➜ Ingredients you need

    Ingredients for Czech Christmas Masaryk cookies, inclusive captions.

    To make Czech Masaryk Christmas cookies, you will need:

    • All-purpose flour; or plain flour if you are based in the UK
    • Unsalted butter; Czechs use butter with a fat percentage of 82%. The butter should be cold, taken out of the fridge about half an hour beforehand.
    • Powdered sugar; to sweeten the cookie dough plus to coat baked cookies in
    • Vanilla paste; or vanilla essence. If you can get a sachet of vanilla sugar at your grocery store, use that. Vanilla sugar is fine granulated sugar mixed with real vanilla flavoring. A popular brand is Dr. Oetker, whose products can be found, for example, on Amazon.com
    • Whole raw hazelnuts; unpeeled, with the skin on. Hazelnuts play an important role in this recipe. They are placed whole in the dough and become crunchy when bitten into the baked cookies.
    • Egg yolk; helps keep the dough together

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

    ➜ Instructions with photos

    STEP 1: First of all, put the whole hazelnuts in a mug and pour lukewarm water over them. Let them stand for about an hour. The nuts will soften slightly in the water.

    Whole Hazelnuts soaking in a pot of water.

    STEP 2: In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, vanilla paste, egg yolk, and butter, chopped into smaller pieces.

    Drain the nuts and dry them gently with a kitchen towel. Add them to the bowl with the other ingredients.

    Ingredients for Masaryk cookies in a white bowl.

    STEP 3: Make the cookie dough. First, mix the wet ingredients, i.e. egg yolk and vanilla paste, with the flour using a fork. Then, using your fingers, work the butter into the other ingredients until lumps form.

    Dump the mass onto a work surface and use your hands to finish it into a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Be patient, and don't work hastily. The dough may seem too powdery at first, but as you go on, the butter will soften, and everything will come together beautifully.

    Don't knead the dough too long! Once you get a smooth dough, stop working it.

    STEP 4: Divide the dough in half and roll it into elongated cylinders nearly two inches (5 cm) in diameter. Cover them in plastic wrap and let them firm up in the fridge for about an hour.

    Two cylinders of cookie dough on a plastic bag.

    STEP 5: Using a sharp knife, cut the cooled cylinders of dough into rounds about ⅓ inch (0.8 cm) thick.

    Cutting strands of cookie dough for Czech Masarykovo cukrovi.

    STEP 6: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I always grease the baking sheet a little to ensure the paper sticks well. Place the cookies on the lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 340 °F (170 °C) for 14 minutes.

    Cookies with hazelnuts laid on a baking tray.
    Baked Masaryk cookies on a tray.

    STEP 7: Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes. While still warm, roll them in powdered sugar, scented with the vanilla pod (optional).

    Coating Masaryk cookies in a bowl of powdered sugar.

    ➜ Storage

    Immediately after baking, Masaryk's cookies are fragile and crispy; then they firm up the next day. If you leave the cookies to rest for about a week to ten days, they will soften perfectly.

    For storage, prepare a paper box lined with paper napkins. Place the cookies in the box. Cover with a lid and store in a cool, dry place.

    Czech Christmas Masaryk cookies served on a festive tray.

    ➜ Useful tips

    • Although the cookies will soften after a week or two, the hazelnuts inside will remain crunchy.
    • Do not use plastic or metal boxes for storage. The cookies would not get the moisture they need to soften.
    • Masaryk's cookies freeze without any problems. Proceed by placing the sweets in an airtight container and storing them in the freezer, where they will keep for at least half a year.

    ➜ Who was Thomas 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 remembered with love as one of the most important Czechs in history and the first president of the Czechoslovak Republic.

    More Czech Christmas cookies:

    • Linecke cukrovi – Czech Linzer cookies
    • Vanilla crescents – vanilkove rohlicky
    • Beehive cookies – vosi hnizda

    Or browse the category with all Czech Christmas cookies

    Tried this recipe?

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

    Other readers and I love hearing what you think. Stay in touch by following me on Facebook and Pinterest. For more Czech stuff, subscribe to my newsletter!

    Czech Christmas Masaryk cookies served on a festive tray.

    Masarykovo Cukroví

    Author: Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs
    An authentic recipe for Czech Christmas cookies with whole hazelnuts.
    5 from 1 vote
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    Prep Time: 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 14 minutes mins
    Total Time: 44 minutes mins
    Servings: 40 cookies

    Tap or hover to scale

    Ingredients 

    • 1 and ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
    • ⅓ cup powdered sugar
    • 1 stick unsalted butter cold
    • ¾ cup raw hazelnuts with skins on
    • 1 egg yolk
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ cup powdered sugar to coat cookies

    Instructions 

    • First of all, put ¾ cup raw hazelnuts with skins on in a mug and pour lukewarm water over them. Let them stand for about an hour. The nuts will soften slightly in the water.
    • In a large mixing bowl, add 1 and ⅓ cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 egg yolk, and 1 stick unsalted butter (cold) cut into smaller pieces.
    • Drain the nuts and dry them gently with a kitchen towel. Add them to the bowl with the other ingredients.
    • Make the cookie dough. First, mix the wet ingredients, i.e. egg yolk and vanilla paste, with the flour using a fork. Then, using your fingers, work the butter into the other ingredients until lumps form.
    • Dump the mass onto a work surface and use your hands to finish it into a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Be patient with the process. The dough may seem too powdery at first, but as you go on, the butter will soften, and everything will come together beautifully.
    • Note: Don't knead the dough too long! Once you get a smooth dough, stop working it.
    • Divide the dough in half and roll it into elongated cylinders nearly two inches (5 cm) in diameter. Cover them in plastic wrap and let them firm up in the fridge for about an hour.
    • Using a sharp knife, cut the cooled cylinders of dough into rounds about ⅓ inch (0.8 cm) thick.
    • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I always grease the baking sheet a little to ensure the paper sticks well. Place the cookies on the lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 340 °F for 14 minutes.
    • Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes. While still warm, roll them in powdered sugar, scented with the vanilla pod (optional).

    Notes

    • The basic recipe makes about 40 cookies, depending on their size.
    • Immediately after baking, Masaryk's cookies are fragile and crispy; then they firm up the next day. If you leave the cookies to rest for about a week to ten days, they will soften perfectly.
    • STORAGE: Prepare a paper box lined with paper napkins. Place the cookies in the box. Cover with a lid and store in a cool, dry place.
    • Although the cookies will soften after a week or two, the hazelnuts inside will remain crunchy.

    Nutritional estimate pro serving

    Calories: 78kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 103IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.4mg
    Servings: 40 cookies
    Calories pro serving: 78
    Course: cookies
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Czech Christmas
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    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.
    • 1.2Kshares

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    Comments

    1. Perrin says

      January 02, 2022 at 11:17 am

      You are not specific about what kind of hazelnut to use…roasted, salted, fried or raw?

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská says

        January 03, 2022 at 10:54 am

        I apologize for the inaccuracy in the recipe. These are raw hazelnuts, which should be soaked in water beforehand to soften them a bit.

        Reply
        • Gloria says

          December 06, 2022 at 4:01 pm

          thank you , I have a friend I will be baking these for, she misses home 🤗

          Reply
          • Petra Kupská says

            December 11, 2022 at 4:41 pm

            Thank you, Gloria! I believe you and your friend will love these cookies 🙂

            Reply
    2. Cassondra Holschbach says

      December 07, 2023 at 5:25 pm

      5 stars
      I am going to make these for my Grandpa; as his mother was Czech. I hope they remind him of his childhood. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. 🙂

      Reply
      • Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says

        December 11, 2023 at 3:21 pm

        Hello Cassondra, thank you for your comment - what a lovely idea! Hope your grandfather will enjoy the Cukrovi! 🙂
        Greetings from the Czech Republic.

        Reply
    3. Katka says

      October 28, 2024 at 4:58 pm

      Ahoj.
      Can you please give the butter measurement in grams? The butter I buy comes in a block.
      I’m going to give these a go this Christmas. I do have a set list of traditional Czech Christmas cookies I make every year, but it doesn’t hurt to shake things up.

      Díky moc.
      Katka

      Reply
      • Petra | Cook Like Czechs says

        October 31, 2024 at 4:16 pm

        Ahoj, Katka,
        You should see a toggle in the recipe card to change it from cups to metric. At any rate - the recipe should use 110 grams of unsalted butter.

        Good luck making the cukroví! You have to refresh things sometimes, and Masarykovo cukroví is a nice cookie to add to the mix.
        Merry Christmas,
        Petra

        Reply

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    Hi, I am Petra, a born-and-raised Czech and self-taught cook with 25+ years of experience. I am here to show you that you can cook Czech food—even if you live abroad or never learned it growing up. With clear steps and trusted guidance, Czech cooking becomes simple, joyful, and meaningful, right in your own kitchen.

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