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    Home » Recipes » Christmas Cookies

    Podvodnice Cookies

    Published: Dec 20, 2021 · Modified: Dec 15, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    Let's talk about podvodnice, an old Czech Christmas cookie that Bohemian grannies used to bake years ago. Many Czech families still bake it at Christmas; lots of modern homemakers have actually rediscovered podvodnice and added it to their favorite sweets list. I guarantee you will love them too!

    Podvodnice cookies coated in sugar.
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ What Is Podvodnice?
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Instructions with Photos
    ➜ Storage
    ➜ Useful Tips
    Podvodnice Czech Christmas Cookies

    ➜ What Is Podvodnice?

    Podvodnice is an old-fashioned Czech cookie baked at Christmas. The base consists of an easy 3-ingredient yeast dough, leavened under cold water! Various small shapes are cut off the dough, then baked and coated in powdered sugar as a final step.

    Podvodnice cookies are perfectly tender and taste best when left to rest for several days after baking.

    The other Czech names for this cookie are hastrmanci, vodnici, potapky.

    The word podvodnice means "under water" and refers to the fact that the dough does not rise in the warmth of the air but is submerged in cold water.

    MY TIP: Try out these Czech pracny cookies, they taste incredibly delicious!

    ➜ Ingredients

    Podvodnice cookies ingredients.

    To make podvodnice, you'll need:

    • All-purpose flour
    • Unsalted butter; take it out of the refrigerator about half an hour to an hour in advance to soften
    • Active dry yeast
    • Coarse sugar; a little, to help activate the yeast
    • Milk; lukewarm, to make a yeast starter

    Next, get powdered sugar to coat the baked cookies. Mix with vanilla sugar if you have one for a better aroma.

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

    ➜ Instructions with Photos

    STEP 1: Stir the sugar and dry yeast into the lukewarm milk. Mix with a spoon and leave in a warm place to rise for just 10-15 minutes. Once bubbles form on the surface, that’s a sign that the starter is ready to use.

    Activated yeast.

    STEP 2: Put the flour in a mixing bowl, add the softened butter pieces, and pour in the activated yeast. Work on the countertop into a smooth dough. Start with a fork, then use your hands.

    Making yeast dough.

    STEP 3: Shape the dough into a ball. Put it in a bowl of cold water; the dough must be completely submerged. Place the bowl with the dough in a fridge and leave it to rise for two hours.

    Yeast dough risen under cold water.

    STEP 4: After two hours, take the dough out of the water and pat dry. Divide into two pieces and work each one with your hands until the dough softens a little. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about ¼ inch (0.6 cm) – not too thin!

    STEP 5: Cut out small shapes from the rolled dough. Transfer them to a baking tray lined with baking paper.

    Cutting off shapes for cookies.

    STEP 6: Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 360 °F / 180 °C (upper and lower heating) for 15 minutes. The dough will not get too golden on the surface but will puff up slightly and will be wonderfully tender after baking.

    Baking cookies.

    STEP 7: Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while still hot.

    Coating cookies in sugar.

    ➜ Storage

    Stack the podvodnice cookies in a clean paper box that you have lined with baking paper. Cover the top with a paper napkin and close the box with a lid. Store in a cool, dry place.

    Freshly baked cookies are tender and will soften even more over time. They taste best a few days after baking. Prepare them about a week or two before Christmas if you intend to serve podvodnice cookies on the Christmas table.

    Czech podvodnice cookies.

    ➜ Useful Tips

    • Cut the dough into smaller shapes; this way, the cookies will look the best.
    • Work the dough quickly when rolling it out. The softer it is, the more flour you will need to dust it with, and the cookies become stiff.

    More Christmas cookies:

    • Walnut shaped cookies (orechy)
    • Easy rum balls
    • No-bake bee hives
    • Heavy cream cookies (Czech slehackove cukrovi)

    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!

    Podvodnice cookies recipe.

    Podvodnice Czech Christmas Cookies

    Let's talk about podvodnice, an old Czech Christmas cookie that Bohemian grannies used to bake years ago. Many Czech families still bake it at Christmas; on the contrary, lots of modern homemakers have discovered podvodnice and added it to their favorite sweets list. I guarantee you will love them too!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Leavening: 2 hours
    Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
    Servings: 70 cookies
    Calories: 35kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: cookies
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Czech Christmas

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 g)
    • 1 and ½ stick unsalted butter (165 g) let it sit for 30 minutes at room temperature
    • ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
    • 2 Tablespoons milk lukewarm

    For coating:

    • ½ cup powdered sugar

    Instructions

    • Stir the sugar and dry yeast into the lukewarm milk. Mix with a spoon and leave in a warm place to rise for just 10-15 minutes. Once bubbles form on the surface, that’s a sign that the starter is ready to use.
    • Put the flour in a mixing bowl, add the softened butter pieces, and pour the activated yeast. Work on the countertop into a smooth dough. Start with a fork, then use your hands.
    • Shape the dough into a ball. Put it in a bowl of cold water; the dough must be completely submerged. Place the bowl with the dough in a fridge and leave it to rise for two hours.
    • After two hours, take the dough out of the water and pat dry. Divide into two pieces and work each one with your hands until the dough softens a little. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about ¼ inch (0.6 cm) – not too thin!
    • Cut out small shapes from the rolled dough. Transfer them to a baking tray lined with baking paper.
    • Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 360 °F / 180 °C (upper and lower heating) for 15 minutes. The dough will not get too golden on the surface but will puff up slightly and will be wonderfully tender after baking.
    • Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while still hot.

    Notes

    • Makes about 70-80 smaller cookies.
    • STORAGE: Stack the podvodnice cookies in a clean paper box that you have lined with baking paper. Cover the top with a paper napkin and close the box with a lid. Store in a cool, dry place.
    • Freshly baked cookies are tender and will soften even more over time. They taste best a few days after baking. Prepare them about a week or two before Christmas if you intend to serve podvodnice cookies on the Christmas table.
    • Work the dough quickly when rolling it out. The softer it is, the more flour you will need to dust it with, and the cookies will be stiff.

    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: 35kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 7mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 61IU | Vitamin C: 0.001mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.2mg
    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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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julia

      January 29, 2022 at 7:37 am

      5 stars
      My grandma, who arrived in America from Bohemia in the 1930s always used to make these. The cookies may seem a little complicated, but they're very easy to make for more experienced cooks such as me. And they taste great!

      Reply
    2. Sam

      October 02, 2022 at 11:12 am

      Despite the person above who had to humble-brag about her cooking experience and her authentic Bohemian granny, I without any ties to the Old World or much self-proclaimed cooking experience was able to follow the recipe and make delicious cookies with a wonderful taste and texture. The cookies aren't complicated at all, just need an open mind and different technique than creaming butter with loads of sugar. And it helps immensely that the recipe is extremely well written with excellent pictures and measurements given by weight.

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        October 10, 2022 at 3:37 pm

        Yay, thank you for your nice comment and supportive words! 🙂 Christmas is sneaking up on us, and I love "podvodnice," so they'll appear on our Christmas cookie platter again this year!

        Reply

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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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