Czech Bozi Milosti (Listy)

Bozi milosti (Listy) coated in powdered sugar, served in a bowl.

Let's make Boží milosti, a crispy sweet treat from the old days of Bohemian grannies and aunties. Milosti cookies are most commonly associated with Czech Easter, but feel free to make them any time of year.

Course Sweet Pastry

Cuisine Czech

Keyword Czech cuisine, Czech Easter Pastry

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Resting time 30

Total Time 46

Servings people

Calories 496kcal

Author Petra Kupská

Ingredients

5 egg yolks
5 Tablespoons heavy cream fat content about 30%
2 Tablespoons spirit (or white wine)
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
sunflower oil (or canola)
1 cup powdered sugar for coating the fried cookies

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Sift 2 cups all-purpose flour into a bowl and add 5 egg yolks, 5 Tablespoons heavy cream, 2 Tablespoons spirit, and 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar. Mix with a fork or wooden spoon, then turn the mixture onto a work surface and work by hand into a stiffer dough. If too sticky, dust with a tablespoon or two of flour and work in.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest on the kitchen counter for about half an hour.
Divide the dough in half. Set one of them aside and wrap it again to prevent from drying out. Roll out the other half of the dough thinly, turning it over as you roll it out. The dough is quite elastic and has a tendency to shrink. Continue rolling it out until it's real thin.
Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut strips of dough about 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Then cut the strips diagonally to create diamond-like shapes. Make one or more slits in the middle of each shape. If you only make one slit, you can pull the tip of the diamond through it to create a nice, twisted shape.
Carefully set the prepared shapes aside and process the other half of dough in the same way.
Heat about two inches (5 cm) of sunflower oil in a rimmed pan over medium-high heat. Carefully put the Milosti into the heated oil. They will immediately begin to puff up and blister on their surface. Fry until their surfaces start to turn golden. Be careful, it takes a very short time—within a minute, they are done!
Use a slotted spoon to scoop the Milosti onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess fat. Repeat this process until all the prepared pieces are fried.
Sift 1 cup powdered sugar into a bowl. While the cookies are still warm, completely cover them on all sides. If you have a sweet tooth, sprinkle with more sugar when serving.

Notes

The basic recipe makes about one full large bowl of Bozi milosti cookies (for 6-8 people).
SERVING: Prepare Milosti on the same day you plan to eat them, as they lose their crunch and become tougher the next day. Serve them as a sweet treat with coffee or tea when expecting visitors or at a family gathering.

Nutrition