Vanilice

Vanilice are Serbia’s beloved Christmas cookies — delicate walnut shortbread rounds sandwiched with a ribbon of jam (traditionally plum or rosehip) and rolled in a snowfall of powdered sugar. The name means ‘little vanilla ones,’ and they are the pride of Serbian holiday baking, made in huge batches and kept in tins all season. Melt-in-the-mouth, nutty, and gently sweet, they are the cookie that defines a Serbian Christmas.

Why this recipe works: The dough is a rich shortbread built on ground walnuts, butter, and sugar, with a little flour and vanilla — the nuts give it its distinctive texture and flavor. Baked until just set, the rounds are sandwiched with jam, which softens them slightly, then rolled in powdered sugar. The result is a crumbly, nutty, tender cookie with a bright fruit heart.

Key ingredients

• Ground walnuts: the defining flavor — toast them lightly first.
• Butter and sugar: the rich shortbread.
• A little flour and vanilla: structure and perfume.
• Plum or rosehip jam: the filling.
• Powdered sugar: the generous coating.

Tips for perfect vanilice

Toast the walnuts before grinding for deeper flavor, and keep the dough cool while rolling. Roll it thin — about 1/4 inch — and cut small, even rounds; the cookies should be dainty. Bake at 350°F just until the edges barely color, 10 to 12 minutes; pale is correct. Cool completely, sandwich with a thin layer of jam, and roll each cookie in powdered sugar, coating well. Let them rest in a tin for a day — they soften and meld beautifully.

Variations and storage

Use apricot or raspberry jam, or add a pinch of cinnamon to the dough. Vanilice keep 2 weeks in an airtight tin at room temperature — they only improve with age — and freeze well for 3 months, dusted with sugar after thawing.

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