Croatian Christmas Cookies 2017

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and my favorite baking day… the day we bake our Croatian Christmas cookies! Some years our annual baking day includes my mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and I while my grandpa “supervises” back in Michigan; but for the past two years, mom and I have baked together here in Chicago.

You may have read in my “About Me” section that this is a very important tradition on my Mom’s side of the family, and this is very near and dear to my heart. Since I was a little girl, Mom and I would head over to Grandma’s house, and we would spend the day baking these recipes that the women in my family brought over from former Yugoslavia, now known as Croatia. The recipes are found in countless, handwritten books in Croatian. Many of these recipes have been adapted by my family over time, which is why we keep most of the recipes close to us (meaning sadly, I can’t share all these yummy treats!).

The very best part of this tradition every year, is that we make dozens and dozens of cookies to share with ALL of our loved ones – family, friends, co-workers… you name it. It brings me so much joy to give these cookies out every year and to watch the excitement as they take a bite and appreciate these unique cookies. When I bake these cookies, that’s what I’m thinking of – how I can’t wait to share them & make tastebuds happy! ❤

Each year, we have our staples that we always bake, then we typically add in a new Croatian recipe or two, and a few non-Croatian cookies. This year we made SEVEN cookies, yes seven! This years cookies are Jam-Filled Kiflice (crescent roll-up), Walnut-Filled Kiflice (crescent roll-up), Zabo Snite (layered bar), Madarica (Hungarian layered squares), Almond Crescents, and our non-Croatian treats – Tea Time Tassies, and Ginger Spice Cookies.

Here’s a list of recipes for our shareable Christmas Cookies (both Croatian & American):

• Croatian Walnut Kifle Cookies
• Croatian Almond Crescent Cookies
• Tea Time Tassies (Pecan Tassies)
• Ginger Spice Spritz Cookies
• Madarica (Hungarian Layered Squares)

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