Known by many names, meaning ribbons or dried twigs, Chruściki, Chrusty, Faworki, Angel Wings, whatever name they go by, these little powdered sugar treats appear en masse the last week of karnawał, just before Lent.
Trays piled high with Faworki and Pączki fill the supermarkets and little shops for Tłusty czwartek or Fat Thursday. Faworki are also popular at all kinds of family meal celebrations, Easter, Christmas, and weddings.
They are so popular that in areas of the US with large populations from Central Europe; bakeries insist that customers place their Christmas and Easter orders for Faworki in advance.
Like many Polish recipes, the pastry is traditionally fried in lard. You can, of course, use other oils for frying; there will be a slight difference in flavor.
Even though they’re rolled in powdered sugar, the plain, rich dough, is only lightly sweet. While it might not be traiditonal, I think it benefits from the additon of lemon and/or orange zest; it just adds a bit of brightness.
Some cooks will knead or roll and re-roll the dough until it blisters. Being a lazy sort, I didn’t, but it still blistered upon frying. By all standards, this probaly makes a small batch, only 48 Faworki. You can easily double or triple if you’re feeding a crowd.
What do you call them, Chruściki, Chrusty Faworki, Angel Wings?
Smacznego?
Lois
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PinDescription
Crisp and lightly sweet
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs yolks
- 3-5 tablespoons heavy cream (or sour cream)
- 1 tablespoon spirits (I used Soplica, but any whiskey or rum will do)
- 1/2 teaspon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon citrus zest (optional)
- lard, for frying
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, and salt
- In a seperate bowl, combine the egg yolks, 3 tablespoons cream, spirits, vanilla, and zest if you’re using it
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until the dough comes together, use a little more cream if necessary
- Roll out as thin as possible
- Cut into 1 x4 inch strips, cutting a slit in the middle of each strip
- Pul one end through the slit, to create a twisted appearance
- Heat lard to 350 F
- Fry in batches, turning to cook both sides, until golden brown
- Drain on paper towels
- Roll in powdered sugar
Notes
You can freeze the leftover egg whites to save them for a recipe that only uses egg whites.
my grandmother’s recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of vodka, she told me the alcohhol cooks off but it makes the Chruściki brown evenly without adding flavor like brandy or whiskey would.
★★★★★
My Great-Grandmother made these, but we always just called them wine cookies even though she usually added sherry. Unfortunately, all the ladies I would ask about these cookies have passed away and I don’t know the best way to store them. How do you store them and how long will they keep that way? Last time, I stored them in a tupperware container, but they got really soft and weren’t good enough to keep.
We kept these on the counter, just covered with a dish towel for a few days, but to be fair, the air is pretty dry here. I’ve read that some people pop them in the oven for a few minutes to re-crisp them when they get soft.
When I always bought them at a bakery I would just keep them in that box. This way they had air and not sealed tightly. But they also didn’t last long in our house. Never knew they had spirits either, might just have to try this recipe.
That’s the secret, Mary Lou; they shouldn’t last long!
Is there an alternative to frying them in lard?
You could fry them in any oil, but lard is traditional.
Getting some serious cravings this Tłusty Czwartek! When you say fry in batches, I assume this would be deep frying in the fat of choice rather than on a frying pan?
I don’t have a deep fat fryer but 1.5 inches of fat in a saucepan or frying pan will work.
Does one have to use alcohol?
The recipes I’ve seen tend to call for it; it’s supposed to make the end product more flaky and tender, but you could certainly use some other liquid. Food for thought – vanilla extract is essentially vanilla bean infused vodka.
My dad used to make these for me every Christmas and Easter. He never wrote down the recipe (for this or any other Polish goodies!), so I am very grateful to have found this. I’m going to make some with my daughters this afternoon and let the tradition continue! Also, we never had a storage problem…they never lasted long enough!
Wonderful memories; I’m so happy you can continue the tradition!