Medoviya Prianiki (Russian Honey Rye Cookies)

Submitted by littleturtle

"Traditional Russian cookies with excellent flavor. This is a stiff, dry cookie seasoned with ginger. They're great for dipping in coffee or hot tea."

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Yields: 30 cookies

ingredients

• 2 cups dark buckwheat honey (buckwheat is best in these cookies, but any dark honey will do or 1 cup honey mixed with 1 cup molas)
• 1 cup rye meal, sifted
• 1 cup flour, sifted
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon whiskey
• 2 drops anise flavoring (optional)

directions

1. Heat the honey in a pan until it thins and comes to a boil; keep it very hot.
2. Sift together rye meal and flour and heat in skillet over low heat, stirring constantly, so it doesn't brown.
3. Add the baking powder, cloves, and ginger to the flour; mix quickly.
4. Add part of the flour mixture to the honey (remember it must be very hot) and stir.
5. Quickly add the whiskey, anise flavoring, and remaining flour.
6. Beat the mixture as hard as you can with a wooden spoon until the mixture easily comes off the spoon.
7. Shape the dough into a long roll, then flatten the roll slightly.
8. Cut off slices about 1/2-inch thick.
9. Place slices on a lightly greased and floured cookie sheet.
10. Bake at 325°F until light brown (30 minutes).

Reviews

[svetlanalazarev]

This is a recipe copied word for word from a book by Alexandra Kropotkin "The Best Of Russian Cooking". It was impossible to "beat as hard as you can", because it's impossible to beat something that has a consistency of hardened glue, unless you are an Olympic level wrestler. After you beat it "as hard as you can", and bake according to the instructions, you may enjoy eating your baked hardened glue, which managed to crystallize somehow in the process. The results are very similar to the first review. No, Chef #826033, you did not "mess up". This is how it comes out, unless you are Ms. Kropotkin. And, yes, russian prianiks are not crisp or dry. If they are, they are about 5 years old, or made according to his bizzare recipe. This comes from a Russian girl, who enjoyed medoviya piraniki soft and fresh until she left Russia.

 

[muxera]

I am Russian, and honestly, never thought there was a crisp, dry prianik. I don't think this is a correct name for this cookie. Anyway, I tried this recipe, and it didn't work for me at all. It seems easy, but the beating part is tough! The mixture is very, VERY sticky, and very heard to beat. I did the best I could! 45 minutes and two painful blisters later I gave up. It almost started to come off. Well, sort of... It doesn't say so in the recipe, but the cookies spread really wide when baked. Half an hour is too long. I nearly burnt mine in 23 min. It was still very soft, but hardened as it cooled. It didn't taste any good. I had only light honey and therefore replaced 1/2 honey with full-flavor molasses, so maybe that's why. To me, it was a one-star recipe, but I gave it three - maybe I just messed up and it can turn out quite edible. But it is a very hard to make recipe, so even if it came out good for me, I would think twice before making it again, not by hand.