Prianiki Honey Biscuits Recipes

PRYANIKI - RUSSIAN HONEY SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, dissolve the instant coffee in the water.
• Add the butter, sugar and honey to the dissolved coffee in the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat and cook, stirring, just until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves and the mixture is homogenous. Take off the heat, pour it into a large bowl. and cool for about 10-15 minutes.
• Add all the spices - vanilla, allspice, nutmeg and anise. You can also add cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, mint extract, etc.
• Whisk in the eggs, the baking soda dissolved in vinegar and baking powder. You will notice that the mixture will fizz a little when it's all mixed up.
• Add the flour and mix with a large wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated.
• Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and set aside at room temperature for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Shape the cookie dough into approximately 1 Tablespoon balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving some room around each cookie, since they will expand while baking. I use a 1 Tablespoon measuring scoop to get the cookie dough out of the bowl and then roll it around in my hands. This will make sure that all the cookies are the same size and will bake evenly.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake, or the cookies will be too hard.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and the milk to make a glaze. You can flavor the glaze by adding some kind of extract to it, like vanilla, mint, almond, etc.
• Dip the cooled cookies into the glaze, letting the excess run off. Set the glazed cookies on a rack or parchment paper to dry. When the glaze is dry, you can flip the cookies over and glaze the other side as well. When glazing the cookies, work fast, since the glaze will be harder to work with when it starts to dry up. You can add a tiny splash more of milk to thin it out if it hardens.
• Store the cookies at room temperature in a sealed container.

HOPPIN' HONEY BISCUITS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°. Stir Bisquick, cinnamon and milk until soft dough forms; beat vigorously with spoon 30 seconds. Place dough on surface generously dusted with Bisquick; gently roll in Bisquick to coat. Shape into ball; knead 10 times.
• Roll or pat dough into 10x8-inch rectangle, 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips. Fold each strip in half into U shape; twist curved end to form lower part of bunny, then twist middle to form upper part of bunny. Leave ends of each strip straight to form bunny's ears. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Make slight indentation in lower circle of dough to hold cream cheese. Stir together cream cheese, honey and walnuts. Spoon about 1 teaspoon cream cheese mixture onto lower part of bunny for tail. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over bunnies. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Store covered in refrigerator.

TOUCH OF HONEY BISCUITS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk and honey just until moistened. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead gently 8-10 times. Roll out to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place 1 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

RUSSIAN GINGERBREAD COOKIES (PRYANIKI)

Steps:

• Cookies: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in honey and egg. With mixer on low, add flour mixture; mix just until a dough forms. Dough will be soft. Divide dough in half, wrap each half in plastic, and pat into rectangles. Refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Working quickly with one rectangle at a time, roll out dough 1/4 inch thick on a well-floured surface, turning, lifting, and flouring dough (and rolling pin) as needed. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out rounds and transfer to prepared sheets. Brush off excess flour; freeze until firm, 1 hour. Repeat process with remaining dough.
• Top half the rounds with 1 teaspoon each plum jam. Brush edge of dough lightly with water, then top with another dough round and press edges together to seal. Reshape each cookie into a neat circle, if necessary, on sheets, spaced 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and dry, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets.
• Glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Dip the top of each cookie in glaze, then transfer to a wire rack until glaze is set, 1 hour. Glazed cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

MEDOVIYA PRIANIKI (RUSSIAN HONEY RYE COOKIES)

Steps:

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

PHOENICIAN HONEY COOKIES (BISCUITS)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C/Gas Mark 6) and grease 2 cookie sheets (baking trays) with butter. Sift together the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the sugar, oil, lemon zest, and vanilla. Stir the baking soda into 5 tablespoons water in a bowl and pour into the well. Using a spoon, gradually incorporate the dry ingredients, then knead gently to a soft and pliable dough, adding a little more water if necessary. Break off small pieces of dough and roll into cylinders the size of your thumb, then press lightly to flatten. Put them onto the prepared baking sheet, spaced well apart, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven. To make the syrup, put the sugar, honey, and 1 1/4 cups (300 ml / 1/2 pint) water into a pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Pour a mixture of equal parts olive and corn oil into a heavy pan to a depth of 3 inches (7.5 cm) and heat it to 375°F (190°C), or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Carefully drop batches of the cookies into the hot oil and fry for a few minutes, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain well, and drop into the hot syrup. Let absorb syrup for 3-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, transfer to a serving platter, and sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts.

PRIANIKI HONEY BISCUITS

Steps:

• Sift soda and spices with flour.
• Place honey in bowl.
• Add melted butter and egg; mix.
• Blend in flour to make soft dough.
• Drop by teaspoon onto greased and floured baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes at 300°.