Hussar’s Kiss Cookies
It is unclear how this classical Christmas cookie got its name Hussar’s Kiss or Huzarski krapi in Slovenian. This is at least how they were called in the former Austro-Hungarian empire. Beyond Bayern they are referred to as angel eyes.
Hussars were members of a class of light cavalry in the Habsburg Empire in the late 17th and 18th centuries. They had a reputation for being heroic, bold and charismatic.
The Hungarian writer Mór Jókai (1825-1904) wrote about the hussars in his book on monarchy:
“The corporal gets into an argument with a judge, who thinks he is the first in the village. «Let me tell you one thing! The first in the world is the Lord. Then comes the Kaiser. Then the hussar, then the hussar's horse, then the horseshoe from the hussar's horse. Then nothing comes for a long time. And then comes a pair of torn, dirt-covered boots. And only then do you come, judge, in your boots."
Perhaps this hierarchy also applies to the Hussar’s kiss cookies — they come first among Christmas cookies (at least according to quite a few relatives that have tried them!).
Recipe
Dough
250 g of flour
120 g ground almonds
120 g sugar
2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar
pinch of salt
190 g of butter
2 egg yolks
20 ml vanilla essence
Decoration
powdered sugar
1 egg white
ground almonds
250 g red currant jam
Instructions:
Dough
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead until thoroughly combined (or use a food processor).
Wrap into cling wrap and put into the fridge for at least one hour or overnight.
Making Hussar’s Kiss Cookies
Heat the oven to 200C (390 F).
Divide the dough into pieces that weigh around 12 g each. Shape each piece into a ball.
Roll each ball first in beaten egg white and then in ground or chopped almonds.
Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and make a deep depression in the middle of each ball with the handle of a spatula.
Fill these depressions with red currant jam.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Remove the baked goods from the baking tray and dust them with powdered sugar while they are still warm.
Serve and enjoy.
