The light fried pastry cookies, known as Chrusciki were a favorite of my family when I was growing up in Massachusetts. My Polish grandmother Katherine Komendecki made them for Christmas, Easter, weddings and any other extra special event that was celebrated. She made five huge wicker laundry baskets full of these delicate cookies for my sister Bambi's wedding.

This recipe is a variation on those cookies. It uses exactly the same dough, but the way you cut and put the cookies together is entirely different. The result is a cookie "flower." These would make perfect favors for weddings, or ladies' luncheons, as well as for the traditional celebratory reasons of Easter and Christmas.

The dough for these cookies is not very sweet -- most of the sweetness comes from the powdered sugar sprinkled over the cookies. The cookies are ultra-delicate, so they, unfortunately, don't ship well, although if you pack very carefully, it can be done (but not recommended).

Important Tips and Hints:
The eggs and the butter need to be at room temperature before beginning!

While you can mix this dough by hand, I recommend an electric mixer. It really needs a lot of beating and kneading. Nonetheless, my grandmother did it by hand, so if you don't have a mixer and are ambitious, it can be done.

Traditionally lard was used for frying the cookies. Of course, that was what was readily available in the days of my grandmother. My cousin Arlene still makes them this way. I personally like to use vegetable shortening. My sister Bambi prefers a neutral cooking oil, like canola oil. All three cooking mediums will do the job well, so take your choice.

While one person can make these cookies alone, it is much easier as a two person job -- that way one person is cutting and shaping the dough while the other is frying. If you are working alone, I would suggest rolling out, cutting and shaping all the cookies first, keeping them on a baking sheet, lightly covered with a barely damp clean kitchen towel, until you are ready to fry them.

Variation!
See links below for a variation on this recipe -- traditional Chrusciki.

2 eggs at room temperature
4 egg yolks at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 cup softened butter
1 shot (1 1/2 ounces) of brandy, rum, brandy, or whiskey
1 egg white

vegetable shortening, canola oil or lard for frying

confectioner's sugar for dusting

1 cup or so of jam, jelly or candied cherries (optional)

Makes About 3 Dozen Cookies

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat eggs, egg yolks and salt until thick and lemon colored. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, brandy and alcohol of choice.

Change to the dough hook attachment on the mixer. Slowly mix in 2 cups of flour. Use the dough hook to knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. The dough should be thick, almost like bread dough.

Rolling and Frying the Cookies
To roll the dough you will be working with small balls of dough. Keep the rest of the dough in the bowl, covered with a clean damp kitchen towel to keep it from drying out while you are working.

Take a piece of dough about the size of a baseball. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out very thin -- 1/8 of an inch at the most!

Go through your cupboard and find three glasses in descending sizes (or if you have 3 round cookie cutters of different sizes, so much the better). Each rosette is comprised of 3 circles of dough, so use the glasses to cut circles out of the thinly rolled dough (Photo 1).

Take a sharp knife and cut slits evenly around the circles from the outside edge to not quite to the center. Cut 6 slits in the largest circle and 4 slits into each of the 2 smaller circles (Photo 2.)

1. 2.

Brush a small amount of eggwhite onto the center of the largest circle. Staggering the slits so they are place on top of each other, center the second circle on top of the first, pressing gently so the egg white acts like glue to hold the two together. Repeat with the last circle. (Photo 3)

In a large pot or deep skillet heat about 3-4 inches of shortening, oil or lard until very hot. (You could alternatively use a deep fat fryer with clean oil.) Test the oil by putting in a small scrap of dough, it should sink to the bottom then immediately float to the top. When this happens your oil is ready.

Use a large slotted spoon to gently lower each rosette into the hot oil Fry the cookies in small batches -- depending on the size of your pot -- no more than 3 at a time (Photo 4). Fry for about 1 minute (possibly a little less) then use tongs to gently remove the cookies. The cookies should just be barely golden brown. Drain on paper towels or on a wire rack set on a baking sheet. Dust liberally with confectioner's sugar. If desired fill the center of the rosette with a dab of jam or jelly or a candied cherry. Store cool cookies in an airtight container.

3. 4.