SUNDAY DESSERT #96: Khrustyky (the "kh" is a guttural sound and is pronounced sort of like "hroo-sti-key")
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Ukraine 🇺🇦
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Intermediate
INSPIRATION: It's that special, glorious time of year to bake up a batch (or ten) of cookies! And this traditional Ukrainian Christmas cookie has been on my list to try for quite a while. So let's get baking!
RECEPTION/COMMENTARY: Khrustyky, also known as Angel Wings, is a fried dough cookie. The dough is rolled out very thin and sliced into small diamond shapes. Each diamond gets a little slit cut into it and one end of the dough is threaded through that slit. This is what makes that classic, beautiful shape. Then you fry them up and dust with powdered sugar for sweetness and decoration. Depending where you are from (these are also popular in Russia and Poland) they are sometimes served with jam or preserves for dipping.
So I would say the taste and texture of a khrustyky is almost identical to a funnel cake; but considerably easier to eat thanks to their bite-size pieces. They are crisp, slightly sweet, with an eggy aftertaste...really not much else going on in my mouth, though. I can see why people would dip it in jam or maybe add some whipped cream to jazz up the flavor profile. I'd rate it a 5/10, which is a bummer because I was really excited to like these "cookies". 😔😕
WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN? *Sigh*...a disappointing no. Unfortunately, khrustyky did not make the cut for my traditional Christmas cookie platter. They do get points for being pretty though!
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