Recipe for traditional Lithuanian Christmas dessert – Kūčiukai

Christmas recipes from the Grandma’s cookbook

Polish? Lithuanian? Or taken from previous family generations? No idea, but these Christmas dishes make me feel nostalgic and awake Christmas Spirit, which is so different from Christmas you see on the TV or read on the internet. Overall, I believe the preparation of the 12 dishes and this authentic traditional menu allows everyone to experience real Christmas. Especially, when you drink Poppy Seeds Milk with Kūčiukai at the cold winter night. 

Recipe for traditional Christmas dessert – Kūčiukai

 Kūčiukai (pastry or cookies for a British person) – often called prėskučiai / šližikai /kūčiukai/ kalėdiniai desertai are crouton-sized dough bits made of plain flour, water and poppy seeds.  

Kūčiukai

Ingredients: 

1 package of dry yeast

¼ glass of warm water

¾ cup of milk

1 egg (beaten)

¼ melted butter

3.5 cup of flour

¼ cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt  

Preparation:

Firstly, dissolve yeast in the warm water. Wait until it will reach the top of the cup. Add milk, egg, butter and mix well. Then mix flour with sugar and salt. Pour flour into the mixed liquid. Now make a dough, if needed add more flour. After out some flour on the board and divide dough in little balls. Try rolling them to make small size balls as you can see on the photo. Bake them at 350 F until they become golden.

Aguonpienis – Poppy Seed Milk

Ingredients:

½ poppy seeds

2 cups of boiling water/milk

¼  teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon of honey  

Preparation:

1. You can buy poppy seeds and cover them with water. Let them steep for the night before. Now use the food grinder or meat grinder and mill them.

2. Blend with all the ingredients.

3. Pour this Poppy Seed Milk on the ‘’kūčiukai’’ and enjoy it!

Also, we make herrings in different forms, such as herring with beets, herring with carrots, herring with apples, herring with hot potatoes. Also, we make various salads and fish, which is the main dish on the Christmas table.  

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