These Angel Wing Cookies (a.k.a. Chruściki, Krusciki, or Faworki) are traditional Christmas cookies that look like delicate angel wings or knots.
The cookies are dusted with powdered sugar to make such a beautiful cookie that it is impossible to stop eating— so yummy! Watch the video tutorial and you’ll see how easy these are!
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With slight variations, Angel Wing Cookies, or Ribbon Cookies are popular around the world and go by so many names, like Polish Chrusciki or Faworki, Italian Crogetti, Chilean Calzones Rotos, and French Bugnes.
Angel Wing Cookies Video
Watch how simple it is to make these Angel Wing Cookies in the tutorial above. I’ll walk you through it step-by-step and share great time savers on rolling and cutting the dough.
Angel Wing Cookie Recipe
I remember loving these Angel Wing Cookies from childhood, so when I couldn’t find my Mom’s recipe for Ukrainian Krusciki, I made it my mission to recreate them. Even though the cookies are easy to make, so many of my test batches fell flat, and I was about to throw in the towel until…
I saw a recipe for Norwegian (Fattigmand) in a Costco Magazine, and after a few tweaks, I finally nailed it! I was beyond excited, and judging by how much my family loved them (my daughter declared that she ate 12, and my husband lost count), I can see myself continuing this treasured Christmas cookie tradition.
It was worth all of the trouble to finally be able to share this Angel Wing Cookie Recipe with you. The dough here is seriously the best – it creates a cookie that is both crisp and tender and it actually has great flavor. It’s also super easy to work with. Roll up those sleeves, and let’s make some ribbon cookies!
Ingredients for Angel Wing Cookies (Chrusciki)
Angel Wing Cookie dough ingredients vary slightly from country to country, but they all use pantry staples for a simple, easy-to-make dough.
- Egg Yolks – from large eggs (no need to waste the whites, add them to make an Egg White Omelette, Pavlovas, or my Meringue Shell Cookies)
- Granulated sugar and powdered sugar – granulated for the cookie dough, and powdered sugar to dust the outside
- Unsalted butter and heavy cream – make the dough soft and pliable and create a crisp and buttery cookie.
- Vanilla extract – Gives the cookies great flavor and aroma. You can also swap it with brandy or rum.
- Flour – We use all-purpose flour. I add 2 1/4 cups and then keep an extra 1/4 cup on hand for dusting.
- Vegetable Oil – you can use extra light olive oil or any neutral-flavored, high smoke point oil.
You’ll love that you have options and you don’t need fancy tools for this recipe:
- Pizza cutter or ravioli cutter – easily cut the cookies in strips with straight or flared edges, like in my Sourdough Discard Crackers recipe.
- Rolling pin or pasta roller – the dough is easy enough to roll with a rolling pin but you can also use a pasta roller (I have a KitchenAid mixer attachment)
- Oil or candy thermometer – Keep the oil around 370°F to prevent the oil and cookies from getting too hot and burning or from cooling too much, which makes them absorb more oil. A clip-on pot thermometer or candy thermometer makes it easy to track.
How to Make Angel Wing Cookies
These Angel Wing Cookies are so much fun to make. I love that this recipe is different from other cookies baked in the oven. If you haven’t tried a fried cookie, you’ll be hooked after this.
- Mix the dough – Beat the yolks and sugar together for 1 minute, and then mix in salt, vanilla, and cream. Add flour a little at a time and then knead with your hands until smooth, but not crumbly. If it’s sticky, add a bit more flour.
- Role out the dough – Divide the dough into quarters and wrap the dough in plastic wrap to keep it moist while working. Roll one piece on a well-floured surface, or see my tips for using a pasta roller below. Aim for a uniform thickness so the cookies fry at the same rate. This makes a crispy cookie, but you can leave it a bit thicker for a softer cookie (add a few seconds to the fry time).
- Cut the dough – Cut into 1” strips and then strips into 4” segments. I use a ravioli cutter for zigzag edges, but a knife or pizza cutter works for straight edges. Fold the angel wing shape: Cut a 1” slit along the length of each strip, and then pull one of the ends through the slit.
- Fry the dough – Fry 2-3 of the Angel Wing Cookies in 2 inches of vegetable oil. Use a candy thermometer to keep between 360-370°F. Flip them after 15 seconds and cook the second side for 15 seconds. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and dust with powdered sugar. (Warning: They will instantly become irresistible once they are sugared).
Pro Tip:
To save some time, I like to use a pasta roller to roll out the dough. First, flour the dough and feed it through on the biggest setting. Continue to feed it through several times, reducing the thickness setting each time until you reach a level 3 (KitchenAid) or a thickness slightly bigger than a lasagna noodle. It feels just like making Homemade Pasta.
How to Store Angel Wing Cookies
These cookies are the crispest the same day they are made (and honestly they are usually gone on day one), but they do keep well if you want to make them ahead for your holiday parties or cookie platters.
Once cooled and dusted with powdered sugar, loosely cover with plastic wrap (you want to let a little air in to keep them crisp) and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
My Angel Wing Cookie recipe brings me back to the Christmases I spent making and eating these cookies as a kid. They are decadent, crispy, and crave-worthy with the perfect hint of vanilla. Try these special cookies for your Christmas dessert table.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
Christmas is one of my favorite times to bake cookies, and these Angel Wing Cookies will join these other delicious holiday cookies as part of our baking tradition.
Angel Wing Cookies Recipe
Angel Wing Cookies or Chrusciki are a traditional Christmas cookie. The dough is cut and folded to resemble an angel wing and then fried and dusted with powdered sugar. These cookies are crispy, unique, beautiful, and irresistible. This recipe makes 40-50 cookies, depending on the thickness of your cookies.
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Make the Dough: In a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat together yolks and sugar for 1 minute on high speed, or until lightened in color. Add heavy cream, vanilla, butter and salt, and beat to combine. Add the 2 1/4 cups flour, adding a little at a time, mixing to incorporate. Once it gets too thick to use the mixer, mix it in with a firm spatula. Transfer dough to your work surface and knead it for a minute until smooth. Add more flour as needed so your dough is not sticky at all.*
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Roll Cookie Dough: Divide the dough into 4 pieces and wrap it in plastic wrap. Use one piece of dough at a time, keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap. Roll as thin as possible over a lightly floured surface to prevent sticking. *.
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Cut and Shape Cookies: Cut the dough sheet into 1-inch thick strips with a pizza cutter or ravioli cutter, then cut them diagonally into 4-inch lengths. Cut a 1-inch slit lengthwise in the center of each piece of dough. Pull one of the ends through the slit and gently tug to create a twisted shape or an angel wing shape,
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Fry and Dust Cookies: Add 2 inches of oil in a large saucepan. Set over medium heat and heat to 370°F. Use a thermometer to keep the oil between 360-370°F while frying. Add 3-4 angel wing cookies to the hot oil, setting them in one at a time, they will float to the top. They should be done in 15 seconds per side (If it’s faster, the oil is too hot). Use 2 forks to flip them over. Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter to drain and cool. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Arrange on a platter, dusting each layer of cookies generously with powdered sugar.
*Pasta Roller Option – I love using a pasta roller to save some time in rolling the dough. (I roll it to about level 3 on the pasta roller, which is slightly thicker than a lasagna noodle). Thicker cookies will be a little softer to the bite and will take a few seconds longer to fry.
*Make Ahead – Mix the dough and divide it into quarters in step 2. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight. When ready to make the cookies, bring the dough to room temperature for 1 hour so it’s easier to roll out.
*Storage – These cookies keep well at room temperature, loosely covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
41kcal Calories6g Carbs1g Protein2g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Angel Wing Cookies Recipe
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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