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Grandma’s angel wing cookies are light, crispy cookies fried until golden brown and dusted with powdered sugar. Also called Polish chrusciki or Slovak cheregi, they’re traditional at Christmas or Easter.
My Polish grandma made this angel wing cookies recipe every Christmas when I was growing up. We called them cheregi or ceregi, but they’re called angel wings in English because they are shaped like wings.
You may know these feather-light cookies as chrusciki or faworki or Polish donuts or Italian bow tie cookies, depending upon what part of Europe your family comes from.
It took my daughters and I a couple of tries to get these cookies just right, but this is actually an easy recipe. Once you get the hang of it, the process goes smoothly, especially if you have helpers! Like pierogi and nut roll, This is a great recipe to make with family!
What You Need
Here are the basic ingredients for our angel wing cookie recipe. Full amounts are in the printable recipe card below.
- Egg yolks — Drain off as much of the whites as you can, and use them to make meringue cookies.
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
- Brandy — or vodka, whisky or rum, which will help prevent the cookies from absorbing too much oil and help them stay crispy. If you don’t want to use alcohol, you can sub water
- Powdered sugar — some for the dough and more for the finished cookies
- Flour — all purpose
- Salt — I always use sea salt, but kosher salt or table salt is fine
You will also need oil for frying the cookies. Use an oil with a high smoke point, like vegetable oil. Traditionally, grandma and most people used lard.
How to Make Angel Wing Cookies
First, beat the egg yolks. Then, add the cream and sugar. Add the vanilla and brandy, and gradually add the salt and flour. The dough is stiff, so you’ll need to work it with your hands or a spatula until it comes together. Then, wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge.
After the dough rests, roll it out on a silicone mat or a lightly floured surface. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into strips about an inch or so wide. Then, make slits in the center of each strip, and gently pull then end of the strip through the slit to make a bow. Fry in hot oil until light brown and crisp, turning once or twice. Drain, cool, and dust with powdered sugar.
Helpful Tips
Add the flour gradually. You may not need all of it, depending on the humidity. You can add a little more if needed or to use while rolling the dough.
Make sure to roll the dough thin enough. It should be about 1/8th inch thick.
Use about 2 inches of oil. It should be deep enough for the cookies to sink, then rise to the top and float.
Make sure the oil doesn’t get too hot. It should be 360-375 degrees.
Don’t add too much powdered sugar at once as the cookies will get soft, unless you plan to eat them all in one day. You can add more confectioners’ sugar as needed.
How to Store Cheregi
Store the angel wings at room temperature. A metal tin or large metal roaster is ideal. You can place parchment paper between layers to help the cookies stay fresh, but crisp. They also freeze well for about 3 months.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
Try our pizzelle cookies or these adorable gingerbread cookies or traditional sugar cookies, molasses cookies or oatmeal cookies next.
Grandma’s Angel Wing Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 reaspoons powdered sugar plus more for dusting the cookies
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon brandy
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer until thick
- Add powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream, and beat until fully combined
- Add brandy, vanilla extract, half of the flour, and sea salt, and mix until just combined
- Gradually add in the rest of the flour until a thick dough, non-sticky dough forms. To avoid over-mixing the dough, finish combining by gently kneading with your hands
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts and place one part back in the fridge
- Roll dough into a ⅛-inch slab and trim any uneven edges
- Cut dough into 1 inch thick strips and then cut each strip in half diagonally
- Make a 1-inch slit lengthwise in the middle of each strip of dough
- Slip one end of dough through the slit and gently pull to create an angel wing
- Repeat steps 7-10 with second part of dough
- Fry cookies in small batches in hot oil 360-375℉ until light brown and crisp, turning once or twice
- Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, and allow to cool completely
- Dust with powdered sugar
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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