An easy recipe for Hvorost—crispy fried cookies coated in powdered sugar. They're a popular treat in Eastern Europe and are so crunchy and irresistible!
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and granulated sugar. Add the melted butter, vodka, and salt. Mix well.
Add the sifted flour, or add the flour through the fine mesh colander. Stir in the flour and mix well to make a dough. If needed, add a little bit of flour at a time, or a few drops of water at a time, to make a dense dough that is not sticky.
Divide the dough into 3-4 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Leave the dough balls in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for 30-40 minutes.
Work with 1 ball of dough at a time, leave the others covered to prevent them from drying out. Roll out the dough until very thin (about 1 mm), adding flour as needed to the rolling pin and the rolling surface to prevent dough from sticking. The thinner the dough, the crispier the cookies will be.
Cut the dough into about 1x3 inch pieces and decide on your desired shape. You can use a wavy-edge pasta cutter. You can make bow-ties by pinching in the center. You can make small 3-inch long parallelogram shapes, cut a hole in the middle, then tuck one corner through the hole. You can cut 3x1 inch rectangles and tie them up or wrap them together into a "rosette." Experiment with different shapes!
Set the cut pieces aside as you make them, dusting with flour as needed to prevent them from sticking to each other.
Prepare another plate lined with paper towels. This is where you'll put the fried hvorost.
Heat the vegetable oil in a pot. I like to add enough oil to a high saucepan to have about 3 inches of oil in the pot, but only if using a high-sided saucepan. Test whether the oil is hot enough by gently dropping a small piece of dough in. If small bubbles start to form right away, the oil is hot enough. If the oil starts bubbling very vigorously, the oil is a little too hot—turn the head down a bit.
Deep fry a few pieces at a time, taking care not to crowd the pan. Once the cookies are golden brown on one side, flip them over carefully using a heat-safe metal utensil and cook for a few more seconds. The hvorost cookies will fry quickly, so remove them using a spider strainer, tongs, or a slotted spoon as soon as they turn golden brown. Place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Continue frying in small batches until all the cookies are fried. Allow to cool, then sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve. You can also place the cooled cookies into a large bowl, sprinkle with powdered sugar, shake the bowl, and then add more sugar on top.
Notes
How to store hvorost: Humidity is the worst enemy for hvorost. It causes the sugar to clump up and the hvorost to become less crisp. Keep cooled hvorost in a sealed container for up to 5 days in a dry climate. Recipe tips and substitutions:→ This recipe might take some adjusting when you're making the dough. You might need to add more flour or a few drops of water. The most important thing for this recipe is to roll the dough out VERY thinly, so add as much flour as needed to prevent sticking.→ If you want to omit alcohol, just skip it and use a little bit less flour, as needed.→ Make ahead tips: You can make the dough ahead of time, double wrap it tight in plastic wrap, and either freeze it for up to 1 month or refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring the dough to room temperature before rolling it out. You might need to knead in a bit more flour because of condensation.The nutrition facts are just a rough estimate assuming 8 servings, and will depend on how much flour and sugar you add, as well as how much oil gets absorbed during cooking.