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These kozuli have a unique caramel flavor. They have a moist and chewy consistency on the inside. They are also spicy and heavenly aromatic. The popular gingerbread cookies from Arkhangelsk is also a sweet visual highlight. You can make them yourself at home with just a few common ingredients. You can find a detailed kozuli recipe with the exact quantities and step-by-step instructions below.
What are kozuli?
Kozuli are gingerbread cookies or pryaniki, which are made in northern Russia. They are made from a special dough with caramelized sugar, similar to the Pokrovsky pryanik, and without honey. There are many different recipes for them.
Kozuli are a traditional pastry in the Arkhangelsk region. In the past, they were only made at Christmas and New Year. Nowadays, they can be found at almost every family celebration.
Modern Arkhangelsk kozuli are flat and have the shape of various figures. They are painted with royal icing.
Kozuli first appeared in Pomorye. Here, they were formed as animal figures from narrow strands of dough, which were laid in loops, curls and snakes to create the desired shape.
This method of shaping gave the gingerbread cookies its name. The Pomeranian word “kozulya” means “curl” or “little snake”.
Season the kozuli dough
You can use any sweet spices for the kozuli dough, just like for the caramel pryaniki, the Tula pryanik or the filled gingerbread hearts. The quantity can also be adjusted to taste.
I have spiced the dough with cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Cardamom, aniseed and allspice also work well.
How to store the dough
The kozuli dough can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, just like the dough for the Piernik Staropolski. You can also freeze it for up to three months.
This makes it possible to make the dough in advance, divide it into several smaller portions and keep them individually wrapped in a cool place. As soon as you get an appetite for kozuli, you can make them fresh immediately from a portion of dough.
How to decorate kozuli
Kozuli are traditionally decorated with royal icing. You can prepare it from the leftover egg white, just like for the gingerbread cookies.
Paint the pryaniki with the royal icing however you like. You can color it beforehand with food coloring.
For decorating, playing, giving as gift, snacking
Kozuli can be used in many different ways. In northern Russia, they are made for Christmas and other special occasions, such as weddings, housewarmings or the birth of a child.
Kozuli are used to decorate the Christmas tree and the Christmas table. Children are given them to play with. They are also given as gift for good luck.
As kozuli keep for a very long time, they are only eaten later. It is said that the pryaniki can be kept for up to a year and remain fresh and delicious the whole time. However, I have not tried it myself.
These gingerbread cookies are
- caramelly,
- spicy,
- moist,
- chewy,
- soft,
- incredibly tasty,
- very aromatic,
- special in taste,
- easy to make,
- long shelf life,
- ideal as a Christmas present, alongside the chocolate covered almonds, the Dominosteine and the marzipan potatoes,
- a sweet classic of Russian cuisine.
How to make kozuli: tips and tricks
- First prepare and weigh all the ingredients for the caramel mixture. All you need to do to make it is stand at the stove and have all the ingredients to hand.
- You can use any sweet spices you like for the dough.
- Even if the amount of sugar in the recipe seems large, the gingerbread cookies taste moderately sweet.
- The amount of flour specified in the recipe may vary. Add as much flour to the caramel mixture in portions until you have a dough that is only slightly sticky.
- You can store the gingerbread dough in the fridge for up to a month.
- Do not bake the kozuli for too long, otherwise they could taste dry.
- The pryaniki are very soft while they are still hot. They become harder as they cool.
- You can use the remaining egg white to make royal icing, as for the gingerbread cookies, and decorate the kozuli with it once they have cooled.
- Some recipes use rye flour for the dough. You can therefore replace some of the wheat flour with rye flour.
Did you make the kozuli according to this recipe? I look forward to your results, your star rating and your comments below on how they turned out and how they tasted.
Try these pryaniki recipes too:
- “Detskie” pryaniki – Soviet recipe with cake leftovers
- Honey pryaniki – popular Russian gingerbread cookies with honey
- Honey walnut gingerbread – Christmas recipe
Kozuli
Ingredients
- 250 g sugar
- 100 g butter
- 100 ml boiling water
- 1 egg yolk
- approx. 425 g flour
- 4 g baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Spread sugar evenly in a medium saucepan with a thick base.
- Place the saucepan on the stove and allow the sugar to caramelize over a medium heat without stirring it first. As soon as the bottom layer of sugar has caramelized, stir it carefully with a silicone spatula until the sugar has completely caramelized to a dark brown and there are no lumps in the caramel. Make sure that the caramel does not burn; if necessary, you can reduce the heat or remove the saucepan from the stove briefly.
- Once the sugar has caramelized, immediately switch the heat to low, carefully pour boiling water into the caramel in small portions while stirring (very hot and can splash!) and stir until a homogeneous caramel liquid without sugar lumps is formed.
- Keeping the heat on low, add chopped butter to the caramel liquid in the saucepan and stir until the butter has melted.
- Continue to add baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt to the caramel mixture over a low heat and stir until the mixture foams very well and increases significantly in volume (this happens quite quickly).
- Remove the caramel mixture from the heat and leave to cool to lukewarm.
- Stir egg yolk into the caramel mixture.
- Add flour in portions and knead into a firm, slightly sticky dough.
- Wrap the dough in an airtight container and leave it to mature in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight. It will become very firm during this time.
- Leave the dough at room temperature to warm up a little and soften. Roll it out between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of approx. 5 mm and cut out figures of your choice using different cookie cutters.
- Spread the gingerbread cookies well apart on a baking tray lined with baking paper (you can also leave them on the baking paper on which they were rolled out) and bake them in a preheated oven at 356 °F (180 °C) for approx. 7 - 10 minutes.
- Leave the kozuli to cool on the baking tray. To make their surface very smooth, you can place a large cutting board on top of the gingerbread cookies for about 5 minutes while they are still hot.
Notes
- First prepare and weigh all the ingredients for the caramel mixture. All you need to do to make it is stand at the stove and have all the ingredients to hand.
- You can use any sweet spices you like for the dough.
- Even if the amount of sugar in the recipe seems large, the gingerbread cookies taste moderately sweet.
- The amount of flour specified may vary. Add as much flour to the caramel mixture in portions until you have a dough that is only slightly sticky.
- You can store the gingerbread dough in the fridge for up to a month.
- Do not bake the kozuli for too long, otherwise they could taste dry.
- The pryaniki are very soft while they are still hot. They become harder as they cool.
- You can use the remaining egg white to make royal icing, as for the gingerbread cookies, and decorate the kozuli with it once they have cooled.
- Some recipes use rye flour for the dough. You can therefore replace some of the wheat flour with rye flour.
- Take note of the detailed tips and tricks for making the kozuli at the top of the article.
If you are using Pinterest, you can pin the following picture:
