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These Yugoslavian Christmas Cookies are classic Eastern European three-layer bar cookies made with a buttery shortbread base, fruity jam layer, and light walnut-studded meringue. While traditional at holiday time, they’re beloved year-round and a standout on any dessert tray. They’re the kind of cookies that look impressive but feel deeply nostalgic — like something a grandmother might have made for a holiday gathering.
They’re similar in purpose to other jam-forward European bars (think Linzer bars or Blackberry Pie Bars) but with a fluffy meringue top that’s equal parts tender and textural.
Ready to give your holiday baking a little European flair? Pair these with my Italian Christmas Cookies or classic Pfeffernusse Cookies for a beautifully old-world cookie tray.
✨ Before You Begin
✨ Room temperature matters. Butter should be soft (not melted) and egg whites must be room temp for maximum meringue volume.
✨ Use a completely clean bowl. Any grease or stray yolk will prevent egg whites from whipping properly.
✨ Loosen thick jam. If your jelly is stiff, stir it well or warm it for 10–15 seconds so it spreads without tearing the base.
✨ Seal the edges with meringue. Spread the meringue all the way to the sides of the pan — this helps prevent “weeping.”
✨ For ultra-clean slices, score early. After 5 minutes of baking, lightly score squares, then finish baking. (Optional, but great for holiday trays.)
What Makes These So Good
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3 distinct layers: Crisp tender cookie base, fruity jelly center, airy walnut meringue
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Balanced flavor: Tart jam cuts the sweetness of the meringue
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Textural contrast: Crunchy walnuts + pillowy topping
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Make-ahead friendly: Great for holiday trays, parties, or gifting
These traditional Yugoslavian Christmas cookie bars are especially popular during the holiday season, but they’re simple enough for anytime baking.
Yugoslavian Christmas Cookies Ingredients + Key Notes
This is just a quick glance at what you’ll need. For exact measurements and the full ingredient list, head down to the recipe card below.
Cookie Base (Bottom Layer)
- Unsalted butter (room temperature) – This is the “shortbread” foundation, so proper creaming matters. Softened butter blends smoothly with sugar so the base bakes up tender (not crumbly-dry).
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens and helps the base set with that classic cookie-bar bite.
- Egg yolk – Adds richness and helps bind the dough so it presses neatly into the pan and slices cleanly.
- Salt – Don’t skip it — it keeps the layers from tasting flat and makes the jam + walnuts pop.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and level if you can; too much flour can make the base dry and tough.
Jam Layer (Middle Layer)
- Blackberry jelly – Sweet-tart and gorgeous with walnuts. If your jelly is thick, stir it well (or warm it for a few seconds) so it spreads without tearing the cookie base.
- Jam swaps (very “Eastern European” options): plum (classic), currant (bright + tangy), rosehip (traditional in parts of the Balkans), raspberry, or apricot.
Walnut Meringue (Top Layer)
- Egg whites (room temperature) – Room temp whites whip higher and more stable. Make sure there’s zero yolk mixed in.
- Granulated sugar – Added gradually to stabilize the meringue and create that glossy, marshmallowy structure.
- Ground walnuts – This is what makes the topping taste old-world and nutty instead of just “sweet fluff.” (Tip: pulse walnuts in a food processor until finely ground—don’t go so far that it becomes nut butter.)
- Lemon extract – A small amount goes a long way: it brightens flavor and helps the meringue hold its structure. (If you don’t have lemon extract, see FAQs for swaps.)
Finishing
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Chopped walnuts – Sprinkled on top for crunch and pretty texture. Optional but highly recommended.
🥣 How to Make Yugoslavian Christmas Cookies
Preheat. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper.
Make the base. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg yolk and salt. Gradually add flour until a soft dough forms. Press evenly into the prepared pan.
Prepare the meringue. In a completely clean bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar while beating. Continue until glossy stiff peaks form. Gently fold in ground walnuts and lemon extract.
Layer. Spread jam evenly over the cookie base. Spoon meringue over the jam and carefully spread it to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.
Bake. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the meringue is lightly golden.
Cool + slice. Cool completely. Use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to cut — pressing straight down will crush the meringue.
⭐ Pro Tips
⭐ Why score early? Lightly scoring the bars after 5 minutes of baking helps prevent cracking when cutting later.
⭐ Avoid “weeping” meringue. Always spread meringue to the pan edges to create a seal.
⭐ Jam consistency matters. Thick jelly can pull up the base when spreading — stir first.
⭐ Don’t overbake. Meringue should be lightly golden, not dark brown.
⭐ Toast walnuts (optional). Lightly toasting deepens flavor — cool completely before adding.
🔬 Cooking Science: Why Lemon Extract Helps
Acid strengthens egg white proteins. That small amount of lemon extract helps stabilize the whipped meringue so it holds structure during baking and resists collapsing or weeping later.
Troubleshooting Guide
✦ My meringue won’t whip.
Even a tiny bit of grease or yolk can prevent whipping. Start over with a clean bowl.
✦ The meringue is “crying” (weeping).
It likely didn’t reach the edges of the pan or was slightly underbaked.
✦ The bars crumble when cutting.
Use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion — never press straight down.
✦ Can I use a jelly roll pan instead?
Yes. A jelly roll pan makes thinner, slightly crisper bars. A 9×13 makes thicker, softer layers.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead Tips
Storing
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–4 days. This preserves the best meringue texture.
Freezing
- Not recommended — freezing alters the texture of the meringue.
Make-Ahead
- Bake 1–2 days ahead. Flavor and slicing actually improve slightly the next day.
What to Serve With Yugoslavian Christmas Cookies
Fresh + Crisp Sides
A simple fruit platter or citrus salad balances the sweetness beautifully.
Comforting Sides
Serve with coffee, espresso, or black tea for a cozy afternoon treat.
Cozy Breads
Add Practically No Knead Bread to create a European-style dessert board.
Sweet Finishes
Pair with Danish Wedding Cookies, Lebkuchen Cookies, and Amaretti Cookies for a stunning holiday tray.
✦ Frequently Asked Questions
✦ Are these really cookies?
They’re technically bar cookies — baked in a pan and cut into squares.
✦ Why are they called Yugoslavian Christmas Cookies?
The name reflects older regional Balkan baking traditions. Similar layered jam-meringue walnut bars appear throughout Eastern Europe under different names.
✦ Can I use a different jam?
Absolutely. Plum, currant, rosehip, raspberry, and apricot are all wonderful.
✦ Can I use cream of tartar instead of lemon extract?
Yes. Use 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to stabilize the egg whites if you don’t have lemon extract.
✦ Do they need refrigeration?
No. Room temperature storage keeps the meringue texture best.
✦ Can I add chocolate?
Yes! A thin drizzle of dark chocolate over the cooled bars is a delicious variation.
Still have questions? Drop them in the comments — I love helping you bake + cook with confidence! 💗
More Holiday Cookies to Bake This Season
If you’re building a full cookie tray, don’t miss:
- Haystacks Cookies
- Italian Fig Cookies
- Pignoli Cookies
- Ricotta Cookies
- Chocolate Biscotti
- Biscoff Cookies
Tried This Recipe?
If you make these Yugoslavian Christmas Cookies, I’d love for you to leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and comment below!
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Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy cooking, friends! Kathleen 💗
Yugoslavian Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk large
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup ground walnuts
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 cup blackberry jelly
- 1/4 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream butter and sugar together thoroughly; add egg yolk and salt and combine. Add flour and combine. Pat mixture into a 9X13 inch pan.
- Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually add 1 cup of sugar. Continue to beat until you reach a meringue consistency. Gently fold in ground walnuts and lemon extract.
- Spread jelly over dough mixture in pan.
- Swirl meringue over jelly. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
- Bake for about 40 minutes. To cut, use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
Being born and raised in former Yugoslavia, I just want to add some facts:
1. In my Grandma’s notebook, as well as in many “national cookbooks”, these are called – for whatever reason – “the London bars” or “Londoners” (in Serbian “londonske štangle”, possibly from German “Londoner Stangen”). But sometimes the original name gets forgotten and you just name them after the person who gave you the recipe. And that’s perfectly OK 🙂
2. The way to make them is to bake the dough until light-golden (20 min), then take it out, spread the jam (or marmalade, spread the meringue & wallnuts, and then put it back to the oven and bake for additional 20 minutes.
3. Best kinds of jam (marmalade) for this are the “sourish” ones – apricot, sour cherry, orange and such. Mildly sour taste makes for great contrast with the sweetness of the dough and the meringue.
Enjoy these bars – however you call them!
That’s awesome, Tanja! Thanks for the info 🙂 Enjoy!
How long will these keep refrigerated or room temperature? I am making them for family and wanted to know how far in advance I could bake them.
Hi, Antoinette. Putting these cookies in the fridge is not advisable. Just cut up your bars and store them between layers of wax or parchment paper in an airtight container.
I’ve been making these for years, probably 8 or 9 now. I haven’t the past few years and just thought of these cookies out of nowhere. I looked it up and realized this is the same recipe I wrote down all those years ago. I’m going to make a batch and make sure not to forget the lemon extract like that one time. 🙄 Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi, Kyle! I’m glad you saw this recipe. The lemon extract does a lot, right? Enjoy baking!
This receipe has been in my family for generations. My Great Aunt made these for years she got the receipe from her Mom, she passed the receipe down to her daughter (my Aunt) who passed them on to me. My Great Aunt was born in 1900 so that tells you how old this receipe is. I make it all the time and I use my homemade blackberry jam instead of store bought. It is totally a win win cookie and I give a variety of homemade cookies out for Christmas and everyone truly Loves the Yugoslav cookie its light and flavorful.
Oh my goodness, Kathy! I’ve never spoken to anyone else who has had these cookies in their family. I love them so much! They are incredibly light, nutty and fruity!!!
Hi.. is the jelly to be prepared as per instructions?
Hi, Ravneet. I transfer the jelly from the jar to a measuring cup and spread it over the dough. The most popular blackberry jelly brand is Smucker’s. Hope this helps!
Got it.. Thank you! 🙂
I will make these again but will be certain the jelly has been strained to remove all berry seeds. I used Kerrygold butter for the shortbread and, while delicious, the cookies are prone to crumbling.
Hi, you are right about the meringue is prone to crumbling! I use a serrated knife and gently cut them. Great idea to stain the jam. <3
What is the best way to store these?? Can they be frozen short term??
Hi Karen. Yes, they can be frozen. I freeze them in a hard container to protect them because they are fragile. I store them in an airtight container at room temp generally. <3
Can I freeze these for later?
Hi Thom. Yes, they can be frozen. 🙂
I’m Croation & Slav & I will have to make these cookies along with Potica & all other ethnic dishes. They sound yummy!
Hey Marlene! I Love these so much! Hope you do as well!
Hi.. post is pretty old but these are very similar to my country New Zealand and called Louise Cake.. might give them a go
Hi, Lisa! Yum, Louise Cake and this cake really looks the same! I hope you enjoy making it! 🙂
Hi Kathleen. I also will try this recipe. And bombice both for the holidays. Our family is from HR and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Lovely to find recipes from this part of the world. Wish We had a konoba and peka to make some of the other dishes with. Thanks for sharing
Hi, Shannon, I hope you enjoy <3
Do these cookies need to be refrorated? Thanks Margie
Hi Margie. I store them in an airtight container at room temperature. 🙂
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I’m impressed!
Extremely helpful info specifically the last part 🙂 I care for such info much.
I was looking for this particular info for a long time.
Thank you and best of luck.
These cookies sounds amazing…
I bookmarked the recipe to give it a try next week.. I always look for a unique treats to try.
thanks for sharing, i will let you know
:)) I am from former Yu, and this is known as 'London stanglice' (smth. like Bars from London) or according to some sources 'Damen Kapric' (smth. like ladie's caprice). I like it very much!
I make these as well and they are called Zora Kolachi. What a great idea to add lemon extract. See my entry for 'Zora kolachi' http://draganabakes.blogspot.com/2009_10_01_archive.html Yours look delicious!
Thanks for mentioning this name, Dragana. I saw this recipe promoted on Yummly today and was looking for it through my old ‘Croatian Cuisine’ cookbook (1978, by Alojzicje & Ruzica Kapetanovic), which includes 42 pages of pastry resipes! Thanks to your naming it, I found a similar one (using 5 egg yolks and whites and ground almonds) called Zagorje Kolach on page 268.
i'm so impressed! Coming from a family where I grew up on these, I never thought I'd see them in the blog-world! they look great!