Authentic Lithuanian Cookies

I found out about these authentic Lithuanian cookies from two Lithuanian girls, Gierdre and Gerda, who were working at the guest house where I stayed this summer. The two young women were part of an exchange program, at Chautauqua Institution. I met up with them one evening when I ran down to the kitchen to get a hard cider from the fridge.

As soon as I found out where they were from, I asked them for recipes from their country. They were very intrigued by the blog, and I discovered the next day that one of them had already done a Facebook like on my page. How nice!

This recipe for authentic Lithuanian cookies is so easy. As a matter of fact, when I asked them about an easy dessert recipe, they both laughed and said “Tinginys“., almost in tandem. The name, they said, means lazy man, because the recipe is indeed extremely simple to make. They told me that the recipe has been popular in Lithuania for many years.

To make these cookies you only need 8 ingredients. That’s it! And, better yet they requires no baking. Now we are talking!

One word of warning though: If at all possible, use European butter. The reason for this? European butter has a higher fat content than American butter. This allows not only for more flavor, but for the mixture to solidify better.

I made the cookies a few weeks ago , and took some into my office on Monday. They were devoured. Of course, they are such an easy crowd to please, especially on a Monday.

Also, for the cookies…. buy McVities, or if you can find Gaidelis, even better.

Just a little historical note: McVities® were first developed by two Scottish doctors, supposedly to aid digestion. The original cookies (biscuits, if you are European) had sodium bicarbonate as an ingredient.

Make this easy dessert when you need to take something to a party and are pressed for time.

Authentic Lithuanian Cookies

These easy to make no-bake authentic Lithuanian cookies are called Tinginys, which means lazy one. There are only 8 ingredients.

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 4 oz unsalted butter
• 360 g tea cookies (McVities work great)
• 2 Tbsp dried cherries (chopped)

1. Crumble tea biscuits into medium size chunks, and place in a bowl.

2. Place cocoa powder in milk, and whisk until no lumps remain. Add in salt and cinnamon.

3. In a saucepan, heat sweetened condensed milk, and melt in the butter. Add in the cocoa powder mixture.

4. Allow it to cook, stirring often to combine. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until it begins to thicken.

5. Pour chocolate mixture over the cookies and stir to coat evenly. Mix in the dried fruit.

6. Line a 5″x9″ loaf plan with plastic wrap, and pour the mixture. Try to evenly distribute throughout.

7. Remove from loaf pan, and try to form a cylinder. Place in the refrigerator and cool for about 3-4 hours.

8. Slice thinly, and serve with fruit if desired.

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