Krostule recipe: Croatian crispy and sweet angel wings cookies (2024)

Kroštule, hrštule or hrustule... the names for these crispy sweet fritters abound. Which only proves how much we love krostule all around Croatia.

The names vary but there is one quality of krostule that is contained in all of them. Krostule must be crispy, crumbly, and as light as air.

The Italian word crostoli speaks of that too. It means crispy by way of oil. Nice, isn’t it? Krostule are a real comfort food.

In Croatian the word hrustule comes from hrustati, to crunch. It’s an onomatopoeic word that describes the sound we make when we chew something crispy.

Hrštule derives from hrskav, which means crisp, crusty.

Croatian Krostule and local variations

Have you ever looked for a krostule recipe? Then you probably noticed the variations on that front too.

We have istarske krostule, Dalmatian ones... then each island has its own version.

And because we hold this Croatian pastry so dear, we believe our family’s recipe is the best one. I mean the one that our nona or baba left us.

It’s true, every family has their own unique touch, a little tip or trick on how to make krostule even crispier.

In Dalmatia, they swear by rakija or Maraschino. Alcohol added to the dough prevents it from sopping up oil during frying.

The Istrians use white wine to achieve the same effect.

My own trick is to use lard instead of butter. Lard works miracles in baking. Mostly because it has no water content, while butter is 80% fat and 20% water.

The main thing to know is that kroštule are a variation of the classic pasta dough. So the main ingredients are flour and eggs.

There is little sugar in the dough. The sweetness mainly comes the dusting.

The dough needs to be rolled as thinly as possible. Some people use a pasta machine but it’s perfectly possible to roll the dough by hand.

Just be patient and take your time. You don’t want kroštule to be thick. They won’t look light and elegant and they’ll be too hard.

Most recipes for kroštule don’t use any flavouring. I love to add classical Dalmatian scents to mine. So I use Maraschino for alcohol, and I add orange juice and zest.

Sweet fritters around the world

Kroštule are one of the most traditional Croatian pastry. But this doesn’t mean they are enjoyed only in Croatia.

All around the world people feast on sweet fried cookies, especially during Lent and for Christmas.

You’ll see that kroštule are a sibling of angel wing or bow tie cookies. In Italy they are known as crostoli, bugie, cioffe, frappe or chiacchiere. In Poland they come as chruściki.

Fried sweets are a very common indulgence in the time leading up to Lent. This is why crostoli are often called carnival sweets.

In Croatia, kroštule must be crispy and light and should not be confused with yeasted fried dough. They are not leavened, as opposed to fritule, poderane gaće or uštipci.

You can cut different shapes but the most common are the twisted ribbons. It's easy: just make a slit in the middle and thread one end through it.

You can even fry just strips of dough. Pinch them in the middle and you’ll get a tiny butterfly. And if you need to use a long strip, make a bow tie!

Krostule Recipe

Tips for making perfect krostule

Here are some tips and tricks how to make these crispy and crumbly sweets perfect.

1. Roll the dough very thin. It should almost be see-through.

2. Have your oil hot. If you can take the temperature, it should be 180 C/350 F

3. Fry 4-5 pieces at once and don’t overcrowd the pan.

4. Fry the pastry quick. When you see them turning gold, this is already too long. 15 seconds is enough. By the time you turn every piece to the other side, it’s time to get them out.

5. Don’t skip the alcohol in the dough, this is what creates those lovely bubbles in the pastry.

6. If you’re making different shapes, fry together the ones of the same size.

7. Feel free to make kroštule all year round, not only for Christmas. In fact, this dessert is very common in Dalmatia at weddings, christenings, birthdays and all types of family gatherings. You have plenty of opportunities to practice.

Foolproof baking experience

If you're looking to recreate the wonderful festive desserts typical for our Croatian cuisine, let me tempt you to try with my cookbook. It gives you a detailed step-by-step method, with lots of images. And I promise, all your favourite sweets are in there!

Get my croatian desserts cookbook