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Czech Včelí Úly Beehive Christmas Cookies

These Czech Včelí Úly Beehive Christmas Cookies are festive no-bake treats with a rich walnut-chocolate dough and creamy rum filling.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 30 cookies
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Czech, European
Calories: 110
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 6 ounces vanilla biscuits (Czech piškoty or vanilla wafers), finely crushed
  • 1/3 cup ground walnuts
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and cool
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons rum (spiced, or Austrian Stroh rum)
Rum custard filling
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk (or 2 tablespoons eggnog or sweetened condensed milk)
  • 1 tablespoon rum
Bases
  • 30 pieces round vanilla wafers (such as Nilla)
For the mold
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Start by taking the filling butter out of the fridge the day before, or at least a few hours ahead, so it becomes fully soft.
  2. Crush the vanilla biscuits into fine crumbs with a grinder or rolling pin.
Dough Preparation
  1. In a large bowl, combine the biscuit crumbs, ground walnuts, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar.
  2. Add the cool butter, then pour in the milk and rum. Rub everything together with your fingers until the mixture looks crumbly.
  3. Knead it into a compact dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill it for 2 hours.
Filling Preparation
  1. Beat the soft butter, powdered sugar, egg yolk, and rum for about 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
Shaping the Cookies
  1. Scatter the granulated sugar on the counter. Rinse the mold in cold water, then roll it in the sugar and tap off the extra.
  2. Press a small piece of chilled dough into the mold, making a shallow well in the center.
  3. Fill the well with custard, using about a teaspoon, then press a vanilla wafer onto the bottom to close it.
Final Steps
  1. Tap the mold gently on the counter to release the cookie, then repeat with the rest of the dough.
  2. Stack the finished cookies in an airtight container and chill them in the fridge.

Notes

These cookies are an adults 21+ dessert because they contain rum. For non-alcoholic versions, use substitutes provided in the article.