Grandma Nina’s Pischinger – Traditional Polish Wafer Dessert

Pischinger is one of those desserts that accompanied my entire childhood. My granny would often make it around Christmas and New Year season. Strangely walnut and coffee pischingers were my favourite, even though I was a child at the time.

Polish festive recipes in English

INGREDIENTS

  • 250 g unsalted butter – 1 bar (chopped)
  • ¾ cup golden caster sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 3 tbs vanilla sugar
  • 3 tbs vodka or even better some stronger not flavoured spirit
  • pack of wafers (I used 23 cm / 9 inches round wafers, about 9 layers or about 7 layers of rectangular 23 cm / 9.5 inches x
  • 29 cm / 11.5 inches wafers)
  • 2 – 3 tsp instant coffee / 200 g walnuts / some lemon juice / few tbs cocoa powder (depending on which flavour you choose)

METHOD

  1. Cream butter, sugar, yolks, vanilla sugar till smooth and fluffy, add vodka and ingredients for the flavour.
  2. When the cream is ready, spread it on first layer of wafer, cover with another one, repeat the same till you have only one more left to cover the top.
  3. Wrap wafer cake with a cling film, leave aside for 3 hours covering it with a book or some other heavy item.
  4. After 3 hours you can cut cake into pieces.
  5. Store in the fridge.

for Coffee Pischineger (my personal favourite)

Dissolve 2 – 3 tsp of instant coffee it in a little bit of hot water before adding to the cream.

for Walnut Pischinger

Ground 200 g walnuts before adding them to the cream. If cream is too thick and not fluffy and a little bit of water and whisk some more.

for Lemon Pischinger

Just add lemon juice to taste.

for Chocolate Pischinger

Add about 2 tbs cocoa powder, you may also need to add a little bit of water to make cream more fluffy.

NOTES

From leftover egg whites you can make: Poppy Seed Muffins or Brudas – My Mother’s Poppy Seed Cake.

More international dessert ideas: South African peppermint tart by Jeanne of Cook Sister, Kolač sa makom – Serbian poppy seed cake from Tina’s Cookings, Tamarind balls made in Dominica, Indian gajar ka halwa (carrot pudding) by Kate of Aapplemint, Beijinho de côco (coconut balls) by Cynthia Presser, Malaysian pineapple tarts by Lin of Lin’s Food and Polvorosas (Colombian butter and sugar cookies) from My Colombian Recipes.

This is my entry for Game Night Party event hosted by Mansi from Fun and Food. I made it recently during Xmas time… it is very easy, fast to prepare and delicious (especially the coffee version), ideal recipe for parties.

game night

I’m also submitting this to the Inheritance Recipes challenge that we have started together with Solange of Pebble Soup. This month theme is Festive Foods so this Polish desserts fits in perfectly. If you haven’t done it yet, please come and join us, share your inherited recipes with us!

traditional family festive recipes

Your thoughts…

  1. I love wafer cookies! These look so cute and crispy! yum!

  2. jill colwell says:

    I have never come across this recipe, I am from a polish family and have made alot of old recipies from my Babci and my mother. This one looks fab, trying it this week. Will let you know how it turns out.

  3. I’ve never thought of making my own wafer dessert, that is so cool! And vodka in cookies has got to be good! :)

  4. These are awesome…but where did you find the wafers?

  5. Thank you for all wonderful comments.

    @Jaxy
    Here in UK you can find them in any Polish or Eastern European shop… I hope it helps.

  6. These look very nice Margot. My mother makes something similar, but without vodka and coffee. She calls it Grilijaž.

  7. Thank you for this recipe.

    My Polish grandmother and father used to make coffee flavoured wafer triangles and then dip the edges in chocolate. They were always lovely and this sounds like the right filling recipe so i’m going to give it a go.

  8. @Marija

    Sounds like healthier version of pischinger, but I must admit that I’m not sure if that is the real name or my granny just made it up.

    @Renee

    I hope they will taste similar to the one from your childhood. My granny used to make it every Christmas and other family event and we all loved it, especially the coffee flavoured ones, but all other ones are very nice too. Never tried to dip them in chocolate but it sounds like a very good idea, I must give it a try :)

  9. I love these wafers :) I’ve done them but chocolate version with walnuts yumm

  10. I’ve wanted to make this for a long time, didn’t realise that there was vodka in these. now it’s got to be. Thank you for sharing with Inheritance Recipes

  11. I am looking for find wafers online does anyone have a good link or website they buy from?

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