As Christmas is quickly coming closer, baking climbs up and up on the to-do-list. I personally get my baking done on one weekend, but that's more to get it done because I'm working full-time and normally am too tired to bake in the evening. My grandmother on the other hand told me she'd bake one type of cookies a day. She is 89 years old, but still wants to please all of her grandchildren, so baking Christmas cookies is a must for her.
The recipe I am introducing you to today is my dad's personal favourite and a very traditional German Christmas cookie recipe. My mum wouldn't bake these for a few years so I didn't have them on my list when I took over the Christmas baking, but my dad asked for them two years ago and ever since I've been making them. They're nice and easy and still full of flavor. It's definitely a nice change from the rolling and cutting.
Here's the recipe:
200g (a little under 2 cups) ground hazelnuts
2 eggwhites
210g (1 cup) granulated white sugar
edible paper rounds / communion wafers (Backoblate)
1/2 cup whole hazelnuts, for decorating
1) Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Place the whole hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast them for 8 minutes.
2) Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold in the ground hazelnuts and sugar.
3) Put tablespoonfuls of the dough on the paper rounds so they form small domes. In Germany, you can get small rounds of edible paper that are especially for baking. Press one whole hazelnuts on top of each dome.
4) Bake at 150°C (300°F) for 15-20 minutes. They should still feel a little soft to touch when you take them out of the oven.
Yield: about 30 cookies
Active preparation time: 15 minutes
Total preparation time: 40 minutes
Here's how they look:
I like the way these bring a bright and nutty flavor and I love how easy they are to make. I also love how the whole hazelnuts make these look a little like a crown.
Have fun trying!!
Finally winter is here! The temperatures have started to drop a little bit and we've had our first snow in Switzerland. It came right on time for the first Advent which was perfect timing to get me into the Christmas cookie baking mood. I simply don't feel like baking for Christmas when it's almost autumnally warm outside.
I've introduced you to a few of my favourite Christmas cookie recipes a while ago, but I've still got some up my sleeve. Today's recipe might be my sister's all-time favourite. It comes from a my grandmother who's been baking these for decades. I've never met anyone who didn't fall in love with the buttery crumbly melt-in-you-mouth cookies.
These cookies demand some attention and are not the fastest, but it's worth the effort. And after a few wreaths, you will get the hang of it.
Here's the recipe:
6 egg yolks (whites reserved, for brushing)
120g (1/2 cup + 1 leveled tablespoon) granulated sugar
250g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, straight from the fridge
450g (3 cups) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
decorating sugar, for sprinkling
1) Beat the egg yolks and granulated sugar for about 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
2) Cut the butter into small pieces, then add to the sugar and egg yolks along with the flour and vanilla sugar.
3) Let the dough sit over night.
4) Take 1/2 teaspoon of dough and roll it into a 1/2 cm thick string, about 10 cm (4 inches long). Repeat with another 1/2 teaspoon of dough. Take the two strings and carefully twist them, then make a wreath of them and slightly press the ends together. Place the wreaths on a baking tray lined with baking paper. The dough has to be rather cold, so if you're noticing that you can't roll the dough into strings as well anymore, put the dough back in the fridge for 30 minutes, then continue.
5) Brush the wreaths with egg white and sprinkle with the decorating sugar. Let them sit in a cold space for 15-20 minutes before baking.
6) Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Bake for 10-15 minutes, carefully watching them so they turn golden, but not brown.
Yield: 90-100 wreaths
Active preparation time: about 1 hour and 30 minutes
Total preparation time: 2 hours + overnight resting
Here's how they look:
These wreaths are wonderfully buttery and crumbly and they absolutely melt in your mouth. Every year I am debating over whether or not I should be baking them, because the dough makes a ton of wreaths and it is a lot of work, I'm not gonna lie. But I love how the wreaths can conjure a smile on every one of my family members' faces at any time.
Have fun trying and getting into the Christmas spirit!
