Ready for Christmas?
Today is the 3rd Advent and so slowly we are all looking forward to the holidays, right? I am now often in the kitchen, sometimes alone or with the family, and make tons of Christmas recipes while listening to Christmas music of all kinds.
A few of my recipes that fit Christmas, you can already find on the blog. Among other things, chocolate bread and honey bread.
Today I have 4 cookie recipes for you. Since I like the cookies best without decorations there recipes are pretty basic. You are of course welcome to let off steam with icing, chocolate, sprinkles, powdered sugar, and whatever else comes to mind.
Have fun!
-Nicole
Cinnamon Stars With Nuts
Let’s start with cinnamon stars. Cinnamon, I use the whole year, but at Christmas, it is nevertheless again something special. In combination with nuts and rum flavor, it’s even better.
Cinnamon Stars with Nuts
You need
- 300 g Butter
- 125 g Powdered Sugar
- 1 Eggwhite
- 175 g Ground Hazelnuts
- ½ Pck. Vanilla Sugar
- 1 TSP Cinnamon
- Rum Flavoring
Here’s how to do it
- First, sift the powdered sugar.
- Then put the egg whites in a bowl and beat until foamy. Stir in the powdered sugar a little at a time.
- Now add the hazelnuts, the vanilla sugar, the cinnamon and the rum flavoring and knead everything into a smooth dough.
- Since the dough is very sticky, roll it out between 2 layers of aluminum foil. It should still be about 5-8 mm thick. Now you can cut out stars and put them on a baking tray covered with baking paper. You can knead and roll out the rest of the dough again and again until all is used up.
- Once you have cut out all the stars, bake them in a preheated oven at 150 °C for about 15 minutes. It is best to bake only 1 tray at a time.
- Let the cookies cool on a baking rack afterwards.
Cinnamon Stars with Honey
If cinnamon stars with rum flavor or nuts are not quite your taste, I have a version with honey for you. Maybe you like this one? I love both very much.
Cinnamon Stars with Honey
You need
- 65 g Honey
- 50 g Syrup
- 75 g Sugar
- 125 g Butter
- 375-400 g Flour
- 1 TSP Baking Powder
- 3 TSP Cinnamon
Here’s how to do it
- Note: Prepare the dough the day before and refrigerate it overnight.
- For the dough, put the honey, syrup, sugar and 35 ml of water in a small pot and let simmer over medium heat. Keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Then take the off stove and stir in the butter in pieces until it has melted.
- Now add the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon to a large bowl and mix. When the syrup mixture is lukewarm, add it to the flour and knead it in with your hands or the dough hook of your mixer. Form the dough into a flat ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 200 °C top-bottom heat and line baking trays with baking paper. Due to the cold overnight, the dough has become very firm. You have to knead it a little bit before you can use it. Then roll it out on some flour about 5 mm thick and cut out stars. Put them on the baking tray. Repeat this until you have no more dough left.
- Put the baking sheets one after the other into the hot oven for about 5-10 minutes.
- Let your cookies cool on a cooling rack.
Black and White Thalers
With this recipe, vanilla and chocolate fans get their money’s worth. Depending on your taste, you can use more or less vanilla. Try a small piece of dough in advance to be sure 🙂
Black and White Thalers
You need
- 5 Drops Vanilla Extract
- 150 g Butter
- 75 g Sugar
- 1 pinch of Salt
- 200 g Wheat Flour
- 20 g Cocoa Powder
- 1 Eggwhite
Here’s how to do it
- Put the soft butter with the sifted powdered sugar, the salt and the vanilla extract in a bowl and knead everything until you have creamy mass. Then sift the flour over it and knead it in well.
- Cut the dough in half and put 1 half aside. Add the cocoa to the other half and knead it well. Wrap both doughs separately in plastic wrap and let them rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Now roll out both doughs into rectangles of the same size and thickness. It is best to use some foil in between, i.e. under and on top of the dough, so it doesn't stick to your table. Brush the light rectangle lightly with egg white and place the dark rectangle on top. Now roll over both layers of dough again, so that they connect well and are not too thick. Then roll up the dough with the help of the foil and cut the roll into pieces about 5 mm thick.
- Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 180 °C for about 10-15 minutes.
Angel Eyes
And last but not least, something for the fruit lovers among you. A simple light dough with jam. You are welcome to adjust the variety of jam to your taste. I like especially cherry or currant, but apricot or apple are great choices as well.
Angel Eyes
You need
- 250 g Flour
- 1 TSP Baking Powder
- 100 g Powdered Sugar
- 1 Pinch of Salt
- 1 Pck. Vanilla Sugar
- 2 Egg yolks
- 150 g Butter
- 4 TBSP Red Currant Jam
Here’s how to do it
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add sugar, salt, vanilla sugar and the egg yolks. Cut the butter into pieces and add them to the bowl. Knead all the ingredients with your hands until you have a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes.
- Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper and preheat the oven to 200 °C.
- Once the dough has rested, shape it into about 42 balls and place them on the baking trays with a little space between them. Use a floured wooden spoon to make a cavity in the center of each dough ball. You can use any round object you have at hand.
- Then heat the jam slightly while stirring until it becomes liquid and fill it with a teaspoon into the cavities of the cookies.
- Put the trays one after the other into the oven for about 10 minutes. Then take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool on a rack.
