So I guess it’s ON. The real deal of Christmas baking has started.
I don’t know why but this year the Christmas vibes hit me fairly early. At the office we have also started decorating and it’s been looking A LOT like Christmas for a month now. Being in the mood this early means that the craving for festive treats has started earlier as well.
When it comes to Christmas baking, I am always reminiscing. With my grandpa we used to bake loads and loads of Spritzgebäck. With my parents we’d often go to Austria or the south of Germany during this period of the year. A place where you’d always get a box full of different cookies and biscuits in whatever hotel we stayed. The variety of textures, shapes, spices and flavours definitely makes this the most wonderful time of the year!
So here we are with an all time fave and a real classic in German Christmas baking: SPITZBUBEN.
Why you’ll love this recipe?
Buttery melt-in-your-mouth texture: The delicate shortbread-like cookies are rich, tender, and perfectly crumbly with every bite.
Sweet and tangy jam filling: A layer of fruity jam, traditionally raspberry or redcurrant- adds a bright, tangy sweetness that balances the buttery cookies beautifully.
Elegant and festive appearance: With their cut-out tops and dusting of powdered sugar, Spitzbuben are as beautiful as they are delicious, perfect for holiday gatherings or gift boxes.
A timeless classic: These traditional cookies are beloved across generations, bringing a touch of nostalgia and warmth to any occasion.
Spitzbuben
Ingredients
- 480 g flour
- 200 g butter
- 100 g sugar
- 8 g vanilla sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 50 g grated almonds
- jam of your choice originally red currant jelly
- icing sugar
Instructions
- Cut the butter into small cubes.
- Put the flour on your kitchen worktop or in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the butter, the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar and the grated almonds, then kneed firmly into a smooth dough.
- Flatten the dough into two discs. Wrap them separately in cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180°
- Remove one dough disk from the refrigerator and let sit several minutes. Remove the cling film and roll the dough to a 3-4 mm thickness. Use your favourite cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place them to a parchment paper lined baking tray.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Here again, watch the cookies, as all ovens work differently. Cookies should be golden and not too dark.
- Repeat the same process with the second disk. This time, when you've cut out the cookies, use a smaller cookie cutter and cut the renters out. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Let all cookies cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack.
- To finalise the cookie sandwich, dust cutout cookies with icing sugar. Spread 1 tsp of jam over the whole cookies, then place the cutout cookies on top.
- Leave the cookies out to dry overnight. The cookies will keep in a tin for about 2 weeks.
- Bon appétit!
DID YOU MAKE THE RECIPE?
Share your creations and tag me @passionmeetscreativity #passionmeetscreativity. I can’t wait to see what you’ve made!
