Mailänderli

The most popular Swiss Christmas cookies that have been around since 18 century. These are butter cookies that are glazed with egg yolk. Butter, Sugar and Flour ratio is 1:1:2 in standard recipes, but in this recipe we have reduced the amount of sugar, so that this dough can also be used for Spitzbuben which is a jam filled butter cookie that is sandwiched.

Ingredients for 3 baking trays (ca. 150 cookies)

Dough

• 250g butter, soft (room temp)
• 200g sugar
• zest of one lemon
• 4 egg yolk (room temp)
• 500g flour

Glaze: 2 egg yolks + 2 Tbsp sugar, mix well.

Equipments

• Cookie cutters
• Handmixer  or Standmixer
• Jagged scraper for adding pattern on dough (optional)
• Parchment paper
• Baking tray
• Brush for glazing

Oven temperature: 180°C Fan/Convection (Umluft)

Steps

1. With the mixer, beat the soft butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the lemon zest and the egg yolk one by one as you beat.
2. Add in the flour and mix until the dough is even. Divide the dough into three, wrap it with a plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for ca. 30min.
3. In the meantime heat the oven to 180°C (with fan), prepare the glaze.
4. Place parchment paper on baking tray.
5. Roll out the dough into ca. 7mm thick. Use a jagged scraper to add patterns on the surface of the cookie dough. Cut out with cookie cutters and place on baking tray. Brush the egg yolk glaze on the surface.
6. Bake for 10-12 min and cool.

Spitzbuben

Overview

Using the same dough above we can make “Spitzbuben” (my favorite!) which is a sandwiched butter cookie with a red jam center. If you use the dough recipe from above, it will yield about 1.5 trays, making 75 sandwiched Spitzbuben cookies. This cookie does not need the egg yolk glaze – just sprinkle powder sugar when cooled.

Additional ingredients/equipments:

• Red jam/jelly
• Powder sugar and sieve for dusting
• Spitzbuben cookie cutters or small cookie cutters to cut out holes in the middle for the sandwiched top.

Steps

1. Roll out the chilled dough from above recipe into a 3-5mm thick sheet.
2. Cut out with cookie cutters, one with a hole and one without and place on baking tray.
3. Bake for ca. 7min at 180°C Fan/Convection
4. When they are out of the oven, spread fruit jam on the bottom part of the cookie, and sprinkle powder sugar on the top part.
5. Sandwich the two parts together and cool.