This Is a Wonderfully Simple and Delicately Flavored Cookie That Will Please Almost Anyone

Mandelschnitten

This is a wonderfully simple and delicately flavored cookie that will please almost anyone.

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350F (180C)

1 lb. (450 g) ground almonds
1 cup (250 ml) sugar
1 cup (250 ml) Butter (2 sticks, 225 g)
3 eggs (separate 1 egg white and keep for later use.
1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
2+1/2 to 3 cups (625 to 750 ml) flour

Directions:

Beat butter until soft, add sugar gradually. Blend until very light and creamy.

Beat in, one at a time, 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk.

Add salt and 1/2 to 3/4 lb. (125 to 350 g) ground almonds. (Reserve surplus for coating tops.)

Add enough flour to make dough the right consistency to roll. (May chill till ready to roll.)

Roll out 1/8 inch (5 mm) thick; cut into 1" x 2" (2.5 x 5 cm) rectangles.

Brush with slightly beaten egg-white and invert each cookie into a pie-plate with ground almonds, to coat top of each cookie. Place on cookie sheet; bake at 350F (180C) for about 12 to 13 minutes, or until brown around edges.

Makes 7 dozen.

German Esses

These cookies were part of Grandma Block's Christmas repertoire. They were a good way to use up the yolks after baking something requiring a lot of egg-whites, such as the Hazelnut cookies Ingredients

Oven: 350°

¾ lb. butter
¾ lb. sugar
1¼ lb. flour
9 yolks of eggs, beaten
Grated rind of 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together well.

2. Add beaten eggs and lemon rind, mix well together.

3. Add flour and mix till smooth.

4. Chill the dough for one hour.

5. Roll it out on a lightly floured bread board and make into "S" shapes by pinching off a piece of dough, rolling it quickly between your hands, and shaping it on a cookie sheet; continue till all dough is made up.

6. These are best when put in a cool place overnight and baked the next day, but chilling them in the freezer for a while should work.

Bake in moderate oven for just a few minutes, until they are baked but not browned.

Hazelnut Cookies

Ingredients

1 ¼ lbs. of hazelnut meats
1 C. egg whites (about 10 eggs)
1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 C. powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Prepare meringue by whipping the egg whites in a large 3 qt. Stainless steel mixing bowl. (Be sure it is very clean and cool.) Add the egg whites, Cream of Tartar, Vanilla, and powdered sugar. Whip until the meringue peaks.

2. Set aside 48 nuts for garnish.

3. Grind the remainder of the nuts in a hand-cranked grinder (one that is made for nuts). Otherwise use a food processor. Add only a small amount of nuts at a time, so the grinds are consistent. They should be a little larger than the size of grated Parmesan.

4. In another mixing bowl, fold 4-5 cups of the meringue into the grated nuts. The consistency should be similar to a play-dough. It holds together very nicely, and is pliable.

5. Make into 1½-inch balls, and place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. Place remaining meringue in a pastry bag or a 1-qt. Zip-lock bag with one of the corners snipped off.

6. Dip your finger in water and make a dimple in each cookie. Top each with a dab of meringue squeezed through the corner hole in the Zip-lock bag, and place a hazelnut on top.

7. Bake in a 325° oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the meringue just starts to brown slightly. You should get from 20 to 25 cookies

Old German Honey Cookies

Yields: 24 servings

"I got this recipe from my grandmother who got it from her grandmother. She had to translate it and then figure out measurements. The original recipe called for "enough flour to make a dough". Thankfully grandma knew what kind of dough." - Darlene

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white sugar

1 cup shortening

1 cup honey

2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a saucepan over low heat, melt together sugar, shortening and honey. Let cool.

1. Mix together eggs, vanilla, baking soda and ginger. Gradually add to cooled honey mixture.

1. Slowly add 4 cups of flour to mixture. Stir until well blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) until golden (about 12-15 minutes).

Linzer Cookie Bars

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon zest, egg and vanilla. Mix in 1 cup of chopped almonds, then stir in the sifted ingredients. Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of a greased or parchment lined 8x8 inch baking pan. Roll the remaining portion between two pieces of waxed paper, out to an 8 inch square. Refrigerate all of the dough for at least 2 hours.

1. While the dough is chilling, place the apricots into a small saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for three minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Drain the excess liquid from the apricots and mix in the preserves and lemon juice.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread the apricot filling evenly over the chilled crust, leaving a 1/4 inch border on edges. Cut the chilled square of dough into 1/2 inch strips. Place the strips over the filling in a lattice design. Trim edges to fit and press the edges into the border. Brush the top with egg white then sprinkle with remaining chopped almonds and coarse sugar.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

NUTELLA-ECKEN

(Gianduia Brownies)

1 1/4 cups hazelnuts (about 6 1/4 ounces)
4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
3 ounces fine-quality milk chocolate
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup Nutella* (chocolate-hazelnut spread)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350° F. and butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan, knocking out excess flour.

Toast and skin hazelnuts. In a food processor pulse hazelnuts until coarsely ground (bits should be about 1/8 inch).

Chop chocolates into small pieces and in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolates with butter and Nutella, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat.

While chocolates are melting, into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and a pinch salt.

Whisk sugar into chocolate mixture until combined well. Add eggs, whisking until mixture is glossy and smooth. Stir in flour mixture and hazelnuts until just combined.

Pour batter into baking pan and bake in middle of oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out with moist crumbs adhering to it.

Cool brownies completely in pan on a rack and cut into 16 squares.

Brownies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container at cool room temperature, 5 days.

Vanille Kipferl I

(allrecipes.com)

Submitted by: Christiane
Rated: 4 out of 5 by 4 members Yields: 18 servings

"This recipe is known in America as almond crescents. I converted the measurements and translated this recipe that has been in my family for generations. It's a German Christmas cookie."

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

3/4 cup ground almonds

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 whole vanilla bean

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).

1. Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter with pastry blender, then quickly knead into a dough.

1. Shape dough into logs and cut off 1/2 inch pieces. Shape each piece into a crescent and place on a non-stick paper lined cookie sheet.

1. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 1 minute and carefully roll in vanilla sugar. (To make vanilla sugar, blend 1/2 vanilla bean with 1 cup of sugar, sieve). Tip: vanilla sugar comes out like powered sugar, to make it stick to the cookie better, I mix it with regular sugar.

Vanilla Horseshoe Cookies

“Vanillekipferln”

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

1. Heat oven to 325°. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar and the almonds. Process until finely ground. Add flour and salt, and pulse to combine.

1. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod. Add seeds to the flour mixture. (Reserve bean for the dusting sugar.) Add butter a few pieces at a time. Quickly pulse to combine. Do not overprocess. The mixture should resemble coarse meal.

1. Place the reserved vanilla bean on the prepared baking sheet, and let dry out in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.

1. Remove dough to a clean work surface. Blend dough by pushing it away from you with the heel of your hand. Gather it up with a bench scraper, and continue process until dough will peel easily from the work surface in one piece.

1. Divide dough into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into a cylinder 5/8 inch in diameter and about 22 inches long. Cut each log into pieces about 3 inches long. Curve each piece into a horseshoe, and place on the prepared baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

1. While cookies are baking, cut reserved dried vanilla bean into small pieces. Place the remaining cup confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until well mixed, about 1 minute. Sift sugar into a small mixing bowl to remove any large pieces of the vanilla bean.

1. Remove cookies to a rack to cool. After cookies have cooled a little, about 5 minutes, gently toss warm cookies in vanilla sugar to coat. Remove to rack to cool completely. Once cooled, dust again with remaining vanilla sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Lebkuchen Bar Cookies

Read before baking – special instructions

• Preheat oven to 325°; grease cookie sheets.

• In a large saucepan, combine molasses, honey, brown sugar, shortening and water. Place over low heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in nuts and peel. Let cool.

• Sift flour with baking soda, cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg. Gradually add to molasses mixture and stir well.

• Turn dough out onto a floured board, and knead, adding extra flour, if necessary, to prevent sticking.

• Roll dough ¼ inch thick. Cut into 1 X 3 inch rectangles and arrange on cookie sheets.

• Bake 18 to 20 minutes until firm. When done, transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool.

• Glaze: Stir water and lemon juice into confectioners’ sugar. Brush glaze onto warm cookies and let harden.

• Store in airtight container with a piece of orange rind for about 1 week until cookies soften.