Spitzbuben – Swiss Christmas Cookies
Spitzbuben are very traditional Swiss cookies available all year round in bakeries in Switzerland. For my family they are a MUST at Christmas! Traditionally these cookies are filled with redcurrant jelly, but I have also used lemon jelly which gives the beautiful crumbly dough a kick. Try them also with raspberry or apple jam.
- Servings About 40 cookies
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 150 grams (5 ounces/10 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
- 350 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 130 grams (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 egg
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) lemon essence or lemon extract
For assembly:
- 100 grams (about 1/3 cup) lemon jam or lemon curd or redcurrant jelly or raspberry jam
- Confectioners' sugar, as needed
Preparation
- For the dough: Knead the ingredients for the cookie dough together. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Roll the dough out very thinly (about 3-4 mm). Using a round cookie cutter, cut the dough into disks, and cut a hole in the middle of half of the disks. Arrange on baking sheets. Bake until very lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
3. For assembly: Let the cookies cool, then turn the whole bottom ones over and fill them with 2.5 cm (1/2 teaspoon) jelly or jam. Cover with a cookie that has a hole and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Store in an airtight container.
2 thoughts on “Spitzbuben – Swiss Christmas Cookies”
Leave a Reply
Wilma Kleger
Wilma grew up in Switzerland, born to a Swiss father and an Italian mother. She married a Swiss and after living for one year in England they moved, 30 years ago, to Hong Kong. She has two grownup children, a son and a daughter. She is a craft teacher by profession, but soon cooking and baking took over. She has a food-blog, Pane-Bistecca.com, and gives cooking classes in Swiss and Italian cuisine in Hong Kong and the Philippines, where she is planning to move.
Read more from Wilma Kleger
I have made Spitzbuben a bunch of times but this recipe is by far the best!
Thank you so much! Yes, they are absolutely delicious!
greets Wilma