Description
These elegant German sandwich cookies combine a rich, hazelnut-infused shortcrust with a bright strawberry jam filling. They offer a delightful balance of buttery nuttiness and tart fruit that makes them a timeless addition to any holiday dessert spread.
Ingredients
- 250g All-purpose flour
- 150g Cold butter, cubed
- 100g Ground hazelnuts
- 100g Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla sugar
- 2 Egg yolks
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Pinch of salt
- 150g Strawberry jam
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- In a large bowl, rub the cold butter into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits of butter.
- Add the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar, ground hazelnuts, lemon zest, and salt, then quickly knead the mixture by hand until a smooth dough forms.
- Wrap the dough tightly in cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flour to hydrate and the butter to firm up.
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F) and line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to a thickness of 3mm and cut out an equal number of solid bases and matching rings with center cut-outs.
- Bake the cookies on the middle rack for 8 to 10 minutes until light golden, then immediately transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
- Warm the strawberry jam and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat until smooth and liquid.
- Dust the cooled ring cookies with powdered sugar, place a teaspoon of warm jam on each solid base, and press a sugared ring on top to seal.
Notes
To prevent the dough from sticking or becoming too greasy, work in a cool kitchen and handle the dough as little as possible to keep the butter from melting. If the cut-out shapes lose their form when being moved to the baking sheet, chill the rolled-out dough for 10 minutes before cutting. Always wait for the cookies to be completely cool before dusting with powdered sugar to ensure a clean, snowy finish that won’t dissolve into the jam.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: German