What kind of cookie should I bake for my family? What shape should they be? How long does it take to bake them?

The holiday season is upon us once again. This time of year brings with it lots of delicious treats, from chocolate chip cookies to gingerbread men. Cookies are a great way to bring some fun to your holiday celebrations. They also provide a nice break from all the other food that comes along with the holidays.

Christmas is the season for baking a variety of cookies that are cut into various shapes related to Christmas. Modern Christmas cookies date back to recipes from the Middle Ages, when many modern ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, black pepper and dried fruits were introduced into the west. By the 16th century Christmas cookies had become popular across Europe, with gingerbread being the favorite in Germany. Here are five classic German Christmas cookie recipes for you. The recipes are pre-dominantly sourced from Dr. Oetker, which is our favourite since all recipes are a guaranteed success.

1. Vanillekipferl

Ingredients:

• 200 g / 1 cup Wheat Flour
• 1 tsp. Dr. Oetker Original Backin or any other Baking Powder
• 100 g / 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1  packet  Dr. Oetker Vanillin-Sugar alternatively a few drops Vanilla Extract
• 1 Vanilla Bean
• 1 Egg (medium size)
• 125 g  / 1/2 cup soft Butter or Margarine
• 100 g / 1/2 cup Ground Almonds

For Decoration:

• 50 g / 1/4 cup Icing Sugar
• Vanilla Sugar or Vanilla Extract

Method:

Quickly mix all the ingredients together and leave it in a cool place for one hour.  Roll out the dough and  form pencil-thick rolls, cut into 4-5 cm (1.5 to 2 inches) long pieces and roll the ends a little thinner. Form crescent-shaped biscuits. Place the cookies on baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake at a moderate temperature (180°C / 356 F) for around 10 minutes or until they turn a light brown colour. Mix icing sugar and vanilla sugar together, then toss the hot cookies in the mix. Store the cookies in a sealed tin.

2. Cinnamon Stars

Ingredients:

•  3 Egg Whites (size M)
• 250 g  / 2 1/4 cups of Powdered Sugar
• 1 packet Dr. Oetker Vanilla Sugar alternatively a few drops Vanilla Extract
• 3 drops of Dr. Oetker Rum flavor alternatively Rum (optional)
• 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• about 400 g / 2 1/3 cups Ground Almonds or Hazelnuts

Method:

Cover baking tray with baking paper. Preheat oven to 140 C / 285 F. Beat the egg whites very stiff in a mixing bowl with a mixer on the highest level. Sift powdered sugar and stir in little by little. Remove 2 tablespoons of egg white and place in a separate bowl. The egg white will be used to decorate the cinnamon stars. Carefully stir the vanilla sugar or vanilla extract, Rum flavor, cinnamon and half of the almonds or hazelnuts at the lowest level with the remaining egg whites. Add the rest of the almonds or hazelnuts and fold in until the dough hardly sticks. Sprinkle the work surface with powdered sugar and roll out the dough about 1 cm / 0.4 inches thick. Cut out stars.

Place the stars on the baking sheet and brush with the leftover egg whites. Bake the cookies for about 25 min. The pastry must feel a bit soft when removed from the oven. Remove the cinnamon stars from the baking tray with the baking paper and allow to cool on a cake rack.

3. Gingerbread Men

Ingredients: 

• 125 g / 1/2 cup soft Butter or Margarine
• 100 g / 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 pck. Oetker Vanilla Sugar alternatively a few drops Vanilla Extract
• about 1 tsp. Ground Ginger
• 1 tsp. Gingerbread Spice
• 125 ml Caramel Syrup
• 1 egg (size M)
• 375 g  / 3 cups Wheat Flour
• ½  tsp. Dr. Oetker Original Backin or any other backing powder
• 1 packet Dr. Oetker Natron or Baking Soda

For Decoration:

• 50 g Oetker Decor Fondant White
• 50 g Oetker Decor Fondant Red
• Food Decor Color White

Method:

Line baking tray with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180 C / 355 F. Put the butter or margarine with sugar, vanilla sugar or vanilla extract, spices and syrup in a mixing bowl and stir with a mixer (stir bars) first on the lowest, then on the highest level until frothy. Stir in the egg for about 1/2 min. Mix the flour with baking powder and baking soda. Knead dough on floured work surface, press a little flat and wrap it in foil. Place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 min.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface about 3 mm / 0.11 inches thin. Cut out the gingerbread men in the different sizes with the cookie cutters, place them on the baking tray and bake them for approximately 12 to 15 min.

Decorate the cookies with the modeled fondant elements (e.g. candy canes, bows, buttons) as you like.

4. Chocolate Macaroons

Ingredients:

• 150 g / 1 1/4 cups Ground Almonds
• 150 g / 1 1/2 cups of Powdered Sugar
• 2 tbsp. Dr. Oetker Cocoa Powder or any other 100% unsweetened cocoa
• 75 g / 1/2 cup Chocolate Droplets
• 2 Egg Whites (size M)
• about 32 baking wafers (Ø 4 cm / 1.55 inches)

For Decoration:

• about 2 tbsp. Chopped Almonds

Method:

Line baking tray with baking paper. Preheat oven to 200 C / 392 F. Mix almonds, powdered sugar, cocoa and chocolate droplets in a mixing bowl. Add egg whites and mix everything with a mixer (stir bars) at the highest level. Put about 1 teaspoon of the mixture on each wafer, with the teaspoon spread it over the whole wafer in a dome-shape up to the edge. Place each macaroon on the baking sheet. Cover macaroons with 3 chopped almonds and bake approximately 11 min. Once done allow to cool.

5. Lemon Cookies

Ingredients:

• 400 g  / 3 1/3 cups Wheat Flour
• 1 tbsp. Dr. Oetker Original Backin or any other baking powder
• 250 g / 1 cup soft Butter or Margarine
• 125 g  / 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 packet Dr. Oetker Finesse Grated Lemon Peel alternatively 1 - 2 tbsp. of Grated Lemon Peel
• 1 Egg (size M)

For Decoration:

• 200 g / 2 cups of Powdered Sugar
• about 3 tbsp. of Lemon Juice
• Dr. Oetker Food Coloring
• Cookie decoration of your choice

Method:

Cover baking tray with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180 C / 355 F. Mix the flour with baking powder in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and process everything with a blender (dough hook) first at the lowest, then at the highest level to a smooth dough. Roll out the dough thinly on a lightly floured work surface. Cut out different motifs with the cookie cutters. Place cookies on the baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.

Mix icing sugar with lemon juice to a thick liquid. Divide it into 4 portions and add the different food colors to it. Use a knife to spread the font on the cookies. Put nuts, sprinkles or anything else you like on top. Let the font dry well.

Now you are all set with a variety of delicious Christmas cookies. Do you want to know, where the tradition of baking cookies during Christmas start? Then continue reading here. Enjoy the most wonderful time of the year! 

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