These German hazelnut Christmas cookies are easy to make & look and taste great, with a delicious flavoring from the hazelnut.
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I mentioned before that I have been lucky enough to live in a few places. This has included being in other countries at this time of year when there are often lots of interesting things to experience and, of course, eat. These days as we are becoming more and more aware of and interested in other cultures, we seem to adopt many traditions and food.
That is certainly true of some of the sweet goodies around at this time of year. Italian panettone, German stollen and sometimes British Christmas cake or Christmas pudding are circulating that bit further. German Christmas cookies are also ones that have traveled not too badly. Though as with many things, the bought versions are never as good as homemade. These German hazelnut Christmas cookies are the perfect example.
Recipes rediscovered
I studied in Germany for a while and not so long ago I came across a number of recipes for Christmas cookies that our teacher gave us one time. It both brought back memories and reminded me how out of practice my German is. I was finding it tricky to translate the recipes that at the time were like second nature to understand.
Anyway, I battled on and have had a play with the recipes. I have been enjoying the results, too. Certainly they have gone down well in this house and, if nothing else, look great on the tree thanks to the cute snowflake cutters I managed to get when I was across in Edinburgh last week.
But don't waste them on the tree, they are definitely worth eating too. These cookies are lovely and crumbly with a delicious flavor from the hazelnut flour/ground hazelnuts. You would think there was more in there, it gives a surprisingly complex flavor, but the recipe is actually very simple.
How they're made
These are easy to make and are fun to make with kids as well, though with more normal cutters rather than slightly fiddly ones as I went for. They keep not badly, too, if they get the chance, and can be decorated as you like. You can use frosting/icing, a dusting of powdered sugar or dipped in or drizzled with chocolate.
They would be a great treat to bring to any holiday party and fit nicely in to that 'look more impressive than the effort gone into them' category. I have reduced the sugar a bit from the original though there is still a bit. As with so much associated with this time of year, it's not for every day but for now and again, it's a tasty treat.
Just a couple last notes on making them. First, my apologies for not adding cup measures, I forgot to check and found it easy enough to just put the bowl on the scales as I added so hopefully that works for you too. If you do use a more fiddly cutter as I did, you will probably want to roll slightly thicker.
Make sure you flour your rolling pin or it will stick (speaking from experience). The dough can be hard to pull together initially but it becomes a lot easier to use as it warms and is rolled out. If you want to dust with sugar, do this while they are still warm, but icing or chocolate should be put on once cooled.
Other than that, enjoy these delicious German hazelnut Christmas cookies, and Frohe Weihnachten!
Looking for more German Christmas ideas? Try these!
- Try a glass of gluhwein (mulled wine)
- Bake a stollen (German Christmas cake)
- Try some other German Christmas cookies from my collection like German ginger cookies
Plus get more German recipes and Holiday recipes in the archives.
German hazelnut Christmas cookies
Ingredients
- 7 oz unsalted butter 200g
- 3 oz sugar 80g
- 1 egg yolk
- 6 oz hazelnut flour 170g, ground hazelnuts
- 8.75 oz all purpose flour 250g plain flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
- Cream together the butter, sugar and egg yolk until well combined.
- Add the hazelnut and regular flour, mix well and bring the mixture together into a ball.
- Roll out mixture on a lightly floured surface to about ¼in/3-4mm thick and cut with cutters or into shapes.
- Place cut shapes onto a baking sheet/tray and bake for approx 8-10min until lightly brown. If they go a bit browner they will still taste fine, they will just be a bit more brittle.
- Decorate as desired (simple icing is confectioners/icing sugar mixed with water on an approx 4:1 ratio).
Nutrition
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Remember to pin for later!
Iris
I know you posted this some time ago, but on the chance you still are checking..... These are stunning, just tripped across this!!! I have the exact cutters and tried them this afternoon with your recipe. Can NOT get the dough to come out of the cutters no matter how hard I try. Tired flouring the cutters, dipping them in vegetable oil..... Do you have a special trick? I'd really love to make these using the beautiful cutters.
Caroline's Cooking
Hi Iris, thanks for stopping by and so nice to hear you have tried these - I agree they are tricky to make, I haven't made them for a while now but as I remember I dipped the cutters in flour and I also used a sharp knife to help push the cookie out of the cutter if it stuck, then just flattened off any knife marks. I think it helped the dough being a little colder rather than warm from your hands, so you can try chilling it a little as well. Good luck!
Iris
Caroline, thanks so much for responding. I'm nothing if not determined, and I'm determined to make these beautiful cutters work with this lovely recipe. It must be that stubborn German heritage of mine 🙂 I will try chilling the dough first and see if that helps.
Iris
Ginger
These look amazing! I have no idea how I could have missed them! Bookmarked for Christmas 2015 😉
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, I will definitely be making them again!
Justine
These cookies look wonderful! I would love to get my hands on those beautiful cookie cutters and try making these myself.
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Justine, even without the cutters they taste great!
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life
These are so festive and they look delicious! I don't normally use cookie cutters but these really are so cute! Thank you for sharing them with us at Foodie Fridays! Pinning and sharing!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, I don't either, these are actually the first cookie cutters I have owned!
Jessica
These are beautiful and I imagine taste delicious. Where would one find cutters such as yours pictured?
Caroline's Cooking
Thank you, Jessica, I got these in a shop in the UK called Lakeland. I'm afraid I am not sure where/if they are available elsewhere.
Hannah Hossack-Lodge
These look so pretty and delicious, and I love the cutters 🙂
Caroline's Cooking
Thank you! Yes I don't normally get excited about things like cutters, but these ones...they are a bit fiddly to use but worth it!
Mira
These cookies look awesome! Just saw them on Tasty Kitchen and I loved them! Saving the recipe and will try it!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, Mira, they are really tasty as well. Hope you like them!
Wendy
Such pretty snowflakes! One of the best parts of travel, for me, is the bits and pieces of other cultures that can adopted into our own lives. When I bake/cook recipes from places I have visited, the food is accompanied by happy memories. p.s. I love scale measurement! It is so much more accurate (and EASY) but Americans are so resistant to it!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, I agree it's great to take bits of your travel home. And I was brought up with weight measures so it is more natural to me!
Veronica Lee
Mmmmmm! These look divine!
Hi! Stopping by from Mom Bloggers Club. Great blog!
Have a nice day!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks for dropping by and the kind words. I hope you will come by again to enjoy future posts!