christmas cookies

Christmas is just around the corner and the anticipation for the holiday season grows with each day. I spend the last few days in the kitchen; baking cookies for my family, for friends and workmates. Lets start the festive spirit with two of them; the crisp and buttery spritz cookies, dipped in dark chocolate and the walnut stars with the crumbly and light texture.

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Makes about 50 Spritz cookies

• 375 g flour
• 250 butter, very soft and room temperature
• 150 confectioners sugar
• 120 ml milk, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 vanilla pod
• 250 g dark chocolate couverture

Preheat the oven to 180° C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

With a spatula beat the butter and the confectioners sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth.

Add the milk and the vanilla extract and whisk together.

With a sharp knife slit open the vanilla pod and scrape out the pith.

Sift the flour and fold in the flour and the vanilla pith with a spatula to the batter gently.

Transfer the dough to piping bag with a star-shaped opening and press out into rounds on the cookie sheet.

Let the piped cookies stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to let the crust forms.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

Melt the chocolate couverture gently and dip the cookies carefully in the chocolate.

Let the chocolate set and harden.

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Makes about 80 walnut cookies

• 125 g walnuts, finely chopped
• 375 g flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 125 g sugar
• 250 g cold butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• grated zest of 1 lemon

Quickly knead the flour, baking powder, sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, salt and  butter together until crumbly.

Add the egg, one egg yolk and the lemon zest and knead into a smooth dough.

Wrap the dough in a plastic bag and let it rest in a cool place for about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180° C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Roll the dough out on flour until it is about 3 mm thick. Use the cutter to cut out star shapes and then place the stars on the lined baking sheet. Re-roll the trimmings until all the dough is used.

Brush the cookies with the remaining egg yolk and bake them for about 14 minutes..

Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Happy baking and a MERRY CHRISTMAS!