Spritzgebäck

My grandmother used to form these with a meatgrinder but I don‘t have one so I am using my piping bag. They are very classic German “Plätzchen” and we make them before Christmas.

The dough is piped on baking sheets in different styles and has to be cooled before baking. As in winter it is very cold in Germany, I just place them outside our kitchen window.

Spritzgebäck

for about 60 cookies

ingredients

250g Butter, soft
225g sugar
seeds of 1 vanilla pod (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
a pinch of salt
2 eggs
300g flour
100g ground Hazelnuts (gemahlene Haselnüsse)

Dark Chocolate

steps

Make sure your butter is soft and not too firm. With your kitchen machine, whisk the butter and sugar, vanilla and salt until white and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one and mix well. Add the flour and hazelnuts and mix until all the flour is incorporated.

Fill your dough in a piping bag with a star tip and pipe different shapes (as you like) on a baking sheet. Refrigerate or keep outside if it is cold for at least 60 Minutes or longer.

Bake at 175°C for about 10-13 minutes.

Dip in dark chocolate.