Spiced Spitzbuben
I love the classics: Mailänderli, Brunsli, Zimtsterne, and of course, those jammy jewels, Spitzbuben.
But I’m not against a twist on a classic, especially if it is easy.
If you already plan to make Spitzbuben, it’s easy to swap in a new filling. Fill half with a traditional favourite like red currant jelly or raspberry jam, and try out something new with the rest.
Homemade mincemeat
This year, missing the Christmas season in the UK, we made our own mincemeat in mid-November, ready for Christmas pudding and fruitcake.
Then we decided to stuff some in our Spitzbuben.
The buttery cookie base recalls the taste of mince pies and this cookies has become a new favourite in our house.
Can’t find mincemeat and don’t have time to make your own mix? You can substitute with Birnenweggenfüllung, a spiced pear filling that is ready-made and available in Swiss supermarkets and the Landi.
If you are feeling adventurous, you can fill your Spitzbuben with anything from chocolate and caramel to Nutella.
Or try my Luusmeitschi (why should boys have all the fun?), which are filled with lemon curd.
375 g flour
125 g sugar
1 tsp cinnamon or Lebkuchen spice
pinch of salt
250 g butter, cold
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp cold water
to assemble
mincemeat/Birnenweggen filling
powdered sugar
Mix the flour, sugar, spice and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cold butter in pieces and rub into the flour mixture with your fingers until it is quite sandy.
Separate the yolk into a small bowl and break it up with a fork then stir in the water. Pour this into the sandy mixture and use the fork to mix the dough until it comes together into a ball.
Separate the dough into two discs and wrap in plastic.
Let cool in the fridge for at least an hour.
When you are ready to cut and bake:
Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F / gas mark 4
Roll out dough to be about half a cm thick and cut out cookies, trying not to work the dough too much when you re-roll. In half cut an additional hole (or three) to make the top.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just golden.
To assemble:
Separate the tops from the bottoms. Dust powdered sugar over the tops. Smear a little mincemeat or Birnenweggenfüllung (about half a teaspoon) on the bottom half and gently press the two parts together.
If you tend to have warm hands, take a break while rubbing in the butter so as not to melt it. Just pop the bowl in the fridge and run your hands under cool water for a minute.
Rolling the dough out before chilling is a great way to save time when making cookies. It also allows you to cut out the dough faster and avoids adding extra flour when rolling out.
Try to use the dough within a couple of hours of cooling, as longer in the fridge will dry it out. An hour is sufficient, but if you need to make it in advance, you can freeze the dough—just leave it in the fridge overnight to defrost.
Mincemeat can be chunky—we processed ours to make it smooth before using (we used a Bamix immersion blender and poured in a few tbsp hot tea, but a food processor would also work well).
Birnenweggen filling can be bought ready-made and is available in Swiss supermarkets and the Landi. If you have dried pears, it is possible to make your own—recipe at the bottom of my post on Birnenweggen, or Betty Bossi has a recipe too, adding other fruits and nuts.
If you don’t have Lebkuchen spice mix, use mixed spice or gingerbread spice. Alternatively, you can make your own:
Lebkuchen Spice Mix
Mix together:
1 tsp each ground ginger, anise, cinnamon, coriander
1 generous pinch ground nutmeg and cloves
Another twist on a classic?
Eisbär Brunsli
