Spitzbuben (Swiss Jam Cookies)

"Delicious Swiss jam cookies our family makes for Christmas. My father is from Switzerland, so I grew up with these yummy cookies. I apologize if the time and yield are slightly off; I generally make 2-4 batches at a time, so it takes an entire evening!"
 
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photo by A2471 photo by A2471
photo by A2471
Ready In:
1hr 8mins
Ingredients:
8
Yields:
24-36 cookies
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ingredients

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directions

  • Beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in the almond meal and vanilla flavouring and the white of 1 egg.
  • Add the flour and knead until smooth.
  • Chill dough in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
  • Preheat over to 325 degrees.
  • Roll out the dough on a lightly floured cutting board to the thickness of 1/8"-1/4" (the thinner the dough, the better the cookie).
  • Cut with small round, star, or diamond-shaped cookie cutters.
  • Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut a "window" in half the cookies (these will be the top of the cookie sandwiches).
  • Place all the cookies on lightly buttered and floured cookie sheets.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden.
  • Remove cookies from the baking sheet and let cool.
  • Spread the cookies without a "window" with fruit jam.
  • Coat the cookies with "windows" in confectioners' sugar, and then place on top of the cookies with fruit jam.

Questions & Replies

  1. Can this dough be refrigerated overnight?
     
  2. Can this dough be refrigerated overnight?
     
  3. All the other versions of this recipe I have found have egg in it why does yours not call for egg?
     
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Reviews

  1. I made these as Christmas gifts for my family of Swiss ancestry last year, as a fun reminder of where we come from! I was slightly concerned about my ability to pull off a sandwich cookie, but oh my word these came out amazing and were not nearly as difficult as I was afraid they would be. They were just beautiful. I used red current jam without seeds. I gave them as gifts inside of pretty little brown paper boxes with Swiss flag stampings on the outside of the packaging and tied with twine. I heard over and over again from my family after they had a chance to try them that these were incredibly good! Even from family who don't normally indulge too much in cookies. I don't keep a lot of cookies at home, but wish I saved more of these for us! They were even better after a day or two - slightly less crisp and the whole cookie felt well settled into itself. Gorgeous flavor.
     
  2. I'm made many different kinds of cookies in my time, but I'm sure this was a new experience for me, AND a very enjoyable one, at that! I was so pleased with myself that I was tempted to keep them all here for the 2 of us, but broke down & sent 2/3 of them off with my other half to share at one of my weekly meetings! I did have a small problem with the jam, since I usually think of it as 'chunky,' but with a little processing, I managed to have a strawberry jam that worked for me! Thanks for posting this wonderful recipe ~ Your cookies are a real delight! [Made & reviewed for one of my adopted chefs in this Spring's Pick A Chef event]
     
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