Seasonal Festivities

Vanilla biscuits (Vanillekipferl)

For the pastry sieve 250 g flour and a pinch of baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add 125 g sugar, 1 pkt vanilla sugar, 3 egg yolks, 200g soft butter, 125g peeled ground almonds. Mix the ingredients for a moment, using the kneading attachment on the elecric mixer and a low setting, then switch to high and knead thoroughly. Turn out on to the work surface and continue kneading by hand until you have a smooth ball of pastry. If the pastry sticks pop it into the refrigarator for a while. Shape the pastry into rolls as thick as your thumb, cut off 2cm length, shape these into rolls 5 cm long with the ends thinner than the middle. Make crescent shapes and arrange on a baking sheet.

Electricity:
 175-200°C (preheated)
 
Gas:
 5-6 (preheated)
 
Baking Time:
 10-15 minutes
 

Sieve 50 g icing sugar. Mix with 1 pkt vanilla sugar and turn the biscuitrs in this mixture while they are still hot.

Cinnamon stars (Zimtsterne)

Using an electric mixer on highest setting, beat 3 egg-whites until stiff. Gradually add 250 g sieved icing sugar. Reserve 2 heaped tbs beaten egg-white. Very carefully (mixer on lowest setting), fold in 1 pkt vanilla sugar, 3 drops bitter almond flavour, 1 level tsp. Ground cinnamon, 275-325 g unpeeled ground almonds or hazelnuts (knead in enough of the remaining ground nuts so that the mixture hardly sticks at all. Roll out 2 cm thick on a work surface sprinkled with ground almonds or icing sugar. Cut out stars with star-shaped pastry cutter and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with grease proof paper. Brush with the reserved egg-white, which must be of a consistency to brush on smoothly (if necessary add a few drops of water). Push the baking sheet into the oven.

Electricity:
 130-150°C (preheated)
 
Gas:
 2-3 (cold)
 
Baking Time:
 20-30 minutes
 

The biscuits must feel slightly soft when they come out of the oven. Leave to cool on baking sheet.

Marzipan balls or ‚potatoes' (Marzipankartoffeln)

250 g of ground almonds, 250 g of icing sugar, 1 egg white, unbeaten (from a large egg), 2 teaspoons of orange flower water or rose water (available from chemists or health shops), cocoa

Mix the sugar and the almonds well. Add in the egg white and rose water or orange flower water. Use a wooden spoon at first, then knead the dough by hand until it has become one soft but firm ball. If it is too stiff, add a little more rose water or orange flower water. Break off small quantities and roll them into small balls (or ‚potatoes') the size of a marble. When all the balls are formed, roll them in cocoa until they are coated brown.

At Christmas time, you can make lovely presents of these marzipan delicacies. Cut out long rectangles of cellophane, fold in half lenghtwise and sellotape the two longer sides to make a transparent bag. You will have enough balls from this quantity to fill about half a dozen bags. Tie the bags with a red ribbon and you have a present which looks pretty and tastes scrumptiously delicious.

Christmasstollen (Weihnachtsstollen)

500 g raisins, 125 g currants, 100 g candied lemon peel, 100 g candied orange peel, 250 g almonds, 2 shot glasses of rum, 1 kg flour, 120 g yeast, 350 g sugar, ¼ l. milk, 375 g butter, 125 g butter for brushing on afterwards, 100 g icing sugar.

Pour the rum over the raisins, currants, finely chopped candied peel, and the peeled and chopped almonds. Leave overnight. Sieve the flour into bowl. Crumble the yeast, and mix with the luke-warm milk. Add the soft butter, sugar to the flour and then knead the mixture into the smooth dough. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Add the fruit that has been soaked in rum. Knead thoroughly once again, and let the dough (covered) rise for another 30 minutes. Knead once more. Roll out on a surface covered with a little flour to make an oval slab about 3 cm thick. Make a groove, with a large rolling pin along the length of the centre of the dough, and then fold one half over the other. Let the Stollen rise for another 15 minutes on a greased baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes in an oven pre-heated at 200° and then for 70 minutes at 175°. To prevent the Stollen from getting too dark, cover with greaseproof paper. Immediately after baking brush the Stollen with melted butter and sprinkle thickly with icing sugar.

See also Stuffed baked apples on German Food Site