Plätzchen Archives - Jenny is baking

Sugar Cookies as a Wreath with Royal Icing and Merry Christmas!

Right before Christmas I wanted to share a sugar cookie with royal icing made to wreaths. I use these for our Christmas tree, but obviously you can also just eat them like this or give away as a gift. My Christmas tree ornaments always need to be homemade, at least most of them. I usually decorate my Christmas tree with gingerbread. As we have a dog now, we do have some “fake” gingerbread ornaments, mainly hanging at the bottom so that there is no danger. However, this year I decided to also decorate with the sugar cookies made as Christmas wreaths. Continue Reading…

23/12/2022

More Than 20 Seasonal Cookies

I learned recently that it is common in Germany to serve a plate full of Christmas cookies on the first of advent (this year on November 27th). I know, this is different than in the U.S. Christmas is already full in force here as we don’t have Thanksgiving. So I figured I would show you more than 20 cookie recipes to choose from. I decided to pick unusual recipes, recipes you haven’t tried yet, many of them from the U.S., but also from Latin America and some German ones that are not that common. I hope you find some to your liking.

#1 Brownie cookies from the U.S.

16/11/2022

Ginger Cookies for the Season

Today I am introducing you to these amazing ginger cookies! They have three types of ginger in them, freshly grated ginger, ginger powder and candied ginger. I promise you, they do taste like ginger. I love their buttery flavor. The chocolate adds a nice contrast. If you are looking for some delicious cookies for the season, look no further, these ginger cookies are perfect for any cookies box.

11/11/2022

Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Finally some cookies on the blog again. I haven’t posted a recipe for 9 (!) months, can you believe that? This is extra crazy because of course there were cookies in our house during those nine months, believe me. I find it sad that Germans tend to bake cookies only for the season, there even is a special word for these cookies, instead of Kekse you will say Plätzchen. But I ignore that, for me cookies can be eaten all year long. We had brownie cookies, my favorite chocolate chip cookies and Nutella chocolate chip cookies, recently we have had vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies or pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting.

07/10/2022

Cute Nutcrackers with Royal Icing

Süße Nussknacker aus Mürbeteig mit Eiweißglasur

Today I have some ultra-cute nutcrackers for you guys made from sugar cookies with royal icing. Yes, they do require a bit of work, but for me that’s the best way to relax. Especially since you can make each step on a different day (like make the dough, bake, decorate), which I find super convenient. I love the fact that these cookies keep and will look great in any cookie box. You can also wrap them individually and give them as a gift to somebody. What do you say? You can of course use other cookie cutters, such as ugly sweaters and the like…

11/12/2021

My Favorite Hazelnut Cookies Shaped Like Squirrels

Haselnussplätzchen als süße Eichhörnchen

Today I am going to introduce you to a delicious hazelnut cookie in the shape of a squirrel. You need to know that I have tried several hazelnut cookies. I wanted to get a nice cut-out cookie, in my opinion the squirrles should have some nutty flavor, don’t you think? I have been trying since the time I got this adorable squirrel cookie cutter! So far no success, but finally, when I made this recipe, I was so happy with the result and alas, today you get this recipe as well.

28/11/2021

My Nine Favorite Holiday Cookies

I am not the conventional German cookie maker. Yes, of course I have all the traditional German cookies on my blog, such as vanilla crescents, cinnamon stars, gingerbread aka Lebkuchen and Linzer. However, my favorite cookies, even during the season, are usually not the traditional Christmas cookies. I usually prefer cookies you can eat all year round. Many German cookies are based on some version of sugar cookie or even pie crust, if you are looking for tips how to deal with this type of sugar cookie, check out this blog post. I also have one full blog post on how to freeze leftover egg yolks and egg whites. If you are looking for some different cookie, below list may be for you. I usually make a full plate with different cookies and many times one of the below cookies was declared the favorite from the receiver of the cookie plate.

Continue Reading…

19/11/2021

Classic Frisian Cookies

If you are looking for a plain cookie that goes well all year round, look no further, these Frisian cookies are for you. They are prepared with a simple dough, containing constarch to make them extra tender. They go well with a nice cup of tea (normally black in the north of Germany). The cookies remind me of the Argentinian or Uruguayan cookies called alfajores as they also contain cornstarch. Classic Frisian cookies are also related to Heidesand cookies, which are also rolled first and then sliced into cookies and are also from the north of Germany from the region Lüneburger Heide.

12/11/2021

Pfeffernüsse or German Spice Cookies from Grandma

Have you ever heard of Pfeffernüsse aka German spice cookies? I live in the south of Germany in the city Munich. Once I asked in a bakery whether they sold any and they look at me as if as were from Mars. So I checked, since there are so many German dialects, maybe they use another word in Bavaria, but no, I quickly learned that they are also called Pfeffernüsse here. However, they seem to be more common in the north of Germany, the Dutch and Danish also have similar versions. The handwritten recipe book from my grandma contains about ten different recipes. Many of her recipes contain peppermint extract and this one is closer to gingerbread or German Lebkuchen. Pfeffernüsse literally translates as “pepper nuts”, probably they are called “nuts” because they are the size of walnuts. At least the ones I grew up with are rather small.

27/11/2020

Soft Snickerdoodles

Weiche Zimtkekse aus USA: Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are America’s answer to German cinnamon stars! I love snickerdoodles and I find it super exciting every time a German tries one and declares it the new favorite cookie. Snickerdoodles are easy to prepare and are similar to how sugar cookies are created. You will need cream of tartar for these beauties to stay soft and puffy. The recipe does not require any chilling.

13/11/2020

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