Witchykitten's  Kitchen

 

Traditional Swiss Cookie Recipes

Mailaenderli (pronounce: my-lend'rrlee)
Xmas Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
grated rind of 1 lemon
juice of one small lemon or
1 tablespoon Kirsch
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, beaten
2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Cream the butter. Gradually beat in the sugar, beating well after each addition. Beat in the grated lemon rind, the lemon juice and the 2 whole eggs. Blend thoroughly. Stir in the flour, beginning with 2 1/2 cups. Knead the dough with the hands until it is smooth and clears the fingers. If it is too sticky, add the remaining flour. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and chill for 4 hours or overnight. Roll out the dough between two sheets of waxed paper to the thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut the dough with small fancy cookie cutters in shapes such as stars, hearts and crescents. Place them on a buttered and floured cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Brush with the beaten egg yolk. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (350) for about 15 min. or until golden.

Tips: Keep in a tightly closed container. Cookies taste best after 2 days.

Zimtsterne (pronounce: tzeemt-shtern')
Cinnamon Stars
 

3 egg whites
3 cups confectioners' sugar
3 cups unbleached grated almonds
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon mace sugar

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Beat in the confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. The mixture should be stiff and glossy. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture. Beat the almonds, lemon juice, cinnamon and mace into the remaining egg-white mixture. Let it stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour; it should dry out and be firm. Sprinkle a cutting board with sugar. Carefully roll out the dough to the thickness of 1/2 to 3/4 inch. If the dough sticks, sprinkle more sugar on the cutting board. Cut out the dough with star-shaped cookie cutters. Paint each cookie carefully and neatly with the remaining egg white mixture. Place the cookies on a buttered and floured cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated slow oven (275) for about 15 minutes or until set.

Tip: The icing must remain white.
 

Spitzbuben (pronounce: shpeetz-booben)
Jam Cookies

 

1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups butter
2 1/4 cups ground blanched almonds
2 teaspoons vanilla flavouring
3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
apricot or strawberry jam
confectioners' sugar

Beat the sugar and the butter together until light and fluffy. Beat in the almonds and the vanilla flavouring. Add the flour. Knead until smooth. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured cutting board to the thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch; the thinner, the better the cookie. Cut with small round, star or diamond-shaped cookie cutters. Place the cookies on lightly buttered and floured cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated slow oven (325) for about 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove cookies from the baking sheet. Spread half the cookies with apricot jam. Top with the remaining cookies, dip the edges into confectioners' sugar.