Alma Bax 
One of my greatest memories from traveling in Europe is the delicious German Butter Cookies (Butterplätzchen), which are made with butter and sugar and rolled into little balls. They are delicious, but I was surprised that there didn’t seem to be much information about them online. I decided to remedy this and write something about these delicious cookies I just had to get back home.
I have made Butterplätzchen many times in the past, but this was the first time I tried to make them on a larger scale. In addition to the usual recipe for this German treat, I added some new ingredients that I thought would make them even more yummy and fun to eat. These German butter cookies are very easy to make, and I hope my friends will love them.
If you still like the taste of butter in your fingers after eating a German butter cookie, you’re probably not alone. Here at The Food Porn Chef, we know that butter cookies are a must for any serious baker, and we’re pretty sure you’ll agree.
Just in Time for the Holidays: Delectable German Butter Cookies!
You’ve come to the correct spot if you’re looking for a simple German butter cookie recipe.
These German butter cookies, also known as Butterplätzchen in German, are a traditional German Christmas treat that are perfectly sweet and oh so wonderful.
These butter cookies are light and crumbly, similar to shortbread, and melt in your mouth as you bite into them. Anyone can make these cookies for the holidays since the recipe is simple to follow.
Butter cookies may be fashioned into a variety of forms, such as stars, trees, and circles, and then adorned with a simple icing glaze and/or a variety of festive sprinkles. You may, of course, eat these butter cookies plain!
All adorned and ready to eat German butter cookies!
Butter cookies (or butter cookie variations) are also popular in other European nations, such as Denmark. Old fashioned German butter cookies, on the other hand, have a long tradition as a Christmas delicacy.
Are you looking for more holiday cooking ideas? Cinnamon star cookies, German rum balls, mulled white wine, traditional spritz cookies, and vanilla crescent cookies are some of our favorites.
Although butter cookies may not include famous seasonal spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, they are nonetheless a holiday favorite. Butter cookies are appreciated by everyone because of their simple taste.
German butter biscuits are simple to prepare and popular.
They are, of course, very popular in Germany. Lisa (who was born and reared in Germany) spent her childhood creating and decorating them with her family.
German butter biscuits are fun to prepare with kids since the festive toppings allow you to be very creative. Even though we’re adults, we had a great time decorating ours!
Our German butter cookie recipe is simple to make and only requires a few basic ingredients. It’s also not a very sweet cookie on its own, thanks to the richness of the glaze and sprinkles.
If you like sweeter cookies, increase the sugar in the recipe slightly (read the recipe card for baking notes).
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making German Butter Cookies
If you want to bake German butter cookies for the next holiday season, use the recipe card below.
You may follow along with the recipe process pictures below if you want to see what the steps look like. You’ll be able to see whether you’re on the correct track this way!
In a large mixing basin, combine all of your ingredients.
In a mixing dish, combine the flour, butter, sugar, salt, vanilla essence, and egg. Using your clean hands, knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it can be formed into a ball.
A dough ball…
Kneading is complete when all of the ingredients have been well combined and the dough can easily be formed into a ball.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator.
Refrigerate the dough ball for 30 minutes after wrapping it in cling film.
On the counter, the butter cookie dough was smoothed out…
Sprinkle some flour on the counter and spread out the dough with a rolling pin after it has cooled enough.
Aim for a thickness of around 3/8 inch and attempt to keep it consistent throughout, since this will affect the baking time.
It’s a lot of fun and strangely gratifying to use a cookie cutter….
Cut out the cookies using your cookie cutters.
Look at how many distinct butter biscuit forms there are!
Then, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, arrange your cookies.
Butter cookies that have just been made!
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes on the center rack of the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
This time may be somewhat longer or shorter for you, depending on how thick you created the cookies.
Using water and powdered sugar, we made a basic glaze.
After the cookies have cooled, mix together powdered sugar and lemon juice or water in a small dish to make the glaze, which will also serve as an adhesive for your sprinkles.
It’s a pain to glaze the butter biscuits…
The glaze may then be applied on the cookies using a brush or a butter knife.
We had a great time decorating the cookies!
Then you may add the sprinkles or other embellishments of your choosing. Here’s where you can truly let your imagination run wild.
Just be sure to put the cookies away once the glaze has hardened.
German butter biscuits, which may be adorned in any way you choose!
That’s all there is to our easy butter cookie recipe. We hope you enjoy these traditional Christmas goodies!
You may keep your butter cookies for up to three weeks if you put them in an airtight jar with a cover.
Ingredients
The Dough
- 2 cups flour (all-purpose)
- 3/4 cup cold butter
- 1 teaspoon extract de vanille
- 1/3 cup sugar, granulated
- 1 egg, medium size
- a generous teaspoon of salt
The Finishing Touch (optional)
- a half-cup of powdered sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp lemon juice or 2 1/2 tsp water
- sprinkles to use as decorations
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, butter, sugar, salt, vanilla essence, and egg. Knead the dough with your hands until it forms a ball (this takes around 5 minutes).
- Refrigerate the dough ball for 30 minutes after wrapping it in cling film.
- Remove the dough from the fridge after 30 minutes has passed. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare the baking pans with parchment paper.
- Dust a flat surface with flour and spread out the dough with a rolling pin until it is about 3/8 inch thick. Cut out the cookies using your cookie cutters and put them on parchment paper. When the rolled-out dough is gone, collect the scraps, make another ball, roll it out, and cut additional cookies. Repeat the procedure until all of the dough has been utilized.
- Bake your cookies for 10-12 minutes on the center rack of your oven, or until they are gently golden brown around the edges. Your baking time may vary somewhat depending on your oven and the thickness of your cookies.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then take the parchment paper from the baking sheet with the cookies on it and allow the cookies to cool completely.
- Optional: Make the topping by mixing powdered sugar with lemon juice or water in a small dish after the cookies have cooled completely. This will act as a “glue” for the sprinkles and other embellishments. Apply a thin layer of “glue” on the cookie and then decorate as desired. Here’s where you can truly let your imagination run wild. If you want to add frosting or sprinkles to your cookies, wait until the glaze has set before doing so.
Notes
- Because we typically garnish them with a sweet glaze and sweet sprinkles, the cookies themselves will not be that sweet. Use 1/2 cup sugar instead of 1/3 cup sugar if you want your cookies to be somewhat sweeter (maybe because you don’t want to decorate them).
- You may add a little extra flour if your dough is too sticky.
- Add a little extra butter if your dough is too stiff or crumbly. However, try kneading the dough first; it’s typical for dough to be crumbly at first. The dough should form a ball as you knead it. Feel free to add additional butter if this does not happen.
Information about nutrition:
Approximately 60 servings 1 Serving Size: 1 Serving Size: 1 Serving Size: 1 Serving Size: 1 Serving Size: 1 Serving Size 45 calories 2g total fat 1 gram of saturated fat 0g trans fat 1 gram of unsaturated fat 9 milligrams of cholesterol 22 mg sodium 5 g carbohydrate 0g fiber 2 g sugar 1 gram of protein
An online nutrition calculator was used to determine this nutritional information. It should only be used as a guideline and not as a substitute for expert dietary guidance. Depending on the particular components used, the exact values may vary.
How did this recipe turn out for you?
You may save it to one of your Pinterest boards and come back to it at any time!
These butter cookies are from Germany. They are thick, soft and their texture is about the same as the one that you get in the U.S. They are very good with tea and coffee. You can get these cookies from Germany from any bakery.. Read more about german butter cookies brand and let us know what you think.
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