German Orange-Poppy Christmas Cookies

These German Orange-Poppy Christmas Cookies are very special and not the typical Christmas cookies. It’s a delicious combination of a short crust base cookie topped with a mix of poppyseeds, orange, candied peel and almonds. Happy Baking!

Ingredients German Orange-Poppy Cookies

(makes 50 pieces)

125 g soft butter
75 g powdered sugar
2 vanilla beans
5 egg yolks
1 tbsp grated orange peel (organic)
275 g flour
baking powder, just a tiny bit, 1 point of a knife
100 g poppy seed filling (Mohnback, see below)
apricot jam
1 tbsp cinnamon
100 g almonds, ground
3 tbsp mixed candied peel or Orangeat (candied orange peel)
– Find candied Orange Peel Here – 
– How to make Candied Peel  –
50 g sliced almonds

Baking Instructions German Orange-Poppy Christmas Cookies

– Mix butter, powdered sugar and 2 egg yolks with the hand mixer for 5 minutes.
– Add vanilla seeds and orange peel, mix well.
– Sieve flour and baking powder on top, mix and then knead with the hands until you get to a smooth dough.
– Form a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, keep in the fridge for 2 hours.

– Combine poppy-seed filling, apricot jam, cinnamon, Orangeat with 1 egg yolk.
– On a baking board with flour roll the dough 1/2cm thick; cut round cookies (preferably the edges are wavy) one after the other without any distance in between, and place them on a baking tray that is layered with parchment paper.
– Work fast so that dough won’t get to soft; you can place the dough into the freezer if you need more time.
– Beat remaining egg yolk and brush it on the cookies: Place some almond slices in the middle and carefully brush them with egg yolk.
– Form little balls (50) out of the poppy seeds and place them in the middle on top of the sliced almonds.
– Bake them in preheated oven for 8 minutes on 190 C or 375 F;

Let cookies cool off on baking rack.