German Walnut Hearts Christmas Cookies
These German Walnut Hearts Christmas Cookies are a must bake for the holidays and Christmas. They contain walnuts, marzipan and are glazed with chocolate. These cookies are very easy to make and no special ingredients are needed. But it takes a while to make these cookies. Calculate 1-2 hours for making them. Happy Baking!
Ingredients German Walnut Hearts
(for about 30-40 cookies)
200 g butter
125 g powdered sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar- Find it here –
– How to Make Vanilla Sugar –
1 egg yolk
60 g ground walnuts
300 g flour
400 g baking marzipan
powdered sugar for rolling the dough
apricot jam
400 g dark chocolate, semi-sweet or unsweetened
walnut halves for decoration
Baking Instructions Walnut Hearts
– Combine butter with powdered sugar, egg yolk, vanilla sugar and ground walnuts.
– Add the sieved flour and knead until you get a smooth dough. Form a ball and wrap in plastic.
– Let sit in fridge for 1 hour.
– Add flour on a baking board or smooth surface, roll the dough so you can cut out hearts, stars or round shapes.
– Pre-heat oven to 150 C or 300 F.
– Place cookies on a baking tray that is layered with parchment paper.
– Bake cookies for 15 – 20 min.
– When done let them cool off a bit.
– Knead the marzipan with powdered sugar, roll thin and cut out with the same form you used for the cookies.
– Brush on each cookie some jam, place the marzipan cookie on top.
– Melt chocolate in double boiler.
– Dip the surface into the chocolate or brush the chocolate on top. Latter might be easier.
– Decorate right away each cookie with half of a walnut.
VARIATION
You can make double decker cookies:
– On one base cookie add the jam, then marzipan cookie, more jam and add a cookie that had been dipped into chocolate.
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German Hazelnut Macaroons – Christmas Cookies
The German Hazelnut Macaroons (in German “Haselnussmakronen”) are traditional and classic German cookies for the Holiday season and Christmas. Germany is known for its unique and delicious Christmas Bakery. If you have not made any German Christmas cookies before, then this recipe is very good to begin with. In Germany we use very thin baking wafers for these cookies. In the USA you can get them online or in special Germans stores. The good thing is that you can make the macaroons without the wafers as well but using them is so German and makes the little difference.. Happy Baking!
Ingredients German Hazelnut Macaroons
4 egg white
200 g fine sugar (confectionery sugar)
200 g ground hazelnuts or hazelnut flour – Find it here –
hazelnuts cut in half for decoration
1 hint of cinnamon
2 tbsp flour for dusting
30 wafers, 40 or 50mm (very thin round wafers ) – optional
Makes a Special GIFT for your Beloved ones!
Baking Instructions Hazelnut Macaroons
– Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
– Beat egg white with pinch of salt very firm by using a hand mixer (so firm that if you cut it with the knife you would see the cut!)
– Add sugar; sieve it over the firm egg white and carefully mix it.
– Then add the hazelnuts and cinnamon and mix it carefully (don’t use the mixer, use a wooden spoon). If you cannot get ground hazelnuts or hazelnut flour, you can use a coffee grinder to grind them.
– Dust a baking tray with flour or layer it with parchment paper.
– Place on each wafer with 2 teaspoons a small amount of hazelnut batter and place in the middle one half of a hazelnut (or a small whole one).
– Bake them for 10-15 minutes depending on the oven. Check frequently, you don’t want the wafers become brown.
Tip
If you want you can bake them without the wafers too. Instead using wafers for the bottom you can use melted chocolate and dip the bottoms of the baked macaroons in it briefly.
FIND THE BACKING WAFERS – OBLATEN – HERE
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German Halloween Muffin Recipe
The German Halloween muffins are very easy to make for Halloween; you just need some decorating items such as licorice wheels and drops from Haribo, a food decorating pen or melted chocolate that is using with a simple freezing bag. Just cut of a tiny corner piece and squeeze spider legs and bodies or spider webs onto the muffin surface. Happy Baking!
Ingredients German Halloween Muffin Recipe
125 g butter
100 g sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar Dr. Oetker
– How to Make Vanilla Sugar –
2 eggs
125 g flour
1 tbsp baking powder
Decoration:
Haribo licorice wheels and drops
Baking Instructions German Halloween Muffin Recipe
– Pre-heat oven to 370 F (180C).
– Grease muffin forms (use a tray).
– Mix soft butter, sugar and vanilla sugar thoroughly, then add one egg after the other.
– Mix flour with baking powder and add to dough.
– Fill dough into paper forms that had been placed into the forms and bake 15-20 minutes until they are golden colored.
– Let them cool off on a grid.
For the decoration unwind the licorice wheels and cut them into 2.5 inches long stripes.
– Melt white chocolate frosting in using double boiler method and spread it over the muffins.
– Licorice stripes can be used as spider legs and 1 or 2 drops for the body.
– Using food decorating pen make a spider net on other muffins.
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Dead Eyes – Creepy Halloween Drink
It’s Halloween! If you throw a party you need some fancy, creepy and scary drinks or beverages. We found a German recipe that you will love for your Halloween party: It’s the Dead Eyes Creepy Halloween Drink – make it non-alcoholic or add some alcohol, as you like. Happy Halloween!
Ingredients Dead Eyes Creepy Halloween Drink
lychees (from the can or fresh)
cherry juice
orange juice
lemonade
Instructions
– Mix lychees with cherry juice and keep it in the fridge over night. It will make them purplish.
– Before serving, fill the bowl with lemonade, and add ice cubes or a green hand.
– Make the green hand: Fill green water into rubber globes and freeze them (use filtered water or non-sparkling mineral water and green eatable color).
Tips and Variations
Alcoholic:
– Use blood orange juice and champagne.
– Use Curacao and champagne.
– Instead of adding ice cubes mix white wine with eatable color and fill it in rubber gloves; freeze them and place them into the punch (don’t use sparkling water or lemonade because the hands will brake very soon).
– Place the lychees over night in vodka and cherry juice.
Make the eyes more real looking by placing a cherry into each lychee.
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Apple Rice Casserole – Apfelreis
For many Germans in the USA this was a dish from their childhood in Germany. The sweet dish Apple Rice Casserole – Apfelreis is still a favorite and very popular. In German we call it a “Auflauf”. You would use layers of short grain rice and apples for making it. Using long grain rice is not the same, and it will turn out differently, so it’s not recommended. The rice that is used for making the Milchreis is rounded, and will be sticky when cooked. Tastes awesome with other fruit such as sour cherries, plums or apricots. Happy Cooking!
Ingredients Apple Rice Casserole – Apfelreis
1 liter milk, 1 dash salt
zest from 1 organic lemon and lemon juice
250 g Milchreis or short grain rice (arborio)
1 tsp vanilla sugar
– How to Make Vanilla Sugar –
60 g butter
3 eggs
80 g sugar
3 tbsp raisins (optional)
4 apples or alternatively 1 jar sour cherries
additional butter flakes
Cooking Instructions Apple Rice
– Combine milk with rice, salt and lemon zest in a pan. Bring to a boil and cook on reduced heat until it is mushy (stay with rice cooking instructions).
– Let cool off a bit.
– Peel apples, remove core, cut in halves, then in quarter, and finally in small pieces. Drip with lemon juice, and if you use raisins, mix them with apples.
– Combine butter, sugar and egg yolks, and mix until bubbly. Spoon by spoon add the rice.
– Beat egg white until firm. Fold into the rice.-
– Place layers of rice and apples in a casserole. Start with rice and end with rice.
– Place butter flakes on top.
– Bake in pre-heated oven on 370 F for 45 min.
– It’s ready when the upper layer has a golden brownish color.
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German Beer Bread – Original Bavarian Recipe
German Beer Bread is the best to be made with German beer and especially the Bavarian beer from Hofbrau which is one of the oldest breweries in Bavaria. Here is a little history of the Hofbrauhaus: The Hofbrauhaus was founded in 1589 by Herzog Wilhem V.
Since then the brewery and the Brauhaus are a historical location in Munich. Hofbrau are part of the Bavarian history and it is a 400 year old tradition to brew this beer that is been served at the annual Oktoberfest. We all know it by its abbreviation “HB”. Indeed it is part of Bavaria and the beer has created a life style with the beer garden, the food and the “Gemutlichkeit”.
The First Oktoberfest
Bavarian king Maximilian I. demonstrated that he is a generous man when his son Ludwig was going to marry Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. For this wedding he sponsored a gigantic celebration for 40.000 visitors; it was in fact the first Oktoberfest and happened on October 17, 1810. The sensation of the fest was the horse race on a meadow in front of the city, and from that date on it was called the “Theresienwiese” (Wiese = Meadow), and from that day on, it had been decided that such a fest should be occurring every year.
It was the starting day of the famous Oktoberfest and it is happening yearly on the “Wies’n”, the former Theresienwiese. 2 years later, in 1812, a special beer was created: The Oktoberfest Beer. It is of a dark yellow color, and is more spiced, and contains more alcohol than the regular beer. Since then the Oktoberfest beer from Hofbrau has been the world most famous beer worldwide.
Germany is known for being the country with the best beer. It is because of the water they use, the hops and of course of their traditional recipes that are kept secret for hundreds of years. The beer does not contain any chemicals, nor unnatural ingredients. It is brewed per the rules that are quite strict in Germany (Reinheitsgesetz).
It is not strange that the German cook with beer! We found a recipe to make bread and the main ingredient is beer. Happy Cooking! And Prosit!
Ingredients German Beer Bread
360 g whole grain flour (rye, wheat or a mix of flours)
1 tsp baking powder (Dr Oetker)
1 tsp salt
1-2 tbsp honey (or to taste)
375 ml light beer such as original Hofbrau or Lager or any other light German beer
some melted butter
Baking Instructions German Beer Bread
– Pre-heat oven to 190°C or 375 F.
– Grease a bread baking form of size: 4 x 9 inches (10x20cm) generously with butter or layer with parchment paper.
– In a big bowl mix all dry ingredients very well, add the honey and then the beer. You could also dissolve the honey in the beer.
– Stir a little bit but not too much, this is would not be good for the dough. You need to have some clumps in the dough. Use a wooden spoon (no mixer) and stir several times.
– Pour dough in a greased pound cake form and bake for 30-45 minutes, until it has a light brown crust.
– Remove from the oven, and increase temperature to 220 C or 425 F.
– Release the bread fro the form.
– Place the bread on a baking tray, and because the bread is hot, any butter will melt right away, so spread the butter generously over the top and sides. This creates a very nice crust.
– Place back in oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes.
Available from Sept 1 – Oct 30
Tips
If you don’t like it sweet reduce honey or don’t use sweetener at all.
Dissolve the honey in the beer. The taste might be different according to the beer you are using. A light beer is recommended that is not too strong in taste.
Don’t use Guiness, Bock beer or ale.
Add if you like ham, onions, or garlic to the dough.
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Authentic German Cabbage Soup with Croutons
This is a delicious German cabbage soup for all seasons. Soem say it’s a soup for fall and winter but honestly, I think it doesn’t matter. Nevertheless cabbage is a popular fall/winter vegetable in Germany and can be used for many German recipes such as the German cabbage soup with heavy cream. Cabbage contains a lot of Vitamin C and can be preserved easily or make your own Sauerkraut – How to make Sauerkraut – Happy Cooking!
Ingredients German Cabbage Soup
1kg white cabbage
60 g butter
80 g bacon cubes (German Speck cubes)
1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp caraway seeds
200 ml dry white wine
1 liter vegetable broth (instant or home made)
– How to make Vegetable Broth –
200 ml heavy cream
2-3 potatoes, medium size
salt, pepper to taste
4 slices farmers bread or baguette bread
5 tbsp chopped chives
Cooking Instructions German Cabbage Soup
– Cut cabbage in quarters, remove hard parts and cut it in 1 inch wide stripes.
– Heat butter, add speck, sugar and caraway seeds with cabbage and saute it until transparent.
– Fill up with wine, broth and heavy cream, spice with salt and pepper.
– Peel potatoes and grate them, mix into soup, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 25 minutes.
– Cut bread into small cubes and fry it in a skillet in 1 tsp of butter until golden colored.
– Cut chives in small pieces and when soup is done sprinkle over soup on top of croutons.
German Mustard is the Best
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Swabian Pretzel Rolls – Laugen Weckle from Swabia
The Swabian Pretzel rolls are our favorite when it comes to the German baking culture! They taste best when freshly baked with some butter. There are US stores who sell the pretzel rolls but they are not quite the same. Some are too sweet and the brown crust is different. We found an authentic and proven recipe for you, you just need Natron which is part of the lye that makes the brown crust. Happy Baking!
Ingredients Swabian Pretzel Rolls
680 g all purpose flour (in Germany it would be Type 405, see below) – Find German Flour Here –
– Click here to go to All About Flour –
30 g fresh or dry yeast (1 package is for 500g)
approx. 400 ml water
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
coarse salt to sprinkle – Find it Here –
3 EL Natron or food grade lye
Baking Instructions Swabian Pretzel Rolls
– Mix yeast with flour, salt, sugar and water. Amount of water depends on the quality of the flour, you might need less or more. So don’t add full amount of water. Start with half then add more as needed.
– Knead until you get a smooth dough. Place in a bowl, cover with kitchen clot, let rest for 30-60 min.
– Sprinkle flour on a smooth surface or a wooden baking board. Form the rolls (see the video how this is done properly as it is a special technique). One roll should weigh 75-80g.
– Let formed rolls raise for another 30 min. Form them, if needed, again.
– Pre-heat oven to 220 C (convection 190 C) or 420 F / 375 F.
– Place parchment paper on baking tray.
Make the Lye
– Dissolve Natron in 1 liter water and bring to a boil. Watch out, the water will get very foamy!
– By using a slotted spoon place 3 or 4 rolls into the lye and let boil for 1 min, turn them.
– Remove with slotted spoon and place on the baking tray.
– With a sharp knife cut the roll crosswise on top.
– Sprinkle with coarse salt.
– Bake on medium rack for 17-20 min.
Makes a Great Gift! The German Breakfast Box
Tip:
If you want to freeze the rolls don’t use the coarse salt. Add it before you will bake the rolls.
From the same dough you can also make pretzels or pretzel sticks.
What is Natron?
A naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate de-cahydrate (a kind of soda ash) and around 17% sodium bicarbonate (also called baking soda, NaHCO3) along with small quantities of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. But it is not the baking soda as you find it in American super markets. It is a bit different. In the USA they use the food grade lye and Amazon carries it. It can be the alternative.
We found food grade lye on Amazon – Find it Here – It’s good for making pretzels
– Find Imported Pretzel Rolls and Pretzel Here –
Video shows how German rolls get the typical form, it’s called “Rundschleifen” in German
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