Spitzbuebe (little Rascals or Linzer Cookies)

Spitzbuebe – ‘Littel Rascals’ – Swiss Christmas Cookies

Spitzbuebe translates literally to mischievous boys, but I have seen similar cookies called Linzer cookies here in the US.

This is how I make the and the way my recipe adapted over time. You would do well to not work in a warm kitchen and maybe this is not the cut-out you want to make after a long and stressful day, or have your little ones help you with for that matter. My mom would almost always make them after we went off to bed. Now I know why. The dough can go from crumbly to sticky and crumbly (can you believe it) in a matter of minutes and depending on the way the dough came together that particular day, can make you walk the edge towards insanity unless you maybe make them right after a yoga class. With the changes I made to the recipe (like using a whole egg, for example) the chances of that happening have drastically decreased. Although this time a year Yoga classes might be a good idea no matter what. Nothing like the clear head after a good and sweaty class!

Oh and by the way, these are pure indulgence, not really a host of health claims attached. But they are worth every single calorie!

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 and 3/4 cups flour (350g)
• 2 tsp vanilla sugar (if you use essence, use the clear version, the dark one can give the delicate dough a strange color)
• 2-3 tbsp currant jelly
• confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Stir butter until soft, then add sugar and stir until little bubbles show on the bottom of the bowl (see picture)
2. Add the egg, mixing well.
3. Add the vanilla sugar and the flour, stir until just combined, knead together quickly, form into a ball, cover the bowl and chill for a minimum if 4 hours
4. When ready, take the dough out of the fridge and let warm up a bit (15-20 minutes, if you kitchen is cool) cut of half of the dough, keeping the rest chilled, and roll out to a thickness of about 1/16″ (do 1/8″ then roll just a bit more)
5. Preheat your oven to 400ºF and line several cookie sheets with parchememnt paper or silicon mats (My cutter is a little over 2″ in diameter and I made a good 3 sheets full. Remember, you’ll end up with half as many cookies as what you bake)
6. Cut out round shapes, making sure you have one for the bottom and one for the top. From all the top pieces, cut out a small shape such as a heart, star, flower or round. If you have special cookie cutters, the tops might be done in one step. Just make sure you have an equal number of tops and bottoms
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the middle of the preheated oven, until just starting to turn a little golden. Cool on the sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire racks.
8. Once cooled, separate tops and bottoms. Place the wire rack with the tops over a sheet of parchment paper and using a small strainer sprinkle the tops with confectioner sugar until completely white.
9. Heat the currant jelly in a small bowl until liquid. Fifteen seconds in the microwave works great. Using a pastry brush, brush the a bottom piece with some jelly, then gently place a finished top on it and set aside. Continue until no more cookie halves remain.
10. Try to refrain from eating all of them before you showed them off to at least a few friends.

For more classic Swiss Christmas Cookies check here

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