Only a few days until Christmas day – this means we all have a lot on our plate right now (I assume). Gifts have to be wrapped, all the meals you want to serve to your family have to be planned and prepared… and if you are out of Christmas cookies by now you normally do not make more of them, right? Well… I do, but they have to be very easy to prepare. Like these easy peasy Sugar Pearl Cookies. They are done in no time and always turn out well ;)
Christmas and these cookies here go together since I was a kid in kindergarten. If you know me you know that’s been quite a while now. We are talking about the 70s when I was in kindergarten. If I still make these cookies today, they must be something good, right? Well… there is – mostly because they are so easy, buttery, and delicious. Less is more in this case ;)
The base for these cookies is a recipe that is similar to traditional Danish Butter Cookies – almost the same just with the large sugar pearls on top instead of coarse sugar. I used a lot of these large sugar crystals for the cookies here, but the few ones I make for myself have almost no sugar pearls on top – I am a diabetic and don’t want to/can’t eat that much sugar anymore. The sugar I don’t use on my cookies ends up on the other cookies… so no losses here ;P
BTW – you can use this recipe to create many different classic German Christmas cookies: Hildabrötchen aka. Spitzbuben (sandwich cookies with jam in the center), simple “Ausstecherle” aka. sugar cookies, Engelsaugen (thumbprint cookies), and much more. If you add some cocoa to the dough you can do even more cookie variations. So in case, you need to impress, this is an easy way to do it ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
3.5 oz. (100g) butter, at room temperature
2.8 oz. (80g) confectioners’ sugar
1 3/4 cups (230g) cake flour
1 pinch of baking powder
5 tbsp. sour cream
1 medium egg yolk
1/4 tsp. water
7 oz. (200g) pearl sugar (Hagelzucker)
100g weiche Butter
80g Puderzucker
230g Mehl (Type 405)
1 Msp. Backpulver
5 EL Schmand
1 Eigelb (M)
1/4 TL Wasser
200g Hagelzucker
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) and cut out rings with a diameter of about 2 inches (5 cm). Mix the egg yolk and water in a small bowl, brush the dough rings with the egg wash and sprinkle with the pearl sugar. Place the rings on the baking sheet with some space in between and bake for 11-14 minutes until golden brown. Take out of the oven and let cool down a bit on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely. Repeat with the rest of the dough until all cookies are baked. Store in a tin box without other cookies.
2. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) vorheizen. Ein Blech mit Backpapier auslegen und zur Seite stellen. Den Teig auf einer leicht bemehlten Fläche etwa 0,5cm (0.2 inches) dick ausrollen und dann Ringe mit einem Durchmesser von etwa 5cm (2 inches) ausstechen. Das Eigelb mit dem Wasser verquirlen, die Teigringe damit bestreichen und mit dem Hagelzucker bestreuen. Mit etwas Abstand auf das Blech setzen und für etwa 11-14 Minuten goldgelb backen. Aus dem Ofen holen und auf dem Blech einen Moment abkühlen lassen, dann auf einem Kuchengitter komplett auskühlen lassen. Mit dem restlichen Teig wiederholen, bis alle Plätzchen gebacken sind. In einer Blechdose ohne andere Plätzchen lagern.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Xmas Sugar Ring Cookies
- Prep Time: 00:30
- Cook Time: 00:14
- Total Time: 02:00
- Yield: 80 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Cuisine: Germany
Description
Easy peasy Christmas Cookies my grandma liked to make: Xmas Sugar Ring Cookies with pearl sugar on top.
Ingredients
3.5 oz. (100g) butter, at room temperature
2.8 oz. (80g) confectioners’ sugar
1 3/4 cups (230g) cake flour
1 pinch of baking powder
5 tbsp. sour cream
1 medium egg yolk
1/4 tsp. water
7 oz. (200g) pearl sugar (Hagelzucker)
Instructions
1. Add butter and confectioners’ sugar to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Mix flour with baking powder and add together with the sour cream to the bowl and knead until you get a nice and smooth dough. Shape into a ball, flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for about 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) and cut out rings with a diameter of about 2 inches (5 cm). Mix the egg yolk and water in a small bowl, brush the dough rings with the egg wash and sprinkle with the pearl sugar. Place the rings on the baking sheet with some space in between and bake for 11-14 minutes until golden brown. Take out of the oven and let cool down a bit on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely. Repeat with the rest of the dough until all cookies are baked. Store in a tin box without other cookies.
Notes
Enjoy baking!
