I have the feeling that everyone already knows these Super Easy Christmas Cookies aka. Vanilla Traumstücke. There are so many recipes out there for these simple cookies, I think I’ve seen hundreds of recipes over the years… but I’ve never made them myself until last year. But what can I say – they are so delicious! The question remains – why did I wait so long to bake them?! I don’t know! ;)
Well… what can you do?! Better late than never, right? After all, you can’t bake every cookie recipe that’s out there in the wild. I am trying, but it’s really a lot! If you wanted to try every single Christmas cookie recipe, you’d have nothing else to do but bake cookies from January to November. ;)
Germans probably all know Traumstücke (translated dream pieces – i know… it sounds weird). If you don’t, you can find the recipe below. ;P These cookies are extremely easy to prepare and quickly baked. I have made them several times this year already. As soon as they are in the cookie box, they disappear quickly. Something I like about this type of cookies – you can prepare the dough, keep it in the fridge for a few days or freeze it. Whenever you are in the mood for Christmas cookies, you can bake a batch and enjoy them!
Traumstücke are typical butter biscuits that melt in your mouth. In terms of texture and flavor, I think they are quite similar to Vanilla Crescent Cookies (aka. Vanillekipferl) – just without the nuts. Though, there are also recipes for Traumstücke that use nuts as an ingredient. There are a lot of options for these cookies, tbh.
I use vanilla bean paste* for the cookies here, because I like it when you can see those little specks of vanilla in a dough. If you don’t have that at hand, good old vanilla extract* (bought or homemade) or plain vanilla sugar can be used here as well. As long as you can get some nice vanilla flavor into the cookies, everything is allowed. ;P These days many people will probably opt for the cheaper vanilla sugar, because real vanilla has become extremely expensive…. but as I said – that’s ok! My grandma never used real vanilla for her bakes. ;P
While we’re on the subject of saving money – in theory, you can also prepare these cookies with cheaper plant-based fat (aka. margarine) instead of butter. That one is also getting more expensive by the minute. ;P Just keep in mind that many margarine products contain more water and less fat compared to butter. If you use those softer, spreadable margarine products, the dough will not firm up in the fridge – no matter howl long you will it. I recommend using margarine that is firm and sold in blocks for a recipe like this one here. I have always had good results with Alsan Bio*, for example. Just a side note…
Enough about these cookies here – there are plenty more Christmas (cookies & more) recipes here on the blog. If you’d like to try something that hasn’t been on your to-do list yet, you might want to take a look at my Chocolate Biscoff & Speculoos Spitzbuben. Those cookies might be something new for your family or friends.
If you prefer something less traditional, you should definitely try my Llama & Cactus Christmas Cookies – those are definitely an eye-catcher on the Christmas cookie plate. Or maybe something completely different? What about a No-Bake Vanilla Crescent Cheesecake? That one has a lot of fans – not only in our family. It’s simply delicious! ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(about 50 cookies)
10.6 oz. (300g) all-purpose flour
3.5 oz. (100g) sugar
7 oz. (200g) butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
confectioners’ sugar & vanilla sugar for rolling
(etwa 50 Plätzchen)
300g Mehl (Type 405)
100g Zucker
200g weiche Butter
2 TL Vanillepaste
Puderzucker & etwas Vanillezucker zum Wälzen
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Add the flour and sugar to a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter in small pieces, as well as the vanilla extract, and work both into the flour and sugar. Mix/knead with a hand mixer (with dough hooks) or your hands until you get a smooth dough. Divide the dough into four portions and shape each portion into a roll/log with a thickness of about 2 cm. Wrap the rolls/logs into plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.
3. Cut the dough rolls/logs into slices with a thickness of about 2 cm and place them with some space in between on the prepared baking sheet. Keep leftover dough in the fridge. Bake the cookies for about 12-14 minutes – the cookies should only get a little color. Take out of the oven, let cool down briefly on the baking sheet, then roll each cookie in a mixture of confectioners’ sugar and vanilla sugar. Let cool down completely on a wire rack. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
1. Mehl und Zucker in einer großen Schüssel vermengen. Die Butter in kleinen Stücken, sowie die Vanillepaste dazugeben und alles zu einem glatten Teig verarbeiten – entweder mit einem Handmixer und Knethaken oder den Händen. Den Teig vierteln und jede Teigportion auf einer leicht bemehlten Fläche zu einer etwa 2 cm dicken Rolle formen. In Klarsichtfolie einschlagen und dann für mindestens 30 Minuten (oder über Nacht) in den Kühlschrank legen.
2. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Ein Backblech mit Backpapier auslegen und zur Seite stellen.
3. Die Teigrollen in etwa 2 cm dicke Scheiben schneiden und diese mit etwas Abstand zueinander auf das vorbereitete Blech setzen. Was nicht auf das Blech passt, in den Kühlschrank legen bis zur zweiten Runde. Die Traumstücke etwa 12-14 Minuten backen – die Plätzchen sollen nur wenig Farbe bekommen. Aus dem Ofen holen, nur kurz abkühlen lassen und dann in einer Mischung aus Puderzucker mit ein wenig Vanillezucker wälzen. Auf einem Kuchengitter abkühlen lassen. Mit dem restlichen Teig wiederholen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
The Easiest Christmas Cookies aka. Vanilla Traumstücke
- Prep Time: 00:05
- Cook Time: 00:14
- Total Time: 00:50
- Yield: 50 1x
- Category: Christmas Cookies
- Cuisine: Germany
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The easiest Christmas cookies the world has ever seen – Vanilla Traumstücke. We love these Christmas Cookies in Germany! So easy and so good!
Ingredients
10.6 oz. (300g) all-purpose flour
3.5 oz. (100g) sugar
7 oz. (200g) butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
confectioners’ sugar & vanilla sugar for rolling
Instructions
1. Add the flour and sugar to a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter in small pieces, as well as the vanilla extract, and work both into the flour and sugar. Mix/knead with a hand mixer (with dough hooks) or your hands until you get a smooth dough. Divide the dough into four portions and shape each portion into a roll/log with a thickness of about 2 cm. Wrap the rolls/logs into plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.
3. Cut the dough rolls/logs into slices with a thickness of about 2 cm and place them with some space in between on the prepared baking sheet. Keep leftover dough in the fridge. Bake the cookies for about 12-14 minutes – the cookies should only get a little color. Take out of the oven, let cool down briefly on the baking sheet, then roll each cookie in a mixture of confectioners’ sugar and vanilla sugar. Let cool down completely on a wire rack. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
Notes
Let’s get baking!
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