Evi’s Heidesand Cookies

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Ingredients:

  • 200 g    Unsalted Butter, soft
  •   80 g    Confectioners Sugar
  •   50 g    Marzipan, soft
  •  1 tsp    Vanilla Sugar(5gr)
  • 250 g    Flour, sifted
  •        1    Egg Yolk
  • 1 cup    Turbinado Sugar

Directions:

Mix together the butter, confectioners sugar, marzipan and vanilla sugar.
Add the sifted flour and knead until thoroughly mixed.
Roll into 1½ inch diameter cylinders.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
When the dough is cold brush with the egg yolk and roll in the turbinado sugar.
With a sharp knife slice cylinder into ¼ inch thick pieces.
Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes at 375°F until golden brown.

Heidesand Cookies without Marzipan

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Ingredients:

  • 200 g    Unsalted Butter, soft
  •   80 g    Confectioners Sugar
  •   75 g    Almonds, ground
  •  1 tsp    Vanilla Sugar (5gr)
  • 250 g    Flour, sifted
  •        1    Egg Yolk
  • 1 cup    Turbinado Sugar

Directions:

Mix together the butter, confectioners sugar, almonds and vanilla sugar. Add the sifted flour and knead until thoroughly mixed.
Roll into 1½ inch diameter cylinders.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
When the dough is cold brush with the egg yolk and roll in the Turbinado sugar.
With a sharp knife cut cylinder into ¼ inch thick slices.
Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes at 375°F until golden brown.

Bavarian Spelt Bread “Bayerisches Dinkelbrot”

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Ingredients:

  •   400 g    Spelt Flour
  •   200 g    Wheat Flour
  •   100 g    Rye Flour
  •    2 tsp    Salt
  • 400 ml    Water, lukewarm
  •    3 tbs    Apple Vinegar
  •     40 g    Fresh Yeast or 20 g Active Dry Yeast
  •    1 tsp    Sugar
  • 100 ml    Black Coffee, lukewarm
  •    50 g    Sesame Seeds
  •    50 g    Linseed, crushed
  •    50 g    Millet

The seeds can be substituted with Sunflower Seeds or similar.

Directions:

All ingredients must be at room temperature. It is important that the dough does not get a cold draft at any time during preparation and even your hands should be warm when handling the mix.
Pour the lukewarm water into a bowl. Crumble the yeast into the water and whisk lightly until it is dissolved.
Add sugar, the lukewarm apple vinegar, 8 tbs from the wheat flour and stir together.
Cover with a damp linen towel and set in a warm place for about one hour to proof the yeast. The mixture will form bubbles (refer to Internet for more information on proofing yeast).
Do not add Salt during the proofing process!
Place the rest of the flours together with the salt in a bowl and make an indentation in the center.
Add the yeast mixture into the indentation and knead together (disposable gloves make this easier).
Add the coffee (for color) together with the seeds and knead until mixed through.
Cover with a damp linen towel and place in a warm spot for approx. 1½ to 2 hours, until double in volume.
Grease the bread form with margarine.
Punch down the dough and transfer into the form.
Cover and allow to rise again for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Bake the bread at this temperature for 15 minutes.
Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet. After the initial baking time overturn the bread onto the cookie sheet and sprinkle with water.
Turn the oven down to 390°F and bake for 40 minutes.
When 20 minutes have passed sprinkle with water again.
When you tap the bottom of the loaf and it sounds hollow, it’s done.
Cool on a wire rack.

A wonderful nutty flavor.

It takes a lot of time and patience to bake a great bread.

 

Cheese Biscuits “Käsegebäck”

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Ingredients:

Dough:

  • 250 g    Flour
  •        1    Egg
  • 180 g    Swiss Cheese, grated
  • 200 g    Unsalted Butter, softened
  • ½ tsp    Salt
  •             Paprika
  •             White Pepper

Wash:

  •       1    Egg Yolk
  • 1 tbs    Heavy Cream

Toppings:

  • Sesame Seed, Poppy Seed, Coarse Salt, Roasted Onions, Paprika, Whole Caraway, Cheese or Chopped Nuts etc.

Directions:

Mix the flour and egg together, add the butter, cheese, salt, paprika and pepper, then knead until a smooth dough forms.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out to ¼ inch thickness. With small cookie cutters cut out shapes and place unto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Lightly whip together the egg yolk and cream to create a wash, brush the top of the biscuits and sprinkle each biscuit with a desired topping.
Bake for 10-15 minutes at 390°F. Makes about 100 biscuits.

Excellent with a glass of wine glass or beer.

 

Elisen Lebkuchen**

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Ingredients:

  •   500 g    Light Brown Sugar
  •    1 tsp    Cinnamon
  •   ¼ tsp    Ground Cloves
  •    pinch    Nutmeg
  • Zest of    ½ Lemon
  •     70 g    Candied Lemon Peel
  •   500 g    Almonds, ground and finely chopped
  •          5    Eggs, medium
  •   ⅛ tsp    Baking Powder
  •   ⅛ tsp    Baking Soda

Lemon Glaze:

  •                Lemon Juice
  •                Confectioners Sugar

Directions:

Finely chop the almonds.
The candied lemon comes diced but needs to be chopped smaller. Spraying your chopping knife with Pam will make this much easier.
Beat together the eggs, sugar, baking powder, soda and spices.
Stir in the candied lemon, almonds and lemon.
Spread dough on 70 mm Oblaten the thickness of your finger.
Decorate with an almond.
Let rest overnight.
Bake at 300°F for about 30 minutes.
After the cookies have cooled brush with a lemon glaze.

Tip: If the batter is too thin, add more ground almonds and a little bit more of equal amounts of baking powder and baking soda.

Variation: Can be made in 9×13 cake pan and cut into bars then glazed. Baking time is slightly increased. Or 50mm Oblaten can be used to make smaller cookies, then the baking time would be somewhat decreased.

**Elisenlebkuchen are considered the highest quality Gingerbread/Lebkuchen. Under the German Grocery Standards, they have to contain at least 25% of Almonds, Walnuts or Hazelnuts and less than 10% Flour to be able to be sold under that name!

 

Vanillekipferl

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Ingredients:

  • 210 g    Unsalted Butter
  • 125 g    Sugar
  •        1    Egg
  • 150 g    Almonds, blanched and ground
  • 275 g    Flour
  •    3-4    Vanilla Sugar for dusting

Directions:

Cream butter, add sugar and egg, beat together.
Add flour and then knead in almonds until well blended.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pinch off a ¾ inch ball of dough and shape into crescent.
Place on parchment paper leaving 1 inch space between cookies.
Bake at 300°F for 20 minutes or until light golden.
Allow to cool slightly, so they will not break, and roll in vanilla sugar.
Makes about 4 dozen.

 

Pfeffernüsse

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Until we take our own picture. Uploaded from Wikimedia Commons. Author: Dan Phiffer

Ingredients:

  •          4    Eggs
  •       1 lb    Bakers Sugar
  •     17 g    Cinnamon
  •       5 g    Ground Cloves
  • Zest of    1 Lemon
  •     68 g    Candied Lemon and Orange Peel, combined
  •       2 g    Cardamom
  •   500 g    Flour
  •   ¼ tsp    Hirschhornsalz
  •               Confectioners Sugar for dusting

Directions:

The candied peels come diced but need to be chopped smaller. Spraying your chopping knife with Pam will make this much easier.
Beat together sugar and eggs until sugar is dissolved, then add rest of ingredients, knead and allow to rest overnight.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet spacing the balls 1 inch apart.
Bake for 10 – 15 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly and dust with confectioners sugar.

Orange Cake

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Ingredients:

  •           9    Eggs
  •    450 g    Sugar
  •           1    Vanilla Sugar
  •  Zest of    1 Lemon
  •  Zest of    2 Oranges
  •    250 g    Flour
  •    150 g    Cornstarch
  •      14 g    Baking Powder
  •      50 g    Unsalted Butter, melted
  •  200 ml    Orange Juice, freshly squeezed (3-4 oranges)
  • Juice of    1 Lemon

For the Glaze:

  •    250 g    Confectioners Sugar
  •     3 tbs    Orange Juice
  •     1 tbs    Lemon Juice

Directions:

Combine eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar and beat till frothy.
Stir in orange-and lemon zests.
Blend flour, starch and baking powder together and gently fold into the egg mixture.
Lastly add the cooled down melted butter
Butter a 10½ inch spring form and coat it with breadcrumbs.
Pour in the batter and bake at 350˚F for 60 minutes.
Check with wooden toothpick to see if it is done.
Remove the cake from the form and carefully pierce the top multiple times with a skewer.
Spoon the orange/lemon juice mix over the top and let soak in.
Stir together the glaze ingredients and brush over the cake after it cools.
Decorate with jellied orange candy (optional).

Cheese Cake without a Crust

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Ingredients:

  •   2 lbs    Ricotta Cheese
  •        6    Eggs
  • 300 g    Sugar
  •        2    Vanilla Pudding Powder, unsweetened
  •   14 g    Baking Powder
  •   50 g    Raisins
  • 20 ml    Rum
  •             Confectioners sugar for Dusting

Directions:

Soak raisins in rum for 30 minutes.
Separate eggs and beat egg white with 2 Tbs warm water till stiff peaks form.
Combine cheese, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla pudding powder and baking powder and beat until frothy.
Carefully fold in the egg whites with a whisk.
Butter a 10½ inch spring form and coat it with breadcrumbs. Pour in the batter, sprinkle the strained raisins on top and push them into the batter.
Bake at 350˚F for 60 minutes.
To prevent the cake from falling:
After 30 minutes baking, carefully loosen the perimeter of the dough with a knife from the spring form (but do not remove form) and cover the top of the form with aluminum foil and bake covered until done.
Center of cake should be firm and a toothpick should come out clean.
Dust with confectioner’s sugar after it cools down.

Red Wine Cake

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Ingredients:

  •   250 g    Unsalted Butter, softened
  •   250 g    Sugar
  •          1    Vanilla Sugar
  •          4    Eggs
  • 1 pinch    Salt
  •    1 tsp    Cinnamon
  •    1 tsp    Cocoa
  •   250 g    Flour
  •     14 g    Baking Powder
  • 125 ml    Dry Red Wine
  •  150 g    Mini Chocolate Chips
  •               Confectioners Sugar for dusting

Directions:

Whip butter and stir sugars, eggs, salt, cinnamon and cocoa.
Combine flour with the baking powder and fold in to butter mixture.
Stir in the wine and fold in the chocolate chips.
Butter a 10½ inch spring form and coat it with breadcrumbs.
Pour in the batter and bake at 350˚F for 60 minutes.
Check with wooden toothpick to see if it is done.
Remove the cake from the form and dust with confectioner’s sugar after it cools.

For connoisseurs:
Glaze the cake:
Mix 200 g confectioner’s sugar
with 3 Tbs Red Wine
and brush over the cake while still warm.
Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles or graded chocolate