Spitzbuben

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Sweet and buttery almond shortbread cookies filled with red currant jelly and dusted with powdered sugar. These traditional German Spitzbuben cookies are beautifully elegant and taste divine!

Every Christmas a part of my heart of returns home to Germany where I’m from. And that’s because Christmas in Germany is something extra special. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the Christmas markets…and of course the baked Christmas goodies that Germany is world-renowned for. German Christmas Cookies are especially beloved worldwide and today I’m going to introduce you to another traditional favorite, Spitzbuben.

What Are Spitzbuben?

Spitzbuben are Germany’s answer to Austria’s Linzer Augen and Great Britain’s Jammie Dodgers which all feature two shortbread rounds with a jam filling, essentially a jam-filled shortbread sandwich cookie. What sets Spitzbuben apart of jammie dodgers is its inclusion of ground almonds and lemon zest, and it’s different from Linzer Augen and jammie dodgers in its traditional use of red currant jelly for a delicately tart contrast to the sweet.

The German term Spitzbuben goes back to the 16th century when it was a colloquial term for a petty thief or minor criminal. Spitz refers to being sly or cunning and Bube means boy or male. It has since taken on a more humorous connotation to refer to a trickster or little rascal. Spitzbuben cookies date back to at least the early 19th century. While Spitzbuben cookies today are cut out in a variety of shapes like hearts, stars and snowflakes, traditionally the top layer had three round holes cut into it which were thought to resemble two eyes and a mouth, the face of a Spitzbube. The “trickster” element in these cookies is the pleasant tanginess of the red currant jelly juxtaposed against the buttery shortbread.

Spitzbuben Ingredients

Spitzbuben are shortbread cookies flavored with almonds and lemon. With just a handful of ingredients, these are very easy to make and can be cut out using any shapes of your choice. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:

• Flour: In Germany the flour most commonly used for baking sweet things like cookies and cakes is what is called Typ 405. The equivalent to that is pastry flour, which is made with soft wheat (much lower protein content) and is milled extra fine. If you don’t have access to pastry flour you can substitute all-purpose flour.
• Almonds: These add flavor and a nice texture to the cookies. Use fine almond flour made from blanched almonds, which means the skins have been removed so the resulting cookies will be light in color as opposed to speckled brown if using unblanched almond meal.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter. And the better the butter the better the cookies will taste.
• Sugar: Some recipes call for granulated sugar while some call for powdered sugar. I prefer granulated sugar for these particular cookies that benefit from some rigidity in order to hold together and the oldest recipes I’ve been able to find use granulated. That said, these cookies benefit from very finely ground sugar, also known as caster sugar. You can buy caster sugar or very simply make your own by pulsing it a few times in a blender.
• Vanilla Sugar: This is a staple ingredient in German baking and the most commonly used way to infused baked goods with vanilla flavor. In Germany you can find vanilla sugar packets in every store. A standard packet contains roughly 2 teaspoons of vanilla sugar. Alternatively, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
• Eggs:  You’ll use just the egg yolks. In Germany the standard size eggs are medium but you can use large egg yolks if that’s what you have. If the dough is a little too sticky simply add a little more flour. You can reserve the egg whites to make some other traditional German Christmas cookies like Kokosmakronen or Haselnussmakronen.
• Lemon Zest:  Another staple ingredient in German baking that really enhances the flavor. Use fine lemon zest to avoid long strands in your Spitzbuben.
• Salt: Just a pinch.
• Jam: The traditional choice for Spitzbuben is red currant jelly and it’s what gives Spitzbuben their characteristic tart-sweet flavor which is a really nice combination in these butter cookies. (Also check out my recipe for homemade red currant jelly.) If you prefer you can substitute raspberry jam, strawberry jam, or any jam of your choice.

Pro Tips

When working with shortbread dough, for the best texture it’s important to work quickly and to keep the dough cold. Feel free to work in batches, rolling and cutting out like a third of it at a time, keeping the rest of the dough wrapped in the fridge. Be sure to allow the assembled cookies to sit for a few hours, ideally overnight, to fully “set” before eating.

Spitzbuben Recipe

Let’s get started!

Place the flour, almond flour, sugar, vanilla sugar and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter, egg yolks and lemon zest (and vanilla extract if using), and beat with a hand mixer until combined and it resembles a crumbly mixture. Use your hands to knead it into a smooth dough. If it’s too dry add a little bit of milk. Form it into a ball, divide it in half, wrap each ball with plastic wrap and chill for 1-2 hours or overnight (or up to 3 days).

Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Line two baking sheets.

Take one dough ball out of the fridge (leaving the other in the fridge) and roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 4 mm (just under 1/4 inch). Use a small cookie cutter (about 6 cm or 2.5 inches) to cut out cookies. Knead the dough scraps back into a ball, roll it out and cut out more cookies. Repeat until the dough is used. Depending on the size of your cookie cutter you should have about 35 cookies. These will be the bottoms of the cookies. Transfer cookies onto a lined baking sheet, cover with plastic and place it in the refrigerator while you cut out the other ball of dough.

Take the second ball of dough out of the fridge and repeat the process of rolling it out and cutting out approximately 35 cookies. This time use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the center of each cookie. These will be the tops of the cookies. You should have an equal amount of each (tops and bottoms). Transfer them to a lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge, swapping it out for the first baking sheet.

Remove the first baking sheet from the fridge and bake the cookies on the middle rack for 9-12 minutes until just barely beginning to brown on the edges. The cookies should still be light in color. Remove from the oven and bake the next batch. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. In the meantime, bake the other sheet of cookies and then likewise let them cool.

Assemble the cookies: Use a teaspoon to place a dollop of red currant jelly in the center of each cookie bottom.

Place the tops of the cookies on some parchment paper and generously dust the tops with powdered sugar. Place the tops on the bottoms, giving them a gentle twist to secure the cookies. Cover the assembled cookies loosely with plastic wrap and let them sit for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, to allow the cookies to “set”. Then transfer them to a cookie tin. Spitzbuben will keep for 7-10 days at room temperature or 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.

Can Spitzbuben Be Made in Advance?

Yes. The dough can be made in advance and chilled for up to 2 days. You can likewise cut all the cookies out, place them on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for up to 2 days. Then all you have to do is remove the tray and pop it straight in the oven and then assemble the cookies.

Can You Freeze Spitzbuben?

Yes, the cookies can be baked, allowed to fully cool, and then frozen unassembled. Then remove them from the freezer, let them come to room temperature, and proceed with spreading them with the jelly and assembling them.

Enjoy!

For more traditional German Christmas recipes try my:

• Pfeffernüsse
• Stollen
• Lebkuchen
• Engelsaugen
• Marzipan
• Springerle
• Gugelhupf
• Dampfnudel
• Berliner Brot
• German Rum Balls
• Printen 
• Speculoos 
• Vanillekipferl 
• Zimtsterne
• Bethmännchen 
• Heidesand 
• Kokosmakronen