Spitzbuben Cookies
Here is a description of the process to make Spitzbuben cookies. They are Swiss butter cookies with rasberry jam in the middle, covered with some powdered sugar. Special credit goes to René and Ariette for showing me how to do this.

(click on photo for larger image)



Basic ingredientes

Measuring butter

Add sugar (butter can be mixed also)

Mix butter and sugar until creamy

Mix...

Just about mixed.

After adding flour and mixing, knead.

Knead into a firm ball then refridgerate.

Roll out with swift movements.

Don't press hard on the dough.

Cut circles. (wine glass used here)

Cutting...

Cut centers from top halves.

Enjoy doing it.

Peel off extra dough with knife.

Slide knife rapidly under dough to lift it.

Handing dough to a friend to place on a tray.

Removing star, and handing to
Ariette.

Fill with rasberry jam (after baking for 10-15min @ 350F).

Let jam slide down knife.

Rotate cookie to spread jam in center.

Lightly coat with sugar.

Coating...

Recipe (English) Ingredients: 100g Powdered Sugar 200g Butter (unsalted, European style) 300g (I prefer unbleached) White Flour 130g Raspberry Jam 1 Pinch Salt Instructions: Stir/Mix butter and sugar in a (warm if desired) bowl until substance is creamy. The bowl need not be warmed; it just makes mixing easier. I do all steps by hand. After the substance is creamy, mix in flour. When flour is mixed in, the dough can be kneaded into a ball. Next, refrigerate for about one hour. It should look like this. Next, break out a portion of the dough, and roll it out to about 3mm thick. (Flour the rolling surface and rolling pin. A marble rolling surface is used in the photos). Cut out round pieces of dough (a wine glass is used here). You can use a special cutter for the top halves. Lay the dough cut-outs on cookie sheets with baking paper. Insert sheets into a 356F (180C) oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove before cookies turn brown. They should remain yellow/white. Allow cookies to cool. Add raspberry jam to the center of the uncut cookies. Add cut-out cookie tops. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, then eat! The measurements above yield about 20 cookies if cookies are about 2 inches (about 5cm) in diameter.



Recipe (German)

Teig:   100g Puderzucker
        200g Butter (nicht gesaltzen)
        300g Mehl
	130g Himbeer Konfituere
        1 Prise Salz

        Butter und Zucker in warmer Schuessel schaumig ruehren.
        Mehl rasch einarbeiten, Teig 1 Stunde kuehlstellen.

Formen: Auf wenig Mehl 3mm dick auswallen. Runde Plaetzli ausstechen.
        Die Haelfte dieser Plaetzchen braucht man als "Deckel", daraus
        werden, z.B. mit einem Fingerhut, kleine Kreise ausgestochen.

Backen: Bleck mit Backtrennfolie belegen, Ofen vorheizen, Blech auf 
        drittunterste Rille einschieben. 
        Elektrisch 180 Grad (Celsius), 15 Minuten, Gas Stufe 2.
        Nach dem Erkalten auf die Guetzli ohne Loch Aprikosen- oder
        Himbeerkonfituere streichen, mit dem Plaetzchen mit dem Loch
        decken und mit Puderzucker bestaeuben.

Praedikat: Die Spitzbuben zerschmelzen auf der Zunge.

Aus dem Kochbuechlein: Guetzli-bach! Schweizer Weihnachts-Gebaeck
Autorin: Yvonne Buergin, Schellen-Verlag 1986