Mürbchen

A simple and tasty German cookie or biscuit.  In order to achieve the intense yellow colour, the egg yolks are mixed with a pinch of salt and set aside covered for about an hour before they are added into the dough mixture.  Before baking, the cookies are brushed with egg yolk twice i.e. they are left to dry for about 5 to 10 minutes before the second egg yolk brush.

Ingredients (yields about 60 pieces):
2 egg yolks
a pinch of salt

300 g plain flour
mark from half of a vanilla pod or 8 g vanilla sugar
150 g cold butter, to be cut into cubes
150 g fine sugar

2 egg yolks (for brushing)

Method:

In a small bowl, mix 2 egg yolks and a pinch of salt together.  Cover bowl with cling film and leave aside for about an hour.

In a mixing bowl, add the egg yolk mixture, plain flour, vanilla mark, cold butter and sugar.  By using the kneading hook, knead mixture to a pliable dough.  Wrap dough in cling film and store in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Roll out dough on a well-floured work top to a thickness of 0.5 cm.  By using different shapes of cookie cutters, cut out preferred shapes.  Arrange on a baking tray which is lined with baking paper. Brush dough shapes with beaten egg yolk and leave aside for about 5 or 10 minutes.  Then, brush again with egg yolk.

Bake in a preheated fan oven at a temperature of 160° C for about 15 minutes.  Once done, remove from oven and store between pergament paper in an airtight tin.

Happy Baking!

Haferflocken-Plätzchen (Oatmeal Cookies)

Not a German cookie but a typical English cookie!  Why not bake them for Christmas?  I was glad that I did because our son loves the taste and crunch!

Ingredients:
250 g butter
300 g fine sugar
300 g oatmeal
2 eggs
150 g plain flour
8 g baking powder
100 g raisins

Method:
In a mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together.

By using a teaspoon, scoop small portions and form them into balls.  Arrange them quite apart from each other on a baking tray which is lined with baking paper.  Kindly note that the cookies will expand themselves.

Bake in a preheated fan oven at a temperature of 180° C for about 15 minutes.  Once done, remove from oven and leave aside to cool down completely.  Store between pergament paper in an airtight tin.

Happy Baking!

Schoko Bärentatzen

Literally translated as "bear claws", this is a traditional German cookie.  By using a Bärentatzen mould which is sprinkled with fine sugar, cute bear claw figures are formed before they are gently baked.  To complete the look, the cookies are immersed in either white or brown chocolate icing. There are a few variations of Bärentatzen and I baked mine with grated chocolate in it.

Ingredients (yields about 50 pieces):
2 egg whites (medium-size)
250 g sugar powder or confectioner's sugar
100 g bitter dark chocolate, to be finely grated
225 g ground almonds

fine sugar for mould
100 g white chocolate icing
100 g dark chocolate icing

Method:
In a mixing bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy.  Add sugar powder and continue whisking until the mixture becomes thick and creamy.  Add grated chocolate and ground almonds to mixture.  Knead to a pliable dough.

By using a teaspoon, scoop portions to the size of a cherry and roll them in fine sugar.  Arrange balls on a baking tray which is lined with baking paper and leave aside for about an hour.

I am using the wooden mould which is shown below.  If you do not have this mould, you may use the french madeleine mould.  Sprinkle fine sugar in mould.  Then, overturn mould to remove excess sugar.  Place a sugared ball in it and spread dough to cover the mould.  Knock mould over worktop in order that the dough comes out. Arrange onto a baking tray which is lined with baking paper.

Bake in a preheated fan oven at a temperature of 110° C for about 30 minutes.  Once done, remove from oven and leave aside to cool down  completely.  Melt both types of chocolate icing separately. Divide cookies into two portions.  Dip the bottom end of one portion in white chocolate icing and the other portion in the dark chocolate icing. Arrange on baking tray and leave overnight.  Then, store cookies between pergament paper in an airtight tin.

Happy Baking!

Schneeflöckchen

Also known as German Cookies in another part of the world, this cookie originates from North Friesland and is normally baked during Advent.  It has a buttery melt-in-the-mouth texture, just like snowflakes!  Simple to prepare and tastes good!

Ingredients (yields 70 pieces):
250 g cold butter, to be cut into cubes
250 g cornflour
120 g plain flour
100 g sugar powder
15 g vanilla sugar

1 cup of fine sugar for garnishing

Method:
In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients and by using the kneading hook, knead into a pliable dough. Wrap dough in cling film and store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

By using a teaspoon, scoop portions and form into small balls (the size of a cherry). By using a fork, press lightly on the balls to create an indent.  Then, arrange on a baking tray which is lined with baking paper.

Bake in a preheated fan oven at a temperature of 160° C for about 12 minutes.  The cookies should have a white surface.  Do not overbake!  Once done, remove from oven.  Roll carefully in fine sugar while they are still warm.  Store between pergament paper in an airtight container.

Happy Baking!

Heidesand

Originating from Lower Saxony, this classic cookie got its name from its "sandy" texture and light colour.  One of my favourites but not my hubby's!  Easy to prepare but the dough needs to be refrigerated overnight.  Before baking, the dough is brushed with egg yolk and rolled in granulated sugar, then sliced into 0.5 cm slices.

Ingredients (yields 70 pieces):

100 g sugar powder or confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla sugar

200 g soft butter

50 g marzipan

zest from 1/2 lemon

250 g plain flour, to be sifted

1 egg yolk, to be slightly beaten

200 g granulated sugar, to be spread on a small tray

Method:

In a mixing bowl, whisk sugar powder, vanilla sugar, butter, marzipan and lemon zest together.  Add sifted flour and knead to a pliable dough.  Form dough into two logs of 3 cm or 3.5 cm in diameter. Wrap dough logs in cling wrap and store in the fridge overnight.

On the next day, take out a dough log (one log at a time) from the fridge.  Remove cling wrap and brush dough log with egg yolk.  Then, roll on granulated sugar until coated all over.  Slice into 0.5 cm slices and arrange them quite apart from each other.  Kindly note that the cookie tends to spread a bit during baking.

Bake in a preheated fan oven at a temperature of 170° C for about 15 minutes.  Once done, remove from oven and leave to cool down completely.  Store between pergament paper in an airtight tin.

Happy Baking!

Spitzbuben

Christmas is slowly approaching and I have already baked 6 must-bake German traditional cookies. This year, I will be baking 6 new cookies to add to my Christmas Cookies collection.

Literally translated, Spitzbuben means "rogues" but these cookies do not look like it. They are quite similar to Jammy biscuits but I use red currant jelly to sandwich two cookies together.  Before they are sandwiched together, the tops are sprinkled with sugar powder or confectioner's sugar.  In short, they look pretty and taste excellent!

Ingredients (yields about 70 pieces):
200 g cold butter, to be cut into cubes before adding to dry ingredients
400 g plain flour
50 g ground hazelnut
3 egg yolks
90 g fine sugar
7 g vanilla sugar
zest from half a lemon

200 g red currant jelly or jam, to be slightly heated in a small pot
sugar powder or confectioner's sugar

Method:
In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients except red currant jelly and powdered sugar.  By using the kneading hook, knead to a pliable dough.  Wrap dough in cling film and leave it in the fridge for at least two hours.

Roll out dough on a well floured worktop to a thickness of 2.5 cm.  By using a 3 cm or 3.5 cm diameter cookie cutter, cut out dough as shown below.  Arrange on baking tray which is lined with baking paper.  Repeat procedure until all dough are used up.

Bake in a preheated fan oven at a temperature of 180° C for about 10 minutes.  Once done, leave aside to cool down completely.

Arrange cookies with a hole in the centre on a tray and by using a small sieve, sprinkle sugar powder on top.  Spread a little red currant jelly or jam on a base cookie (without hole), then place a cookie (with hole) on top.  Arrange on a baking tray and leave overnight in order that the jelly or jam get dried.  Store cookies between pergament paper in an airtight container.

Happy Baking!

Grilled Salmon served with Persimmon-Salsa

As much as possible, we prefer to eat more fish than red or white meat.  For tonight's dinner, I served a fruit salsa (Persimmon-Salsa) and green salad with the grilled salmon.  Before the salmon pieces are grilled, I brushed them with a mixture of red chilli flakes, sea salt, olive oil and lemon juice for that extra tangy taste.

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 pieces of salmon, each weighing about 200 g
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground dried red chilli flakes

Method:
In a small bowl, add sea salt, olive oil, lime or lemon juice and ground chilli flakes. Mix together thoroughly.  Switch on grill to highest setting.  Before starting to grill, brush the grill with some of the mixture sauce.

Brush salmon pieces with mixture sauce and grill skin side facing down (grill cover down) for about 6 to 8 minutes.

Turn over and grill to your preferred requirement.

Once done, remove salmon from grill.  Before serving, top with Persimmon-Salsa. Tastes great when served with a green salad!


Persimmon-Salsa
Ingredients:
2 persimmon (Kaki), to be washed, dried & finely diced
1 red capsicum, to be washed, dried & finely diced
1 medium-size onion, to be peeled & finely diced
1 stalk red chilli, to be deseed & finely diced
1 tsp chopped fresh dill (you may use fresh mint instead)
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp ground dried red chilli flakes
1 tbsp lime or lemon juice

Method:
In a large bowl, add all ingredients and mix well.  Check seasoning, if necessary add more sea salt. Transfer to a serving bowl and store in the fridge.  Note:  You may use nectaries instead if you wish.

Bon Appetit!

Apple Cream Cake

Originally, this cake is known as Apfelkuchen mit Rahmguss.  Hubby bought lots of apples on his way home from the countryside during the week - to be exact 3 bagfuls of apples, each weighing about 3 kgs each.  The following recipe is another version of the famous German apple cakes available.  To give the cake a shine, I brushed the top and edges with warm apricot jam and sprinkled roasted almond slices.  Kurzum (in short), another moist and tasty cake for teatime today!

Ingredients:
160 g cold butter
80 g fine sugar
250 g flour
1 medium-size egg
a pinch of salt

8 medium-size apples
50 g ground almonds
1 tsp cinnamon powder

2 medium-size eggs
a pinch of salt
1 vanilla pod, to be halved and seeds scraped
150 fine sugar
50 g vanilla pudding powder or cornflour
250 g fresh cream

110 g apricot jam
30 g sliced almonds

Method:
Grease a 26 cm diameter springform with a little butter and leave it aside.  In a mixing bowl, mix together cold butter, sugar, flour, egg and salt.  By using the kneading hook, knead dough until well mixed.  Wrap in cling film and store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Then, line the springform with dough as shown below.

In the meantime, prepare cream filling - in a bowl, light whisk eggs, salt, vanilla seeds and sugar together.  Add vanilla pudding powder and fresh cream alternately.  Mix well and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix ground almonds and cinnamon powder together and set aside. Quarter 3 apples, core and peel the skin.  Slice each quarter into 4 slices lengthwise. Arrange apple slices on base of dough as shown below.  Sprinkle the ground almonds/cinnamon mix on top and then, pour 1/3 of cream filling over them.

Quarter, core and peel the balance of apples.  It is advisable to work with one apple at a time in order to avoid the peeled apples turning dark.  Slice thinly and arrange as shown below.  Repeat procedure for the next layer.  Altogether, there should be 3 layers.

Pour the balance of cream filling over the apples and bake in a preheated oven (do not use fan) at a temperature of 200° C for about an hour.  If the top of cake gets brown before the baking time is up, cover top of cake with a piece of aluminium foil.  Note:  I had to cover the top of my springform about 20 minutes before baking time is over.

Leave cake in its springform to cool down completely before removing the ring.  In the meantime, roast almond slices in a small pan without oil until almost golden brown.

In a small pot, heat apricot jam over low heat.  Pass through a sieve into a small bowl.  Brush top and edges of cake with apricot jam and sprinkle the roasted almond slices along the edges as shown below.

Cut into serving portions!

Happy Baking!

Käsetorte (Cheese Cake)

Another version of German cheese cake which does not contain milk or vanilla pudding.  It is known to be a "difficult to bake" cake i.e. it will rise nicely in the oven but once it is taken out of the oven, it will collapse.  To avoid this from happening, the trick is to remove the cake during half-time and run a sharp knife between the pastry shell and filling.  Let it rest for about 5 minutes before returning it to the oven.  Give the recipe a try!  You will love the taste!

Shortcrust Pastry Ingredients:
150 g plain flour
50 g fine sugar
100 g cold butter
1 egg yolk

Filling Ingredients:
500 g Magerquark (curd cheese)
grated zest of 1 lemon
7 g vanilla sugar
150 g fine sugar
1 tbsp (heaped) plain flour
1 tbsp (heaped) cornflour
7 egg yolks

7 egg whites
50 g sugar

50 g melted butter

Method:
In a mixing bowl, add all shortcrust pastry ingredients together and by using the hook, knead into a dough.  Form dough into a ball and wrap in cling film.  Store in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Grease a 26 cm diameter springform (with loose bottom).  Line springform and its sides with dough. It will be easier if you roll out the dough between two plastic sheets to the size of the springform beforehand.

Place a baking paper over dough and ease it into place around the base and sides as shown.  Add baking beans and spread evenly.  Bake in a preheated fan oven at a temperature of 160° C for about 15 minutes.  Once done, remove baking paper and beans.

In a bowl, add curd cheese, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla sugar, lemon zest, flour and cornflour together. By using a whisk, mix thoroughly.  In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites and sugar until stiff.

Carefully fold in egg whites and melted butter portionwise alternately.

Pour filling into shortcrust pastry shell and spread evenly.  Return springform to oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and run a sharp knife between the pastry shell and filling all around.  Let it rest for 5 minutes before returning to oven.  Bake for a further 20 minutes.

Once done, remove cake from oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before removing the springform ring.  Leave cake to cool down completely before serving.  Note:  If it sank a little with the edges still high up, then your cake is perfect!

Happy Baking!

Chicken in Applesauce

If you are in a hurry to prepare lunch for your family like me today, here is the perfect dish!  Easy and quick to prepare - tastes great when served with whipped potato or rice!  My two boys gave their thumbs up!

Ingredients (serves 2):
4 or 5 chicken thighs
1 big onion, to be peeled & cut into wedges
2 apples, to be peeled, deseeded & cut into wedges
300 ml apple juice (you may add apple cider if you wish)
1 tsp instant chicken stock granules
2 tbsp oil
salt & pepper to taste

Method:
Remove fat and skin from chicken meat.  Wash and dry with kitchen paper.  Then, season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a pan over medium/high heat.  Fry chicken meat until both sides are browned.  Remove to a plate.

Add onion wedges to pan and stir-fry over high heat for two minutes.  Then, add apple wedges and stir-fry until almost golden.

Pour apple juice and add chicken stock granules.  Simmer on high heat for 5 minutes.

Add chicken pieces to pan and let it simmer with the lid on for another 10 minutes or until chicken is half-cooked.  Remove lid and continue to simmer until the sauce thickens.  Check seasoning.

Serve hot with whipped potato or rice!

Bon Appetit!