Spitzbuben biscuits
Intro
Spitzbuben are a treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds, and one of the most popular biscuits in Switzerland. They come in a variety of festive shapes and have a delicious jam centre. Without them, it just wouldn’t be Christmas!
To shape:
Take the dough out of the fridge about 30 minutes before rolling it out. Roll out in portions within a cut-open plastic bag to a thickness of 2mm. Use a 4–5cm diameter cookie cutter to cut out the biscuits (mini-Spitzbuben 2cm diameter). Use a smaller cutter to cut a hole in the centre of half of the biscuits. Place the biscuits on a lined baking sheet and refrigerate for approx. 15 minutes. Then bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the centre of an oven pre-heated to 200°C.
To fill:
- Heat approx. 200g of jelly (redcurrant/quince) or jam (rosehip/ apricot/orange marmalade) in a pan, stir until smooth, spread on the flat side of the bases.
- Dust the tops with a small amount of icing sugar and place them on the bases.
Note:
- This recipe makes around 50 to 60 biscuits.
- Cherry Spitzbuben biscuits: Make with cherry filling. Cherry filling: Beat 75g of butter until soft, mix in 75g icing sugar, 2 tablespoons of almond butter from a jar and 1 tablespoon cherry liqueur, refrigerate. Fill the baked biscuits.
- Fruit biscuits: Cut various shapes from one portion of dough, such as triangles or hearts. To shape, bake and fill them: See above. Filling: Use orange marmalade, for instance. To decorate: Cut dates and candied orange slices into fine strips and use them to decorate your biscuits. Finish with a dusting of icing sugar.
- Colourful ring-shaped biscuits: Cut rings of various sizes from one portion of dough. To shape, bake and fill them: See above. To glaze: Cover the cooled biscuits with a coloured icing sugar glaze. Use food colouring sparingly to get bright colours. To decorate: If you wish, you can scatter decorative sugar balls on the gaze before it sets.
