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Baumkuchen is a German/European specialty and this cookie adaption is my personal favourite Christmas recipe. It makes the baking process sound a lot harder than it really is though! So don't let that deter you from giving it a try (you really should try them) (really).

4 (small) eggs

a pinch of salt

250 g soft butter

250 g sugar

zest of 1 lemon

1 vanilla bean

125 g flour

125 g potato starch (cornstarch, etc.)

~100 g semisweet chocolate

Seperate the eggs. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks together with the salt.

Cream together butter and sugar. Gradually add the egg yolks and whisk until fluffy.

Add the lemon zest and seeds of the vanilla bean. 

Sift together flour and starch and gradually stir everything in.

Carefully fold in the egg whites.

Place a cup of water into the oven and pre-heat its grill. Line two springform pans with parchment paper.

Evenly spread out 2 tbsp of batter in one of the pans. Bake for 1 to 2 minutes.

Meanwhile spread out 2 tbsp of batter in the other pan. Switch the pans when the first one is done baking.

Spread another 2 tbsp of batter in the first pan (use an oven cloth or something similar to hold and rotate the pan!). Bake again for 1 to 2 minutes.

Work in this pattern until the entire batter is used up. You should end up with two 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1 inch) high Baumkuchen.

Let them cool, then melt the chocolate in a double boiler and spread it on the Baumkuchens.

500 g ground almonds

300 g powdered sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

2 egg whites

2 tbsp almond liqueur (sub with milk or water)

Glaze:

1 egg white

125 g powdered sugar

Pre-heat oven to 150 °C (300 °F).

Mix almonds, sugar and cinnamon.

Add the egg whites and almond liqueur and knead everything into a smooth dough.

Roll out the dough on a floured (or dusted with powedered sugar) surface to 1 cm (0.4 inch) tickness.

Cut out stars and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Whisk the egg white to stiff peaks. Continue whisking while gradually adding the sugar until everything is smooth and glossy.

100 g butter

75 g granulated sugar

150 g quark (sub with (low-fat) ricotta)

zest of 1/2 orange

300 g all-purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp baking powder

50 g chopped almonds

150 g raisins

2 tbsp dark rum (sub with milk)

125 g powdered sugar

100 g butter

Pre-heat oven to 180 °C (350 °F).

Beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Stir in the quark and orange zest. 

Sift together flour, cinnamon, and baking powder, add it to the mixture and stir until just combined.

Add the almonds, raisins and (optional) rum and work everything into a malleable, non-sticky dough (you might need more flour or rum).

Pinch off walnut sized portions of the dough and form them into small loafes. Distribute them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Melt the butter in a pan. Toss the small stollen in the melted butter and roll them in the powdered sugar immediately after.

200 g crumbled biscuits (graham crackers)

150 g powdered sugar

80 g margarine (soft)

1/2 orange (juice and flesh)

80 chopped nuts

60 g desiccated coconut

Mix biscuit crumbs and sugar. Add the soft margarine, orange juice and flesh, and nuts and knead everything until well combined.

Roll the mixture into small balls and coat those with the desiccated coconut.

3 egg whites

250 g powdered sugar

~350 g ground almonds

1 tsp cinnamon

a pinch of ground cardamom

100 g chestnust (cooked)

60 g all-purpose flour

1 tsp orange zest

1 tsp cocoa powder

Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks. 

Sift the powdered sugar and gradually fold it in. Set aside about 4 tbsp of the meringue.

Mix almonds, cinnamon, and cardamom and stir everything in until you get a dry, hardly sticky dough (you might need more almonds).

Grind the chestnuts and knead them into the dough with the flour, orange zest, and cocoa powder.

Roll the dough into logs with 3 cm (~1 inch) diameter. Chill them in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 115 °C (240 °F).

Slice the logs into 1/2 cm (0,2 inch) thick coins and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Distribute the leftover meringue evenly on all cookies.

125 g sponge fingers (ladyfingers)

80 ml coffee

200 g mascarpone

25 g powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp amaretto

20-30 g cocoa powder

Break up the sponge fingers into fine crumbs. Let them soak in the coffee for 15 minutes.

Whisk together mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and amaretto until smooth. 

Stir in the biscuit crumbs with the coffee.

Dough:

210 g all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

80 g powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

30 ml eggnog

2 egg yolks

100 g butter

Filling:

150 ml milk

20 g potato starch (cornstarch, etc.)

40 g powdered sugar

60 ml eggnog

60 g butter

powdered sugar for dusting

Sift together flour and baking powder, then add all of the ingredients for the dough into a mixing bowl and knead until well combined and smooth.

Chill the dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime make the filling: Dissolve the starch in 1/3 of the milk.

Boil up the rest of the milk together with the sugar.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the starchy milk until everything thickens.

Add the eggnog and butter and whisk until smooth. If necessary strain the pudding to get rid of any lumps.

Cover the pudding with plastic wrap so it touches its surface and let it cool.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C (340 °F).

Roll out the chilled dough to 3 mm (0.1 inch) thickness, cut out small circles (optional: make half of them rings) and spread them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake for 10 minutes, so they're still pale but baked through.

Whisk up the eggnog cream, spread it on half of the cookies and cover each with another cookie.

140 g butter (soft) 

175 g all-purpose flour

40 g powdered sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

20 g starch (cornstarch, potato starch, etc.)

1/2 tsp baking powder

75 g semisweet chocolate

40 g raspberries

Pre-heat oven to 150 °C (300 °F).

Cream together butter and sugar. Then add the rest of the ingredients and knead everything into a soft dough.

Pinch off small pieces of dough and roughly roll them into balls.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Chop the chocolate and melt it in a double boiler. Puree the raspberries.

230 g semisweet chocolate

3 tbsp honey (sub with vegan syrup)

125 ml rum (dark)

60 g powdered sugar

280 g finely crumbled biscuits (e.g. graham crackers)

75 powdered hazelnuts

cocoa powder or powdered sugar for dusting

Coarsely chop the chocolate and melt it in a double boiler.

Add honey, rum, and sifted sugar and stir until smooth.

Combine biscuit crumbs and nuts and stir them in.

Chill the mixture in the fridge for about 1 hour.

125 g soft margarine

75 g white sugar

75 g brown sugar

1 tbsp apple sauce

150 g all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

80 g finely chopped almonds (optional)

1/2 apple

Pre-heat oven to 180 °C (350 °F).

Mix margaine, both sugars and apple sauce until well combined and fluffy.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and almonds. Peel, core and finely chop (half of) the apple. 

Mix in flour and chopped apple with the butter mixture.

Use two teaspoons or a small ice cream scoop to spoon small amounts of batter onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

150 ml molasses/golden syrup

50 g brown sugar 

100 g margarine (vegan)

3 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

225 g all-purpose flour

Mix together syrup, sugar, margarine, salt and cinnamon until creamy. (Omit the brown sugar if you want them to be less sweet.)

Sift together flour and baking powder and knead everything into a malleable dough.

Roll it into a 5 cm (2 inch) log and chill it in the fridge for 3 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 160 °C (320 °F).

Cut the log into thin coins and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

220 g soft margarine

140 g brown sugar

2 tsp powdered ginger (you can use fresh one, but start with a little less and adjust after testing the dough)

340 g all-purpose flour  

3 tsp baking powder

Pre-heat oven to 200 °C (390 °F).

Whisk together margarine, sugar and ginger until creamy.

Sift together flour and baking powder and knead everything into a firm, slightly stick dough.

Roll the dough into small balls and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Press each ball into a coin shape with a fork.

150 g butter (soft)

100 g peanut butter

125 g white sugar

125 g brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

200 g all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Pre-heat oven to 180 °C (350 °F).

Mix butter, peanut butter, and both sugars until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until light and fluffy.

Sift together flour and baking powder and gradually stir it into the dough.

Roll the dough into small balls (chill in the fridge for 30 minutes if it's too soft) and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

With a fork carefully press each ball into a coin shape.