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German Pastry Chef, home

Pastries and Cookies

Bee Sting Cookies

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Shortcrust cookies topped with a golden layer of caramelized sliced almonds

4.8 (6)out of 5, 6 ratings

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Prep
20 min
Bake
20 min
Bake
13 min
Total
53 min
Makes
35 pieces

Welcome to my home kitchen, dear sweet tooths and home bakers! Today I'd like to share a very special cookie recipe inspired by a classic cake: bee sting cookies, named after the German Bienenstich cake. As a trained pastry chef, it matters a lot to me that my recipes are tested and reliable, and these festive treats are no exception.

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Christmas baking calls for creativity, and these bee sting cookies are the perfect mix of tradition and new ideas. They combine the flavor of the much-loved classic cake with the coziness and scent of the holiday season. With a crisp dough, a delicious honey almond filling and a delicate layer of caramel, these cookies are a real treat.

Let's dive into the world of festive baking together and make these bee sting cookies. Because Christmas cookies aren't just for nibbling, they're also for sharing joy and warmth. Have fun baking and merry Christmas!

Ingredients

Makes 35 pieces

Shortcrust dough

  • 1 stick plus 3 tbsp150 gunsalted buttersoftened. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • ½ cup100 gsugaror powdered sugar. Powdered sugar is very finely ground sugar for icings and dusting. In the US use powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar); in the UK, icing sugar.
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • 1 pinchChristmas cookie spiceoptional! A warm spice blend for Christmas cookies, similar to speculoos spice. In the US use pumpkin pie spice with a pinch of cardamom; in the UK, mixed spice with a pinch of cardamom.
  • 2 ⅓ cups300 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.

Almond topping

  • 5 tbsp70 gunsalted butter
  • ¼ cup50 gsugar
  • 2 tbsphoney
  • 3 tbspheavy creamGerman cream for whipping has about 30 to 32 percent fat. In the US use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream; in the UK, whipping cream (double cream also works but whips faster, so watch it).
  • 1 ¼ cups100 galmondssliced

Method

Shortcrust dough

  1. Mix the butter, sugar, salt & Christmas cookie spice.

  2. Work in the flour and knead everything into a dough.

  3. Press the dough flat on a plate, cover it with a second plate and chill for at least an hour. (Overnight is a good idea too!)

Almond topping

  1. Bring the butter, sugar, honey and cream to a rolling boil in a saucepan for about 2 minutes, then take it off the heat and stir in the almonds.

  2. Let the almond topping cool a little.

  3. Take the dough out of the fridge and knead it briefly again until smooth (this can be a bit tricky and takes some patience when the dough is really cold and hard), then roll it out on a lightly floured work surface.

  4. Carefully spread the almond topping over the dough in an even layer.

  5. Cut out the cookies with a cookie cutter and place them on a baking sheet. Press the leftover dough together and knead in a little more flour so the dough is smooth again and no longer too moist from the topping. After chilling it again, you can use it like regular dough. It has now become a tasty almond shortcrust.

  6. Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°C) convection (fan) and bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes. Then let them cool on the baking sheet and enjoy.