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German Pastry Chef, home

Pastries and Cookies

Snowflake Cookies

by Loraine

Round snowflake cookies with a fork pattern, dusted with powdered sugar

4.6 (110)out of 5, 110 ratings

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Prep
30 min
Bake
10 min
Total
40 min
Makes
50 pieces
I love baking at Christmastime, when the whole house smells of cookies. I always bake so many that there are enough for my family, our relatives and our coworkers. One of my classics is these snowflake cookies, known in Germany as Schneeflocken. They are so light and airy and not dry at all. They taste wonderful and are simply super tender. They are absolutely worth making.

Ingredients

Makes 50 pieces

  • 2 sticks plus 2 tbsp250 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.
  • 2 cups250 gcornstarch(UK: cornflour)
  • ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp100 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.
  • ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp100 gpowdered sugarVery finely ground sugar for icings and dusting. In the US use powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar); in the UK, icing sugar.
  • 4 tspvanilla sugar2 packets = 4 tsp (16 g). German vanilla sugar is sugar flavored with vanillin (artificial vanilla), sold in small packets of about 8 g. In the US use 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar for each 8 g packet; in the UK, vanilla sugar sachets, or 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar per sachet. You can also use vanilla paste instead of the vanilla sugar: use it like the extract, about 1 tsp per packet, so 2 tsp vanilla paste in total (not 4 tsp).

Method

  1. Knead all the ingredients into a dough, cover it and chill it in the fridge for 45 minutes.

  2. Briefly knead the dough again and shape it into 50 small balls.

  3. Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and press them flat.

  4. Press a pattern into the tops with a fork.

  5. Chill them briefly once more so they hold their shape while baking.

  6. Bake in the preheated oven at 275°F (140°C) for about 10 to 15 minutes.

  7. They should not take on any color, or they will turn out dry.

  8. Once they have cooled, dust them with powdered sugar.

  9. They keep for about two weeks in an airtight container.