Swiss Yule Recipes

These recipes are from one of our Swiss members.  Thank you Hariulf OR for sharing these recipes with Acorn Hollow!

Yule Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

grated rind of 1 lemon

juice of one small lemon or

1 tablespoon Kirsch

2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, beaten

2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Procedure:

Cream the butter.  Gradually beat in the sugar, beating well after each addition.   Beat in the grated lemon rind, the lemon juice and the 2 whole eggs.  Blend thoroughly.  Stir in the flour, beginning with 2 1/2 cups.  Knead the dough with the hands until it is smooth and clears the fingers. If it is too sticky, add the remaining flour.  Wrap the dough in waxed paper and chill for 4 hours or overnight.   Roll out the dough between two sheets of waxed paper to the thickness of 1/4 inch.   Cut the dough with small fancy cookie cutters in shapes such as stars, hearts and crescents.  Place them on a buttered and floured cookie sheet 1 inch apart.   Brush with the beaten egg yolk.  Bake in a preheated moderate oven (350) for about 15 min. or until golden.

Tips:  Keep in a tightly closed container.  Cookies taste best after 2 days.

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Cinnamon Stars

Ingredients:

3 egg whites

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 cups unblanched grated almonds

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon mace sugar

Procedures:

Beat the egg whites until stiff.  Beat in the confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. The mixture should be stiff and glossy.  Reserve 1 cup of the mixture.   Beat the almonds, lemon juice, cinnamon and mace into the remaining egg-white mixture. Let it stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour; it should dry out and be firm.   Sprinkle a cutting board with sugar.  Carefully roll out the dough to the thickness of 1/2 to 3/4 inch. If the dough sticks, sprinkle more sugar on the cutting board.  Cut out the dough with star-shaped cookie cutters.  Paint each cookie carefully and neatly with the remaining egg white mixture. Place the cookies on a buttered and floured cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated slow oven (275) for about 15 minutes or until set.

Tip:  The icing must remain white.

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Jam Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups butter

2 1/4 cups ground blanched almonds

2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring

3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

apricot or strawberry jam

confectioners’ sugar

Procedure:

Beat the sugar and the butter together until light and fluffy.  Beat in the almonds and the vanilla flavoring.  Add the flour.  Knead until smooth.   Roll out the dough on a lightly floured cutting board to the thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch; the thinner, the better the cookie.  Cut with small round, star or diamond-shaped cookie cutters.  Place the cookies on lightly buttered and floured cookie sheets.  Bake in a preheated slow oven (325) for about 15 minutes, or until golden.  Remove cookies from the baking sheet.  Spread half the cookies with apricot jam.  Top with the remaining cookies, dip the edges into confectioners’ sugar.

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Vin Chaud (Hot Wine)

Ingredients:

1 bottle red wine

4 cinnamon sticks

1 5-inch by ½-inch piece of orange zest (white pith removed)

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 cardamom pods

5 whole cloves

1/3 cup Cognac

Preparation:

Cook’s note: For the best flavor, use a slightly fruity red wine.

How to make vin chaud:

Mix all the ingredients together in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to just under a simmer over the lowest heat setting on the stovetop. Do not allow the wine to boil. The mulled wine is hot enough when the sugar has dissolved and pulling and lifting a spoon from the wine brings up steam. If desired, strain the spices from the wine by pouring it through a fine-mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined colander. Add 1-2 teaspoons of Cognac to a mug and ladle the mulled wine over