This year the traditional Christmas cookies are made in France. I visited a friend there and this is the result of our cooperation. Surely this recipe by Christophe Felder will spread cinnamon and anise fragrance in your kitchen. Actually mostly in the northern part of Europe cinnamon is the base flavor for many cookies, by years for me this smell has became a synonymous of Christmas days!
This recipe is very easy to make, and you can have cookies in any shapes simply by using cookie cutters… for Christmas there will be stars for sure!
You can find the recipe and all direction also from my friend’s website at RoadToPastry.
Ingredients
250g Pastry flour
125g Granulated sugar
65g Almond flour
125g Unsalted butter
1/4 Orange zest
1/4 Lemon zest
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Ground anise
1 Egg
1 Egg yolk
1 teaspoon Kirsch liqueur
1/2 pinch Salt
Directions
1. Place the sifted flour, sugar, ground almonds, baking powder, cinnamon, anise, the fruit zests and the cold, diced butter in a bow.
2. Work the ingredients quickly with the tip of your fingers until they are all mixed and of a sandy texture.
3. Incorporate the eggs and the liqueur with your hands or (better) with a spatula.
4.Try to make a ball and then knead twice by crushing the dough in small pieces with a dough-cutter or the palm of your hand. This will allow to give consistence to the dough without over kneading it.
5. Wrap in plastic, flatten and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
6. When the dough is cold, roll it out to a 4mm height on your slightly floured work surface. Cut the cookies in different shapes with cookie cutters or with a sharp knife.
7. Place them the cookies in a buttered and floured pan.
8. Bake at 180° for 13-15 minutes