Christmas Wreath Cookies! : Vanilijekranse!

Hey from EL The Cook!

This recipe for Danish butter cookies is a very popular Danish Christmas recipe. In Danish this cookie is called Vanilijekranse which directly translated means vanilla wreaths. A Vanilijekrans is basically a small round cookie with a crisp crust and a delicious taste of vanilla. 

Vanilijekranse is one of the best Christmas desserts/snacks that you can make in the weeks leading up to Christmas. 

The dough for these cookies is actually really easy to make. The recipe is based on simple ingredients which is mixed together into a soft and sticky dough. The dough is then extruded in strips and then formed into small round cookies. The extrusion process can be done using a piping bag with a star nozzle, which however require some muscle strength!  However, if you own a meat grinder and have a star nozzle this will ease this process very much.

INGREDIENTS: (Makes 40 cookies)

(Cook Time : 40 minutes)

•  1 vanilla bean
• 175 g (6 oz) sugar
• 200 g (7 oz) soft butter
• 1 egg
• 250 g (9 oz) all-purpose flour
• 75 g (3 oz) almonds

KITCHEN EQUIPMENT:

• Large bowl
• Star shaped nozzle
• Piping bag
• Baking paper
• Baking trays
• Electric hand mixer

METHOD:

Step 1: Use a food processor or a blender to ground the almonds into flour.

Step 2: Open the vanilla bean and scrape out the vanilla seeds. 

Step 3: Mix sugar, vanilla seeds, the soft butter, all-purpose flour and the almond flour together in a bowl.

Step 4: Add the egg and mix it all together into a soggy and soft dough.

Step 5: Pour the dough into a piping bag and use the star nozzle.

Step 6: Extrude the dough into small circles with a diameter of about 4-5 cm (1.5-2 inch). If you have a meat grinder use the star attachment and extrude the dough into long strips. Cut the strips into smaller pieces and put them together in circles.

Step 7: Place the vanilla cookies on a baking tray lined with baking/parchment paper. Place them with a distance of 4 cm apart (1.5 inch).

Step 8: Bake the cookies at 200 C (400 F) for about 6 minutes or until they have a light-brown color.

Step 9: Let the cookies cool off on an oven grid. When cooled off, keep the cookies in a cookie jar.

Notes:

Vanilijekranse can be used for decorating your Christmas Tree as well. Just thread some red ribbon through the hole in your cookie wreath and hang them on your tree!