Christmas Cookies. Weihnachtsgebäck. It’s actually what I am most “famous” for (famous being relative of course, to those thousand followers on Facebook, the 8000 on Insta, and those who have seen the newspaper articles). For those who don’t know the story, every year I bake thousands of Christmas Cookies over a three to four week or so period (last year – 2021 – it was around 8500, over 34 days — about 175 hours in total) to give away, to share with friends and family. They get mailed all over the world, from Germany (yes, ironically) to South Africa to Australia. There are 25 types this year, 23 of which are “standards” and a few new ones to try out. This is a tradition that my Opa (Grandfather) started as he was a Bäckermeister in the Black Forest. My mother continued it when I was a child, and for the last 25 years or so, it’s been my charge. I take it incredibly seriously and it is sort of my “”honor” to make them, in homage to my Opa. Weihnachtsgebäck is an important part of the German Christmas season (in Germany — and this is a broad generalization — Germans bake less *cookies* throughout the year but do share these Christmas tidbits annually with family and friends.)
The recipes have all been on this site for a number of years, and they are scattered through many entries. I thought that it might be helpful for people who want to make their own cookies and are searching for the recipes to have them all in one place, so here are all the links. Happy Baking!
Ausstecherle (Cookie Cutter Cookies)
Butterzimtschecken (Cinnamon Swirl Cookies)
Cappuccinosterne (Cappuccino Stars)
Friesenkekse (Frisian Spice Cookies)
Heidesand (Marzipan Shortbread / Almond Sandies)
Kokosmakrönchen (Chocolate-dipped Coconut Macaroons)
Lebkuchen (Molasses Crinkles)
Mandelherzen (Almond Hearts)
Mandelschnitten (Almond Slices)
Mokka Münzen (Chocolate Orange Espresso Thins)
Nougatkipferl (Nougat Crescents, Old Recipe)
Nougatkipferl (Nougat Crescents, New Recipe, December 2017)
Pinien-Rosmarin-Plätzchen (Rosemary Apricot Pinecones, with Toasted Pinenuts)
Schokoabdrücke (Almond Chocolate Thumbprints)
Schoko-Mintz-Plätzchen (Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies)
Schwarzweißgebäck (Vanilla Chocolate Checkerboards)
Schwedische Julkuchen (Swedish Christmas Biscuits)
Spitzbuben (Linzer Cookies)
Terrassenplätzchen (Lemon Pyramids)
Vanillekipferl (Vanilla Crescents)
Walnuß Schneebällchen (Walnut Snowballs)
Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Stars)
In addition, here are a few Christmas Cookies that I have made in the past (though not this year, particularly):
Dead Snowmen Cookies
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies, with Toasted Almonds
As a final note: many / most / nearly all of these come from traditional German recipes, so you will need a good kitchen scale. The recipes each make a single batch; I of course make many batches to come up with all my thousands of cookies. You can double the recipes, but don’t try to triple them.
(updated: 10 October 2022)