"Fraenkisches Butterzeug" are German butter cookies are a delicious treat often made during Christmas time. They have a gold-brown color and a slightly crisp and buttery texture. Their slight taste of lemon and cinnamon, make them an excellent Christmas Cookie. Definitely on the top of my list for the holiday season!
(*) This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click them and purchase something, I receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The recipe for these German cookies originates in the Franconian region of Germany. They are made with simple ingredients like butter, ghee, sugar, flour, and eggs, seasoned with vanilla, cinnamon and lemon zest, and garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. These treats are perfect for any occasion and make a great addition to your holiday cookie platter best enjoyed with a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
Why we love these Butter Cookies
- Super easy to make.
- Simple ingredients.
- The flavor of butter, lemon, cinnamon and vanilla.
- Crispy and buttery texture that will amaze you.
- Dough stores well in the fridge and freezer.
Here's What you need
The ingredients you need to make these German Butter Cookies in no time are listed below. All detailed measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.👇
Butter & Ghee (clarified butter) are the most important ingredients for this recipe. I use unsalted butter as well as clarified butter, also called Ghee to make these classic German cookies. If you don't have clarified butter available, I've substituted for butter before and it still turned out delightful!
Granulated Sugar is needed for the cookie dough, as well as the cinnamon sugar garnish.
A pinch of Salt to make the flavors pop.
Egg to hold the dough together.
As for Flour, I use unbleached all-purpose flour. Any all-purpose flour will work just fine for this recipe.
Some Vanilla Extract for the flavor. I personally prefer extract from vanilla pods instead of artificial flavoring. You can also use vanilla sugar instead.
Lemon Zest & Cinnamon for the dough and extra cinnamon for the sugar garnish. Since we are using the lemon peel, I recommend buying an organic untreated lemon.
How to make "Fraenkisches Butterzeug"
These German Butter Cookies are very easy to make, simply follow the instructions below.
Equipment
- A Hand Mixer* or Stand Mixer*
- 2 Baking Sheets*
- Cookie Cutters*
- Rolling Pin* or a cleaned empty bottle
- Parchment Paper
- Mixing Bowl(s)
- Food Scale* - I recommend weighing the ingredients for greater accuracy.
Instructions
- Beat the butter, clarified butter, sugar, and salt using a hand mixer until creamy.
- Mix the vanilla extract, cinnamon, lemon zest and egg into the butter-sugar mixture.
- Lastly, add the sieved flour gradually and continue to mix on medium power. The dough mix will be very crumbly.
- Turn off the hand mixer and continue kneading the dough by hand until smooth.
- Wrap the cookie dough in cling foil and chill it in the fridge for about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 360℉ / 180 ℃. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and remove the wrap.
- On a clean and lightly floured surface flatten the dough using a rolling pin or empty bottle, roughly 3-4 mm thick.
- Cut the cookies using your favorite cookie cutter and place the cut cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough until all your cookie dough is used up. If the dough gets too sticky, wrap it in cling foil and chill in the fridge for a few minutes for the butter to firm up.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven until the outside corners turn slightly golden.
Tip! If you don't have cookie cutters just use a glass to cut the dough into round-shaped cookies!
- Mix 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon with 100g of sugar. Dip the still warm cookies frontside down into the cinnamon sugar and place them on a cooling rack or sheet of parchment paper to continue to cool down.
This recipe yields around 50 cookies, so you will likely bake the cookies in a few rounds.
Some More Cookie Favorites
- German Shortbread Cookies
- Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts
- Vanilla Crescents with Nuts
FAQ, Storage and Food Safety
See guidelines at USDA.gov for instructions on the safe handling of fresh ingredients.
German Butter Cookies - Fraenkisches Butterzeug
Tools
- 1 Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Parchment Paper
- Plastic Wrap
- 1 Food Scale Recommended for greater accuracy.
- 1 Rolling Pin or a cleaned empty bottle.
- Cookie Cutters or a glass works as well.
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- 100 g butter (room temperature)
- 100 g clarified butter (room temperature)
- 100 g sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 350 g flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from an organic lemon)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg
For the Garnish
- 100 g sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
The Cookies
- Beat the butter, clarified butter, sugar, and salt using a hand mixer until creamy.100 g butter, 100 g clarified butter, 100 g sugar, 1 pinch salt
- Mix the vanilla extract, cinnamon, lemon zest and egg into the butter-sugar mixture.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Lastly, add the sieved flour gradually and continue to mix on medium power. The dough mix will be very crumbly.350 g flour
- Turn off the hand mixer and continue kneading the dough by hand until smooth.
- Wrap the cookie dough in cling foil and chill it in the fridge for about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 360℉ / 180 ℃. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and remove the wrap.
- On a clean and lightly floured surface flatten the dough using a rolling pin or empty bottle, roughly 3-5 mm thick..
- Cut the cookies using your favorite cookie cutter and transfer the cut cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough until all your cookie dough is used up. If the dough gets too sticky, wrap it in cling foil and chill in the fridge for a few minutes for the butter to firm up.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven until the outside corners turn slightly golden.
The Garnish
- Mix 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon with 100g of sugar. Dip the still warm cookies frontside down into the cinnamon sugar and place them on a cooling rack or sheet of parchment paper to continue to cool down.100 g sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Comments
No Comments