Wouldn’t It Be Leckerli?

For Swiss children, Santa Claus (or Samnichlaus , in Swiss-German dialect) arrived last week, on Dec. 6. This feast day of Saint Nicholas, a 4th-Century Turkish bishop and the patron saint of children, signals the official beginning of the Christmas season.

It is also the first day on which Weinachtsguetzli (literally, “Christmas goodies”), traditional Swiss Christmas cookies, are exchanged as gifts and eaten. Pastry shop windows throughout Switzerland are filled with tins, boxes and baskets of the customary assortment of guetzli. The range of cookies varies little from canton to canton, though many of the guetzli began as regional specialties.

There are always leckerli (little “licks”), descendants of medieval honey cakes, enriched with ground nuts and flavored with spices and sometimes candied fruit. Bern, the capital of the Swiss Confederation, long ago contributed a tender hazelnut leckerli to the assortment, though there are almond ones from Basel and variously flavored marzipan leckerli from Zurich.

Sometimes leckerli , like German Lebkuchen, are stamped out with special cutters that correspond in size and shape to a prepared picture that is affixed to the baked cookie with a little icing or hot corn syrup. Since the pictures are not available here, I use a dusting of powdered sugar to finish off the leckerli.

Anisbroetli (little anise “breads”) are a standard Christmas cookie throughout the German-speaking world, but it is in Switzerland that they reach the greatest heights of beauty and artistry. Made from a dough composed of flour, sugar and eggs and strongly flavored with anise, anisbroetli are formed by carved molds pressed against the dough to give the cookies a three-dimensional pattern.

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Though many of the designs are simple--Alpine flowers such as edelweiss and gentian are popular--some molds are more elaborate and represent landscapes or historical buildings. Antique anisbroetli molds in the Swiss National Museum are richly carved in designs ranging from vases of flowers to full-scale Nativity scenes complete with hovering angels. Some are even displayed next to examples of anisbroetli molded in them.

Though authentic Swiss molds are not easy to come by, most kitchenware shops carry contemporary American terra-cotta molds for cookies in all sorts of shapes and designs. Rolling pins carved with designs for the German version of anisbroetli , called springerle , are also easily available.

Spicy cookies are an important part of the guetzli tray, and no assortment would be complete without Churer zimtsterne (Chur cinnamon stars). Chur is the capital city of Canton Graubunden, the area in southeastern Switzerland that takes its name, “Gray Leagues,” from the homespun gray cloth that was the typical garb of the inhabitants.

Zimtsterne are a bit of trouble to prepare--aside from cutting a moist dough with a star-shaped cutter, each cookie must be spread with a meringue icing before being baked--they are well worth the trouble and they keep well if made in advance.

Another spicy and chocolate-y guetzli is Basler brunsli (literally, Basel brownies). Though the name is similar to our brownies, the taste and texture are very different--less rich, but just as flavorful. A mixture of ground almonds, spices, egg white, sugar and chocolate all ground together in the food processor, brunsli are as easy to prepare as they are tasty. Just be careful not to overbake them or they will be hard and dry instead of moist and chewy--a good general rule for all brownies.

Lastly, mailaenderli (little Milanesi) are the ultimate sugar cookie. Made from butter, sugar and egg yolks, the dough is bound with cake flour, ensuring a delicate, non-elastic and tender result.

Take a hint from the efficient and organized Swiss and bake all these cookies in advance for a less harrowing holiday season.

BERNESE “LICKS”

(Berner Leckerli)

1/2 cup honey

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

2 cups whole, unblanched hazelnuts

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Powdered sugar

Combine honey, granulated sugar, eggs and orange zest in top of double boiler and whisk over simmering water until lukewarm. Using food processor, grind hazelnuts and mix into egg mixture.

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and stir into honey-egg mixture to form soft dough. Scrape dough out onto floured surface and cover with towel. Allow to rest 5 minutes. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut with rectangular or heart-shaped cookie cutter.

Place leckerli on parchment-paper-lined baking pans. Allow cookies to dry at room temperature about 1 hour. Bake at 325 degrees about 20 minutes. Cool leckerli in pans, then dust lightly with powdered sugar. Remove and store in tins. Makes about 3 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

93 calories; 4 mg sodium; 10 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.23 gram fiber.

LITTLE ANISE “BREADS”

(Anisbroetli)

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons Kirsch

2 teaspoons anise extract

2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 1/2 cups flour plus extra for dusting

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

Combine eggs, Kirsch, anise extract and powdered sugar in heat-proof mixing bowl. Place bowl over pan of simmering water and whisk until lukewarm. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, cornstarch and baking powder. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture to form dough. Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to cool to room temperature.

Divide dough into 2 portions. Lightly sprinkle flour over each half of dough and work surface. Roll out 1 portion of dough about 3/8 inch thick. Dust dough lightly with flour and press carved cookie mold against it. Cut away excess dough around mold with small, sharp knife. Or use springerle rolling pin and roll over dough once, pressing hard. Cut between designs to form separate cookies.

Transfer anisbroetli to parchment-paper-lined baking pans as they are molded and cut. Repeat process with rest of dough, rolling, impressing and cutting cookies. Discard any remaining scraps (by now, dough texture is too tough to use).

Allow anisbroetli to rest, uncovered, at room temperature at least 8 hours. Bake at 300 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes, until well risen (they will rise from base making characteristic “foot”) and still remain very pale. Cool cookies completely on pans. Remove and store in tins. Makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen cookies, depending on size of mold used.

Each serving contains about:

143 calories; 31 mg sodium; 24 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.05 gram fiber.

CINNAMON STARS

(Churer Zimtsterne)

1 1/2 cups whole unblanched almonds

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 large egg whites (about 1/4 cup)

Dash salt

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar plus extra for dusting

1 teaspoon water

Pulse almonds in food processor fitted with metal blade until finely ground but not pasty. Add cinnamon and pulse twice more, then set aside.

Whip egg whites with salt in clean, dry bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually whip in 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Remove 1/3 cup meringue to bowl and reserve, covered, at room temperature. Add remaining meringue, about 2/3 cup, to food processor work bowl with almond mixture and pulse repeatedly until mixture forms firm dough. Dust work surface with powdered sugar and press dough out to about 1/4 inch thick.

Cut dough with star-shaped cutter, moistening cutter with water frequently so that dough releases easily. Press scraps out together and continue cutting cookies until all dough has been used. Place zimtsterne on parchment paper-lined baking pans immediately after they are cut.

Stir water into reserved meringue to liquefy it and brush or spread it on surface of each cookie. Allow to dry 1 hour before baking. Bake zimtsterne at 300 degrees until firm, but still moist, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on pans. Remove and store in tins. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

54 calories; 10 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.28 gram fiber.

BASEL “BROWNIES”

(Basler Brunsli)

1 1/2 cups sugar plus extra for dusting

1 1/2 cups whole, unblanched almonds

6 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 large egg whites (about 1/4 cup)

Place 1 1/2 cups sugar and almonds in food processor bowl fitted with metal blade. Pulse repeatedly until finely ground. Do not overprocess so that mixture does not become warm.

Cut chocolate into pieces and add to processor. Pulse to grind chocolate finely and mix with almonds and sugar. Add cinnamon, cloves and egg whites and pulse to mix rapidly, until fairly stiff dough forms.

Cover work surface with sugar and press dough out about 1/4 inch thick. Cut dough with cookie cutter into hearts, stars and cloverleaf shapes. Place on parchment paper-lined baking pans. Press scraps together, roll out and continue cutting cookies until all dough has been used. Allow cookies to dry several hours, uncovered, at room temperature.

Bake at 300 degrees 10 to 15 minutes. Do not overbake or cookies will be very hard. Cool on pans. Remove and store in tins. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

78 calories; 4 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.25 gram fiber.

LITTLE MILANESI

(Mailaenderli)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 egg yolks

2 1/2 cups cake flour

Egg wash (1 egg well beaten with dash salt)

Beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add vanilla and egg yolks and beat by mixer on medium speed until smooth and shiny, about 3 minutes more. Stop mixer. Sift cake flour over butter mixture and fold in with rubber spatula. Scrape dough onto piece of plastic wrap. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap and press flat, about 1/2 inch thick. Chill dough about 1 hour until firm, or up to 2 days.

On lightly floured surface, roll dough about 1/4 inch thick. Dip tines of fork in flour, then lightly pass back of fork over dough to make parallel grooves. Using floured cutters, cut dough into hearts, stars or any simple 1 1/2-inch shape. Immediately place each cut cookie on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.

After all cookies are cut, carefully brush on egg wash in direction of grooves. Rather than re-rolling scraps from first cutting, shape dough into cylinder and chill. Cut cylinder into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange on pans. Brush with egg wash, but do not groove surface.

Bake cookies at 325 degrees until golden and just baked through, about 20 minutes. Cool on pans. Remove and pack in tins between layers of wax paper for storage. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

67 calories; 7 mg sodium; 26 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.01 gram fiber.