unbelievable, it’s christmas time again. to be honest, i am still in a very autumnal mood with pumpkin, pears and apples, but if i like it or not we have the first sunday of advent. and as i try the whole year to cook and bake with ingredients we grow in the garden i will try to do some christmas sweets with fruits, herbs and maybe vegetables as well which you can still harvest or you canned during the year.

and as i want to start slowly into the christmas season i baked a cookie which is not preliminary a christmas cookie. it is a fine shortcrust with fruity raspberry jam, rolled to nice looking helices. fine for christmas but also for tea during the year.

they are perfect for a first christmas cookie afternoon with friends. if you planned enough time for the pastry to rest in the fridge they are fast and easily done and you can eat them as they come out of the oven – which is highly recommended because they are unbeatable as long as they are fresh.

ps, and thank you to valentinas kochbuch for sharing the recipe.

200 g soft butter
100 g icing sugar
salt
1 vanilla pod
1 egg
300 g flour
150 g raspberry jam

combine butter, icing sugar, salt and vanilla seeds. add the whisked egg and stir in. sieve the flour and combine everything to a compact pastry. wrap in some cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for 2 hours at least.

divide the pastry in two parts. roll it out into pieces of a size of 25 x 30 cm. spread with the raspberry jam and roll up. wrap in some cling film and let it rest again for another 2 hours.

preheat the oven to 180°. cut the pastry rolls in 1/2 cm thick slices and put on the baking tray lined with baking paper. store the remaining roll in the fridge. bake on the second lowest level of your oven for about 12 minutes.

have fun and a nice first sunday of advent!

********************

200 g weiche butter
100 g puder(staub-)zucker
salz
1 vanilleschote
1 ei
300 g mehl
150 g himbeermarmelade

butter, puderzucker, ausgekratztes vanillemark und eine prise salz miteinander verrühren. mehl dazu sieben und alle zutaten zu einem kompakten teig verarbeiten. in frischhaltefolie packen und im kühlschrank mindestens 2 stunden ruhen lassen.

den teig in zwei hälften teilen und jeweils 25 x 30 cm große rechtecke ausrollen. mit himbeermarmelade bestreichen und aufrollen. die rollen in erneut in frischhaltefolie wickeln und weitere 2 stunden in den kühlschrank legen.

den ofen auf 180° C vorheizen. die teigrollen in 1/2 cm dicke scheiben schneiden und auf mit backpapier ausgelegte backbleche legen. die noch nicht aufgeschnittenen rollen zurück in den kühlschrank legen. auf der zweit untersten schiene des backofen etwa 12 minuten backen.

viel spass und einen schönen ersten advent!