Brunsli

These cookies, named after their colour bruun (brown), are one of the classic Swiss Christmas cookies along the Mailänderli, Zimtstern and some others. We don’t make them every year as we alternate them with the Schokoladekugeln Myrta which are very similar, but round and a little more moist inside. The Brunsli are mainly made of nuts and chocolate with a hint of spices and Kirsch. They dough is rolled out on caster sugar which gives them their distinctive crunchy outside bits.

Recipe

• 200g caster sugar
• 250g ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch of ground cloves
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tsp Kirsch (if you don’t have any Kirsch, you can also use whisky or smiliar)
• 2 egg whites
• 100g dark chocolate

Method

In a bowl, mix the sugar, almonds, flour, cinnamon, and cloves. Lightly whisk the egg whites with a fork and add it to the mixture, together with the Kirsch and mix. Melt the chocolate and add it to the dough and mix.

Roll out the dough on sugar (not flour) to 0.5 cm thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place them on a baking tray covered in baking parchment. Let them dry for 3-4 hours.

Then bake them at 250C for 5 minutes.

They can be stored in an airtight tin or in the freezer.