Nut Cookies Recipe

Author:
is a chef, food photographer, cookbook author and blogger.
Here he shares recipes, answers cooking questions and helps with cooking.

You can find my nut cookies recipe in this post.

With gingerbread spice, these spicy geometric cookies make a great Christmas cookie.

Outside of Advent and Christmas, you can prepare the pastries without the gingerbread flavor.

Important to know: These cookies require a little more time in the bakery.

Wish you good luck, feel free to write me a comment or leave a baking question at the bottom of this page.

1. Recipe Nut Cookies

The following instructions accompany you exactly with photos at each step.

Nut Cookies

Baked, photographed and written down by chef Thomas Sixt and Christiane Sixt.

Servings 60
Calories 132
Total Time 180 Min.
Preparation Time 60 Min.
Cook Time 0 Min.

Detailed instructions for baking traditional German nut cookies corners.

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Nut Cookies Recipe Image
Nut Cookies Recipe Image © Thomas Sixt

Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry

220 g flour (I have used Schär Mix gluten free)
150 g butter
80 g powdered sugar/ iced sugar
2 Pinches primal salt
1 Piece Lemon (Only the abrasion)
100 g apricot jam

Nut Mass

100 g hazelnuts grated
100 g hazelnuts grated
8 Pieces egg whites (From eggs size M)
200 g brown cane sugar
100 g butter
2 tbsp Cornstarch
1 tbsp gingerbread spice

Glaze

450 g dark chocolate
50 g butter

Instruction

Shortcrust pastry

Nut corners shortcrust pastry ingredients
Prepared nut wedges shortcrust pastry ingredients

prepare ingredients

Weigh out the ingredients for the shortcrust pastry and have them ready:

-> powdered sugar

-> flour

-> Soft butter

-> salt

-> Lemon for abrasion

Soft butter in the baking bowl
Soft butter in the baking bowl

Provide butter

Place the softened butter in the baking bowl.

Sift flour for shortcrust pastry
Sift the flour for the shortcrust pastry.

Sift flour

Sift the flour into the butter.

Sift powdered sugar
Sieve the icing sugar for the shortcrust pastry

Add powdered sugar

Sift the icing sugar into the bowl with the butter and flour.

Season the shortcrust pastry ingredients with salt
Season the shortcrust pastry ingredients with a pinch of salt

Add salt

Add two pinches of salt to the dough ingredients.

Shortcrust pastry ingredients with lemon zest
Shortcrust pastry ingredients with lemon zest

Lemon zest

Add the zest from the whole lemon to the dough ingredients in the bowl.

Mix the shortcrust pastry
Mix together the ingredients

Stir dough

Mix the dough ingredients in the baking bowl with the hand mixer using the dough hook.

Shortcrust pastry finely chopped ingredients
Shortcrust pastry finely chopped ingredients

Combine ingredients

Stir the dough ingredients evenly for 4-6 minutes so that all the ingredients can be finely combined.

Knead the shortcrust pastry
Knead the shortcrust pastry

Knead dough

Den Teig abschließend mit den Händen gut 2 Minuten kneten.

“>

Finally, knead the dough with your hands for a good 2 minutes.

Shortcrust pastry kneaded in the bowl
Shortcrust pastry kneaded in the bowl

Form dough

Shape the dough into a ball in the bowl.

Shortcrust pastry on cling film
Shortcrust pastry on cling film

Dough packing

Place the ball of dough on cling film.

Wrapped in foil to rest
Wrapped in foil to rest

Dough rest

Wrap the dough in cling film.

Chill the dough ball for at least 30 minutes and let it rest.

Tools Bake shortcrust pastry base for nut corners
Prepared tools Bake shortcrust pastry base for nut corners

Prepare tools

To bake the nut corner base you need:

-> A flat baking sheet

-> A suitable piece of baking paper

-> A flexible, rectangular cake pan.

-> A rolling pin

Shortcrust pastry on baking paper
Shortcrust pastry ball on baking paper before rolling out.

Provide dough

Take the dough ball out of the fridge and unwrap it.

Place the dough in the middle of the baking paper.

Roll out the rolling pin with flour for the shortcrust pastry
Roll out the rolling pin with flour for the shortcrust pastry

Roll dough

Slowly roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin.

Roll out the shortcrust pastry on baking paper
Roll out the shortcrust pastry on baking paper

Process dough

Roll out the dough evenly, keeping the dough on the parchment paper.

Roll out the shortcrust pastry
Roll out the shortcrust pastry

Roll dough

Roll out the dough into a rectangle 0.5 cm thick.

Adjust the cake tin and shortcrust pastry size.
Adjust the cake tin and shortcrust pastry size.

Fit dough

Fit the dough into the flexible tart pan.

I recommend that you plan squares with a size of 5 or 6 cm.

The length and width of the cake tin should be divisible by 5 cm and 6 cm respectively.

Among other things, we tested 4 cm squares, but these are optically too small for us.

Put the shortcrust pastry for nut corners in the oven.
Put the shortcrust pastry for nut corners in the oven and bake.

Bake dough

Bake the shortcrust pastry base in a preheated oven at 180°C for 14-16 minutes until light brown.

Baked shortcrust pastry for nut corners
Baked shortcrust pastry for nut corners

Remove dough

When the baking time is up, take the baked shortcrust pastry base out of the oven and place it on the worktop.

Spread the nut wedges with the apricot jam
Spread the nut corners with the apricot jam.

Apricot jam

Spread the apricot jam on the baked shortcrust base while it is still hot.

Spread the entire surface of the shortcrust pastry with apricot jam
Spread the entire surface of the shortcrust pastry with apricot jam

Apricot

Spread the apricot jam over the entire surface of the shortcrust pastry base, including the corners.

Nut mass

Separate the eggs from the corners of the nuts for the nut mass
Separate the raw eggs to prepare the nut mass for nut wedges

Separate eggs

Separate the eggs and place the yolks and whites in separate bowls.

For the recipe we only need the egg whites, you can use the egg yolks for scrambled eggs, for example.

Nut mixture Ingredients for nut corners
The nut mixture Ingredients for nut wedges.

Nut paste

Weigh out the ingredients for the nut filling and have them ready:

-> Chopped hazelnuts

-> Grated hazelnuts

-> butter

-> protein

-> Sugar

-> strength

-> Gingerbread spice

Nut paste ingredients in pot
Nut paste ingredients in pot

Prepare mixture

Put the egg whites and sugar in a saucepan with the hazelnuts.

Nut mixture Ingredients for nut wedges mixed in a saucepan
Nut mixture Ingredients for nut wedges mixed in a saucepan.

Stir mixture

Stir the nut mixture with a whisk.

Add butter to the nut mixture
Add butter to the nut mass

Add butter

Add the butter to the nut mixture.

Add the nut mass with the gingerbread spice
Supplement the nut mass with gingerbread spice

Add spice

Add the gingerbread spice to the nut mixture.

Stir in the gingerbread spice
Stir the gingerbread spice into the nut mixture.

Stir spice

Mix in the gingerbread spice.

Check the temperature of the nut mass
Check the temperature of the nut mass.

Heat mass

Heat the nut mixture to a temperature of 65°C while stirring.

Stir the cornstarch into the nut mixture
Stir the cornstarch into the nut mixture

Supplement cornstarch

Stir the starch into the nut mixture.

A notice:

Adding more cornstarch will make the nut layer firmer.

Pour the nut mixture onto the shortcrust pastry base
Pour the nut mixture onto the shortcrust pastry base.

Apply mass

Pour the nut mixture onto the prepared shortcrust pastry base.

Spread nut mixture
Spread the nut mixture

Spread mass

Spread the nut mixture evenly in the mold with a spatula.

Nut mass passed
Spread the nut mixture evenly

Provide cake

Let the nut mixture rest for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven at 180°C top and bottom heat.

Bake nut cakes
Bake nut cakes

Bake

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10-11 minutes.

Baked nut corners cake
Baked nut corners cake

Remove cake

When the baking time is up, remove the baked nut cake and set it aside on the worktop.

Measure the nut corners
Measure the cutting of the nut corners with the measuring tape.

Cut stripes

Carefully remove the flexible cake tin.

To do this, cut along the shape with a knife and then lift up.

Using a tape measure, cut out 5cm or 6cm strips.

Cut squares out of the nut corners of the cake
Cut squares out of the nut corners of the cake

Cut squares

Then cut the strips into squares.

Cut nut corners
Cut nut corners

Cut corners

Carefully cut the cut squares into triangles.

Prepare glaze

Cutting chocolate on wooden board.
cut chocolate.

Cut chocolate

Using a large chef’s knife, cut the chocolate into small pieces on a sturdy kitchen board.

Slowly melt half of the chopped chocolate in the saucepan at the lowest heat setting.

Add chocolate to temper
Add chocolate to temper

Add chocolate

Add the second half of the chopped chocolate to the already melted chocolate.

Temper chocolate
Temper the chocolate

Temper chocolate

Add the butter to the chocolate and melt without adding heat.

The melted chocolate should be in the temperature range around 28°C.

Briefly heat the chocolate to 32°C, then prepare to dip the nut cookies.

Dip nut wedges in chocolate
Dip the nut corners in chocolate.

Dip cookies

Dip the long side of the nut cookies corners in the chocolate.

Nut corners with chocolate on baking paper
Nut corners with chocolate on baking paper

Cool cookies

Place the dipped side/edge of the nut corners on fresh baking paper.

Nut corners with chocolate
Nut corners with chocolate

Add glaze

In a second step or in a second and third step, dip the other sides/edges of the nut corners in chocolate.

Then let it dry on the parchment paper.

Nut Cookies Recipe Image
Nut Cookies Recipe Image © Thomas Sixt

Pack cookies

After a good 1.5 hours, pack the nut cookies corners in biscuit tins.

Hide the cookie jars well from gnomes and trolls, gnomes and fairies in a cool place.

Video

Tips and information about the ingredients:

-> You can also use 200 g ground hazelnuts.

-> A portion of chopped hazelnuts – instead of ground hazelnuts – gives the nut layer more structure.

-> You can prepare the nut mass with up to 180 g butter.

-> More butter makes the nut mixture finer and softer.

-> When using gluten-free flour, please reduce the baking time of the shortcrust pastry base.

-> We used the gluten-free flour Schär Mix for biscuits. You can also prepare the dough with wheat flour.

–> We liked squares with a size of 5 cm or 6 cm better than squares with a size of 4 cm.

2. Nutritional Values and Calories

3. Tips For Storing Nut Cookies

You can place your Christmas cookies in large jars or cookie jars after they dry.

I always put sandwich paper in the can.

You can layer the cookies and put paper in between.

A cold place in the pantry, basement or closet will allow the cookies to ripen.

After 3-6 days the taste of the cookies is even better.

Nut cookies in can on wood antique
Nut cookies in can on wood antique
Nut cookies Close up
Nut Cookies Close up

4. Info About German Nut Cookies And Corners

Definition:

The nut cookie is a sweet, delicate pastry. It consists of a short pastry base spread with jam and a macaroon mixture with a layer of chopped or grated hazelnuts.

Das Backen dieser “Schichten” erfolgt in mehreren Arbeitsschritten.

Nach dem Backen und Abkühlen werden die Gebäckstücke in Dreiecke oder Rechtecke geschnitten und an den Rändern und Ecken mit Kuvertüre überzogen.

Ein recht ähnliches Gebäck mit Mandeln anstelle von Haselnüssen kennen wir unter der Bezeichnung Mandelschnitte.

Hits:

The pop singer Guildo Horn mentioned raspberry ice cream and nut cookies in his song “Guildo hat euch lieb”:

Lyrics Excerpt:

“Da wär’ ich so gern
War den Sternen nicht mehr all zu fern
Und von dort schick ich Euch meinen Liebesbeweis
Nussecken und Himbeereis”

He purposefully used his fondness for his mother’s nut cookies to make public appearances.

The pastry gained special attention through its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998.

Records:

On December 17, 2010, the world’s largest nut corner was assembled in Koblenz by the Rhine-Moselle-Eifel Bakers’ Guild.

The record pastry measured 5.6 x 5.7 x 9 meters and weighed 450 kilograms.

The record was confirmed by a judge for the Guinness Book of Records.

4. More Ideas For Christmas Cookies

Comments, Cooking Questions and Answers

5.00 from 462 ratings

Below you can write to me directly.
Please don’t forget the star rating on the recipe, 5 stars means you liked it!

  • Hello Thomas,

    your recipes look really great.

    Since no question remains unanswered and the photos of the steps are really very helpful.

    These nut cookies are very fine, I will bake these again.

    Clear recommendation for all who read along.

    Love greetings Carol

    Reply

    • Hi Carol,

      thank you for your nice feedback and the positive feedback.

      By the way, you can write me with every recipe, should you have a question or want to share something nice!

      Feel free to contact me again …

      Love greetings Thomas

      Reply