Spitzbuben
Spitzbuben: Swiss jam-filled butter biscuit sandwiches
Spitzbuben, 'rascals', are the jam-filled sandwich biscuits Swiss families bake every December: two thin, crumbly butter biscuits, the top one with a little window cut in it, stuck together with raspberry or redcurrant jam so it shines through, and dusted with icing sugar. They are made by the tin-load for Christmas and keep well. A common mistake is rolling the dough too thick, which makes heavy, doughy biscuits. Chef's tip: chill the dough well and roll it 3 mm thick between sheets of baking paper; dust the tops with icing sugar before sandwiching so the jam window stays clean.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
For the dough
- 7 oz soft butter
- 3 ½ oz icing sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
To finish
- 5 ½ oz raspberry jamwarmed and sieved
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Beat 7 oz soft butter, 3 ½ oz icing sugar and 1 pinch salt until pale, then beat in 1 egg white and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix in 10 ½ oz plain flour. Wrap and chill 1 hour.
Step 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (fan 325°F). Roll 3 mm thick between baking paper. Common mistake: thick dough; heavy biscuits.
Step 3: Cut 40 rounds of 5 cm, and cut a small heart or circle from the centre of half of them.
Step 4: Bake for 8–10 minutes, until pale golden at the edges. Cool.
10 minStep 5: Dust the tops with 2 tbsp icing sugar. Spread 5 ½ oz raspberry jam on the bases and press on the tops.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does spitzbuben take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of soft butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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