Spitzbuben

Spitzbuben are delicious buttery sandwich biscuits with their characteristic little “window” filled with jam. They are a traditional part of Advent and Christmas celebrations in German-speaking countries and originated in South Tyrol. Their British counterpart is the Jammy Dodger, which you can also find on my blog, although many countries have their own festive versions of these classic jam-filled biscuits. Blackcurrant jam (or redcurrant jelly) is said to be the most traditional filling for Spitzbuben, but feel free to use your favourite jam. They’re also a wonderful recipe to bake with children during the festive season.

Makes 15 sandwich biscuits (8 cm in diameter).

Ingredients for spitzbuben:

• 150 g butter, softened
• 100 g icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large egg yolks
• 300 g plain flour
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• a pinch of salt

To finish:

• jam of your choice
• icing sugar, for dusting

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the butter and icing sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla and lemon zest, then beat until well combined. Add the egg yolks and mix until incorporated. Add the salt and plain flour, then mix just until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough in cling film, flatten it slightly into a disc, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 2–3 mm. Cut out round biscuits, then cut small holes in the centre of half of them. Gather the scraps, knead them together briefly, roll out again and continue cutting out biscuits. Before baking, chill the cut biscuits for another 30 minutes.

Bake at 180°C for about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Spread the whole biscuits with jam, then sandwich them together with the cut-out biscuits, dusted generously with icing sugar.

Store the biscuits in an airtight container or biscuit tin for up to 7 days.

Enjoy!