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Weihnachtsbäckerei – Part 2 : Rum Squares

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Rum Squares – Rumwürfel

Gusti F. from Northern California shared her easy to bake recipe for delicious Rumwürfel/Rum Squares. Let’s say it’s a cookie for adults, since the rum flavor is a bit strong for the kids. But I can assure you, you will fall in love with these Rum Squares! They are just so delectable! – Thank you, Gusti!

Ingredients for the sponge dough mixture:

160 g butter

4 whole eggs

500g sugar

500g flour

(60g cocoa if you like the dough to be chocolate colored inside; or you can make half a batch with brown dough and the other half with light dough)

3/4 of a Dr. Oetker baking powder bag

1 small cup of milk

Ingredients for the chocolate/coconut coating:

500g powdered sugar

8 rows of “Blockschokolade” (baking chocolate)

3/4 l rum

1 -2 bags of coconut flakes

Directions:

1. Combine the butter, eggs, sugar, flower, baking powder and milk and blend it into a sponge cake mixture (Rührteig). Once smooth, put half of the dough mixture aside and mix in the cocoa so you can make half a batch of rum squares that a chocolaty inside.

2. Smooth out the dough on a baking sheet that’s covered with parchment paper and put it in the oven for 45 minutes at 356 F.

3. In the meantime, while the cake mixture is baking, prepare the chocolate coating: Grind the baking chocolate (“Blockschokolade”) and mix it in with the powdered sugar. Slowly add the 3/4 l of rum to the mixture while stirring continuously and blending it into a somewhat pasty mixture.

4. After 45 min take the baking sheet out of the oven and cut the cake into little squares.

5. Put the coconut flakes into a bowl. Take each little cake square and dunk it into the chocolate-rum mixture, let the excess chocolate mixture drop off and then roll the chocolate square in the coconut flakes.

6. After step 5, put each square straight into an airtight container so that the aroma of the tasty Rum Squares is preserved.

Enjoy with a nice hot cup of coffee or tea!

Let us know your favorite Christmas cookie Recipe and send it to CaliforniaGermans(at)gmail.com !

Image: Pixabay.com

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German Christmas Cookie Challenge – Weihnachtsplätzchen

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Weihnachtsbäckerei

The holiday season is officially upon us. Next week is Thanksgiving and on Saturday, November 27, is already the First Sunday of Advent and we light our first candle on our advent wreath!

But, hold on…! We need some tasty German Christmas Cookies to complete our German ‘Vorweihnachtszeit’ (pre-Christmas) traditions.

So we thought of having a German Christmas Cookie Challenge!! …Are you in?

Send us your authentic and most loved German Christmas Cookie recipe and be featured here on our website!

Do you have a special recipe that makes you remember those cozy candlelight evenings with family and friends back in Germany? We need it!

Help us bring the comfort and warmth of the beautiful ‘Adventszeit’ (Advent Season) to all the CaliforniaGermans expats here in California! There is nothing like the scent of freshly baked cookies bringing Christmas spirit into our homes.

Send in your favorite German Christmas Cookie recipe to californiagermans(AT)gmail.com 

Every Friday until December 23, the night before German Christmas, we will feature a cookie recipe that is special to a CaliforniaGermans at “Weihnachtsbäckerei” on our website.

To start off the official Christmas Baking Season, here is a Christmas favorite of my family: Vanillekipferl (Vanilla Crescents), a recipe passed down from my grandmother.

Vanillakipferl – Vanilla Crescents

Ingredients:

250 g flour (add a pinch of baking powder)

vanillekipferl-1824345__340125 g sugar

3 egg yolks

200 g unsalted butter

125 g almond flour

50 g hazelnut flour

Bourbon Vanilla Extract

  1. Combine all the ingredients to a dough by hand not the mixer. We call it ‘Knetteig’. Start out with the flour to which you add the almond flour, hazelnut flour and the sugar. Then add the butter (should be at room temperature and cut into little thin pieces) and then add the egg yolks and some Bourbon Vanilla extract. You can start mixing it all with a fork but once the dough gets heavier it’s easiest to just get in with your hands to work a nice smooth dough.
  2. Put the dough to ‘rest’ into the fridge for about 30 minutes.
  3. After 30 minutes cut a chunk off the main dough to make a long 1 inch role which you then cut into 2 inch pieces. (Repeat that step for the whole dough) Take each 2 inch piece and roll it into a crescent with the ends thinning out towards the end. Place your crescents on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350-390 °F
  4. Then turn the still warm Vanillekipferl in Vanilla Sugar , and your first German Christmas cookie is ready to eat!

Happy Holidays!

Image: Pixabay.com

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