Schneeflöckchen/Snowflake Cookies

Mom, Kate and I have been baking Christmas cookies together as long as I can remember. My favorites were always ones called Snowflakes (Schneeflöckchen in German), so it was my duty each year to bake the Snowflakes. Mom and I had our baking day last Monday and not even two weeks later, Alex and I have polished off quite a bit of them, including all of the Snowflakes. So I made more. I misplaced my recipe from mom, but a quick Google search resulted in this awesome blog: Islaborg. This is a little different from the recipe mom has since her schooling and the yield is slightly lower, but the taste is perfect. Islaborg does a good job explaining why they're called Snowflakes: not because of their looks, but because of their melt-in-your-mouth quality. These cookies truly are addicting- enjoy!



1/2 c flour
1 1/4 c cornstarch
1/2 c + 1 t powdered sugar
3/4 c butter, softened
1 t vanilla sugar (or 1/4 t extract)*

1. Combine sugar, butter and vanilla to a slightly fluffy paste.
2. Sift in flour and cornstarch and and knead to a smooth dough.
3. Wrap the dough in tinfoil and let it rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or place a sheet of baking paper on it.
5. Take the dough out, unwrap and use approximately 1 tbs of dough to form a small ball, place on baking sheet and continue with the rest of dough until you've filled the baking sheet. These cookies will spread a little when they bake, so leave some room in between cookies.
6. Use a fork dipped in powdered sugar to flatten the cookies, this will create a pattern that is characteristic for Snowflake cookies.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Make sure they don't brown, they're supposed to be white and somewhat flaky.
8. Let cool and store in an airtight container in a cool place.

*Cookies are supposed to be white, using vanilla extract over vanilla sugar will slightly color the cookies.