Vanilla-meringue butter cookies (Prager Plätzchen)

Name: Vanilla-meringue butter cookies (Prager Plätzchen)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 85
Cuisine: european
Ingredients: 3 cups bread flour; 8.8 oz butter (cold); 3 egg yolks; 3 tbsp sugar; 1 vanilla bean; 2 egg whites; 8.8 oz confectioner’s sugar; 2 oz raisins; 2 oz slivered almonds; flour (for dusting); salt

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Marco Hartz

Chef at Kitchen Stories

www.instagram.com/keepitsimpleart/

"Wafer-thin, buttery-tender, and topped with a lightly sweet meringue-vanilla glaze – these cookies are truly irresistible and have become a staple in my Christmas baking. Their origins trace back to a recipe published in Brigitte, a well-known German women’s magazine, which first inspired me to make them years ago. For an extra layer of flavor, add a touch of lemon zest or a pinch of ground vanilla to the dough. The traditional Brigitte version uses Zante currants on top, but I prefer dried raisins – feel free to choose what you love best. Just keep a close eye on the baking time: the cookies should stay pale so they turn out crisp but never dry."

Difficulty

Easy 👌

Preparation

30 min

Baking

10 min

Resting

60 min

Ingredients

2Pieces

MetricImperial

8⅞ g

bread flour

5⅞ g

butter (cold)

⅛

egg yolks

⅛ tbsp

sugar

⅛

vanilla bean

⅛

egg whites

5⅞ g

confectioner’s sugar

1⅜ g

raisins

1⅜ g

slivered almonds

flour (for dusting)

salt

Utensils

oven, 2 bowls, sieve, hand mixer with dough hook, plastic wrap, rolling pin, pastry cutter, baking sheet, parchment paper, knife, whisk, wire rack

Nutrition per serving

Cal58

Fat3 g

Protein1 g

Carb7 g

Step 1/3
- 8⅞ g bread flour
- 5⅞ g butter (cold)
- ⅛ egg yolks
- ⅛ tbsp sugar
- oven
- bowl
- sieve
- hand mixer with dough hook
- plastic wrap
Preheat oven to 180°C/356°F on convection. Sieve flour into a bowl, add cold butter in small pieces, along with egg yolks and sugar, and knead everything first with a mixer with a dough hook and then by hand to form a smooth dough. Shape dough into a ball, wrap it in cling film, and let it rest in refrigerator for approx. 60 min.
Step 2/3
- ⅛ vanilla bean
- ⅛ egg whites
- 5⅞ g confectioner’s sugar
- flour (for dusting)
- salt
- rolling pin
- pastry cutter
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- knife
- bowl
- whisk
Dust work surface with flour, roll out the dough portion by portion approx. 2 mm/0.08 in. thin, and cut into approx. 3x3 cm/1.2 in. diamonds with a serrated pastry cutter. Then, arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. For the glaze, slice vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. In a bowl, beat egg white, a pinch of salt, and vanilla seeds until stiff, gradually sprinkling in powdered sugar.
Step 3/3
- 1⅜ g raisins
- 1⅜ g slivered almonds
- wire rack
Brush cookies with the glaze. Decorate as desired with dried raisins and slivered almonds, and bake until golden yellow for approx. 10–14 min. Once they're done, carefully remove them from the sheet and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Enjoy your meal!