German Christmas Cookies

These are the cut-out cookies that show up on every German family’s Christmas table, sometimes called Anisplaetzchen for the warm licorice-like anise flavor that defines them. The dough is sturdy enough to hold the crisp edges of cookie cutters (stars, hearts, gingerbread shapes, snowflakes) without slumping in the oven.

Unlike American sugar cookies, this version uses milk and shortening for tenderness and skips the butter entirely, which means the cookies stay pale and let the anise do the talking. Two teaspoons of vanilla rounds out the flavor so it isn’t all licorice up front.

The one quirk worth flagging: the recipe doesn’t pre-measure the flour. You add it gradually until the dough is workable but not sticky, which is how German bakers traditionally taught this. Trust your hands, not a measuring cup. If the dough sticks to your rolling pin, add more flour. If it cracks, you’ve gone too far.

Roll thin for crispy cookies or thick for soft ones. Bake immediately after rolling so the leavening stays active.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling if your kitchen runs warm; cold dough cuts cleaner edges.
• Bake on parchment, not a greased sheet, so the bottoms don’t brown too quickly while the tops are still pale.
• Watch the timing: at 325°F (165°C) you’ll get softer cookies, at 350°F (175°C) crisper ones; pick a side and stick with it for the whole batch.
• Decorate after baking with royal icing or simply dust warm cookies with granulated sugar for the traditional look.

Variations

• Stir 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder into half the dough as the recipe suggests, then layer or twist the two doughs for marbled cookies.
• Swap anise for ground cardamom or cinnamon for a Scandinavian-style spiced cookie.
• Sandwich two thin baked cookies with apricot or raspberry jam for instant Linzer-style cookies.