Mailänderli – Dairy Free Christmas Cookies

Out of my four favourite dairy free Christmas cookies Mailänderli are the only ones where I had to tweak the recipe. And that is okay. Tweak away! Mailänderli are easy to make and are always a crowd pleaser with the buttery deliciousness toned down with hints of lemon. Stamp them out into unique shapes, brush with some egg yolk and bake. What could be easier?

This is the third recipe in the dairy free Christmas cookies series. In this series I will be sharing four of my favourites: Matrosenkäppli, Chräbeli, Mailänderli and Basler Brunsli. If you are not Swiss do not fret because are written in English. All, except for the Mailänderli, are already dairy free Christmas cookies which of course makes my life easier.

Once you have baked your dairy free Christmas cookies make sure to enjoy them with either a home made hot chocolate, large mug of tea or a cool glass of home made oat milk for dipping in. Remember to save some for Samichlaus and friends.

RECIPE MAILÄNDERLI – DAIRY FREE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

250 gr dairy free margarine

225 gr white sugar

1 pinch salt

3 eggs

1 lemon, grated zest only

550 gr flour

1 egg yolk

1 tsp water

Add the margarine to a large bowl and beat until soft. Add in the sugar and salt and mix to combine. Add in one egg after the other mixing until the mass becomes a lighter colour. Add in the lemon zest and flour and mix with a wooden ladle until a dough forms. Flatten the dough in the bowl, cover with either a moist towel or foil and set in the fridge for a minimum of two hours.

To form the cookies remove the dough from the fridge 15 minutes before you want to roll the dough. Lightly dust a clean surface (kitchen counter or sturdy table works best) with flour and roll out the dough to a thickness of 8mm. Cut out difference shaped forms and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet, with the dairy free Christmas cookies, in the fridge to cool for 15 minutes.

In a small cup mix together the egg yolk and water. Brush the top of each cookie with the egg yolk mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes in the middle of a 200c oven. Once done let cool on a wire rack. Mailänderli will keep for 1-2 weeks in a well sealed container in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight.

Do you have any favourite christmas cookie shapes?