Tags
Advent calendar, baking, Biscuits, Christmas, Food photography, Spitzbuben, Tea, Vegan, vegan recipes, Vegetarian
Do you try your hardest to create the perfect festive atmosphere for your family and then totally forget to look after yourself? It’s time for a moment of calm and indulgence.
I bought myself a present, a special advent calendar treat, when I was in Germany last month. There’s a wonderful company called Sonnentor (sun gate) which make the most beautiful teas, herbs and spices. I love (LOVE!) what they do with their packaging and if I could carry it all back in my suitcase, I would fill my kitchen from top to bottom with their delightful little tins, packets and tea boxes.
This gorgeous selection box comes filled with 24 different organic teas and a little booklet with festive ideas and wishes. Here’s December 1st : ‘I wish that you will finally find the time again to bake your favourite biscuits.’ Ahhhhh, how sweet is that?
So, with the kids in school, this is my time for peaceful baking and a mug of delicately spiced tea (which includes lemongrass, peppermint, daisies, cornflowers and calendula).
I can’t blame the spilt flour and messy kitchen on anybody else but I might just manage to clear it all away before school pick-up time!
Spitzbuben (Cheeky Chaps)
135g (1 cup) flour
100g (1/2 cup) margarine
50g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
1 egg replacer (e.g. Orgran)
zest of 1/2 lemon
strawberry jam
icing sugar
Preheat the oven to 170˚C /340˚F.
Cut the margarine into small cubes and combine with the flour, sugar, lemon zest and egg replacer. I added the egg replacer as powder and just enough water to make a smooth dough.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface. Cut out circles and stamp out a pretty shape for half of your circles. Bake until they are a light golden colour.
To assemble, spread a little strawberry jam on the ‘bottom halves’ and gently sandwich the biscuits together. Dust with icing sugar and sit back to enjoy a little festive time out, just for you!
They make very cute little gifts too if you feel kind and generous 🙂 What do you do during the festive season to look after yourself? Have you got any traditions that make you peaceful and happy?
If you need some more beautiful food photography in your life visit my website www.flavourphotos.com and say Hi 🙂
flavourphotos 
Such pretty biscuits. Great for “me time” sipping on some tea and getting into a really great page turner book.
Thank you! I’m loving the sound of that… where’s my cosy blanket?
Your biscuits look really good – and so pretty!!! ♥
I made an advent calendar with tea bags for a very good friend. Just folded little bags out of fancy paper. Fixed everything with a stapler – made a hole with a puncher and after putting the tea bags (paper wrapped) in the little pockets i hung them on a pretty string. 🙂 Next year I will do this with bisquits. And i will try to make these Spitzbuben as they are lovely! Thanks for the great inspiration.
Thank you for your lovely comment. Can I be your friend too and get a pretty tea bag calendar 😉
These look so beautiful! I need to get myself a mini cookie cutter!
Thank you for stopping by! I didn’t realise quite how many cookie cutters I’ve got until I started to look for my mini stars and hearts ;-). They are very cute and really useful for cutting out icing decorations for special cakes too.
Those teas sound wonderful, perfect for me-time! And your biscuits are gorgeous – I tried to make jammy dodgers with Ruby a few months ago but the shortbread we made crumbled when we tried to cut the shapes out so we gave up and just sandwiched two shortbread biscuits together with jam. Yummy but not quite as gorgeous looking as these!
Nothing better than a spoonful of shortbread crumbs 😉 I bet the jam was home-made and tasted wonderful!
Chava – These are just gorgeous. Yes, you deserve a treat of your lovely teas from Germany and these beautiful cookies – in peace – while the kids are at school. These will make a lovely gift with your beautiful wrapping. I am so impressed. Best wishes – Shanna
Thank you for your kind words. I was a really nice mummy and shared my biscuits with the boys later. Sam, generous as ever with his compliments, thought they were the best I’d ever made 🙂
I think they were particularly yummy because the strawberry jam was from my German friend Dani – her jars are always very precious to me.
Chava –
I can hear it now “These. Are. The. Best. Ever.” 🙂 And they probably were. The strawberry jam looks amazing. Your friend Dani is quite generous to share. You must be a good friend to her. 🙂
Enjoy your weekend.
Best-
Shanna
I’ve known her since we were 10 – I always use her jam in my children’s birthday cakes. So yes, a very good friend indeed 🙂
That is amazing that you have such a long and lasting friendship, Chava. Something to hold onto and cherish.
I bet your kids have FABULOUS birthdays. Their mom is so artistic and talented in the craft arena. 🙂
Jam, that is homemade, is one of the best things of all time!
Best,
Shanna
So glad I have come across your blog! I live in southern Germany and treat myself to this Advent calendar every year…. I love the little booklet that comes with it too! Your cookies are beautiful – I love baking at this time of year too. I find it a peaceful activity.
Have you seen Sonnentor’s herbs with flowers mixed in? So pretty!
Hello and welcome Cathy! How wonderful to have this shared experience. At the moment, I’ve got the ‘Gute Laune’ und ‘Flower Power’ mixes in my cupboard and some very flavourful Bluetenzaubersalz. My mom treats me to these when she sends a parcel from Germany. Happy baking 🙂
Pingback: Sunday Funday December 8th | Vegan Christmas Cookie Ideas | The Unintentional Vegan
Can you tell me us measurements and Fahrenheit?
Hi Linsey, I have added the conversions to the recipe now. I hope I got it right, as I grew up in Germany (metric) and now live in the UK (imperial) which can be different from US imperial. Confused 😉
I hope you get to bake these, they are so simple to make. The biscuit dough isn’t too sweet as you use jam and then add icing sugar on top. If you like yours sweeter you can always add more sugar to the dough mix. Happy baking!
Thank you so much for replying! I will make these soon! They are beautiful!
Have fun baking these – you could experiment with different cutter shapes. I did some with stars, hearts and circles, mostly to justify that I have so many different cutters 😉
Hi Chava, I just saw this post get featured on Finding Vegan’s FB page. Congrats!
Snap, congratulations too! What a fabulous site, there’s so much that I want to cook already!
amazing!!!!
Thank you very much and welcome on board 🙂
I have like 100 cookie cutters but I only have one small autumn leave. They will be tasty no matter what. I’m baking them today!
I’m glad I’m not the only one 🙂 I made mince pies tonight and topped them with hearts and stars and other pretty shapes. I love baking when it’s dark and cold outside and cosy inside.
Sounds fun! We need to be neighbors! I love baking anytime but it is the best when its dark and cold! Sorry for all the? ‘S but am also wondering can I cut the margarine in half and replace other half with applesauce? I do it in all my baking. I just only have a bit of margarine. I’m using flax meal for the egg replacer. It says 1 tbl with 3 tbls of water is that the amount of liquid u use to?
I have never tried applesauce in my recipes. Sounds great for cakes and muffins though as it would cut down fat and add natural sweetness. If you do try it, let me know if it works.
I add just enough water to make the ingredients come together in quite a firm dough. That makes it easier for the biscuits to hold their shape when you lift them and transfer them to your baking tray. Have fun!
Ok ill try it. How many biscuit sides should I get out? And the thickness? Can you tell I don’t want to mess up these beauties? ? 🙂
I did mine about 3-4mm thick. I have to confess that I didn’t count how many I got. I was so busy making pretty patterns 😉 Guess it would also depend on the size of the cutters you use for your Spitzbuben.
Ok thanks!!!
Oh no is it all purpose or self rising that has the baking powder and soda in it??
Self rising has baking powder in it. I did use that but thought afterwards that I would probably use all purpose (plain) flour next time. It doesn’t really matter, Linsey. My kind of cooking always has an element of flexibility in it 😉
I have wondered if you tried with the applesauce. I’m a little unsure about it in biscuits as it would add quite a bit of moisture. I read online that it works best in cake-like recipes, but as I said I never used it before so I may be wrong.
Ill use all margarine. And ap flour found dome tiny cutters to! I’m about to start! Thanks for all your help!
Some*
Wooohoooooo they came out beautiful! Made them with rasb and blackberry jam! Cut them in cute shapes! Is there a place I can post a photo to you? I love sharing my pics! Ty for the super simple super delish recipe! Never had these!
I’m so thrilled you made these, Linsey. I know how often I look at a gorgeous recipe and plan to make it but never get round to it. So it’s lovely when somebody actually gets to enjoy and cook it for themselves, yeah!!!
You can email me chava.eichner@flavourphotos.com
Can’t wait to see your picture 🙂
These look amazing!! However can I use a regular egg instead of the egg replacer? And also would butter work in place of the margarine? Would the ratio be the same?
Thanks!! 🙂
Hi and thanks for stopping by. Butter will definitely work. With the egg, depending on size, you may have to add some more flour to make the consistency right for rolling out, i.e. not too sticky. Have fun baking!
Pingback: thiara.de ~ Vegane Plätzchen