This year was the first year in many many years where I made my grandmas German Butter Platzchen (cookies) recipe. I haven’t had time before and I always thought they are too time consuming and too difficult to make. Boy was I wrong. I can not believe that it took me 15 years to make my favorite cookies and it took no time at all.
Since they were so simple and soooo delicious, I decided to share the recipe real quick so you can make this Butter Cookies as well. Best part… NO eggs needed!!! So go ahead and sneak that dough while making the cookies, you know you want it… I ate my share, too .
This is what you need for the German Butter Cookies
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1 1/2 stick of butter
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3/4 cup of sugar
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splash of vanilla Extract
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2 1/2 cups of flour
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Lemon Zest
This is how to make the German Butter Cookies
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Melt the butter in the microwave and place in the fridge after melting for about 30 minutes
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Once the melted butter is cooled off, mix sugar and butter along with the Vanilla extract and the lemon zest to a creamy consistency
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Slowly add flour and keep mixing; I usually put small amounts of flour in at a time
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Once the dough looks like a sugar cookie dough, put in the fridge for another 30 minutes to rest and cool off; you can even leave it in the fridge for 24 hrs; I was told the taste is better.
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preheat oven to 350F and roll our your dough, make sure you have a floured table or baking matt when rolling; use cookie cutters to cut shapes; bake for 8 minutes or till the edges are golden.
That’s it… Simple as that. Now, you can add some frosting if you like. Mine were gone so fast that I didn’t have time for frosting; but we usually mix a little bit of powder sugar with lemon juice, spread on the warm cookie, add some sprinkles and let cool.
Merry Christmas …..What is your favorite cookie?
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
It doesn’t get much easier than that 🙂 I love sugar cookies and I especially love decorating them with my kids. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!
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Jennifer Williams says
Those are so cute, I bet they are yummy. I will have to try them instead of our traditional sugar cookies this year.
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Aisha Kristine Chong says
Wow, this was nicely done. I would love to make of these during snack time.
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Casey says
Sometimes we get so caught up in all the crazy recipes over the holidays that we forget about the delicious simplicity in a butter or sugar cookie. My husband is part German, so I will have to make these and share with his family this holiday season. 🙂
Sarah Bailey says
Oh wow they sound delicious – I could imagine them going lovingly with a cup of tea. x
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Amber Edwards says
I need to make these! I used to get these all the time when we lived in Germany! I never had the recipe to recreate them! Thank you so much!
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tony greene says
My two daughters would love a simple and easy recipe like this to follow for Christmas cookies. Thanks.
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Crystal Green says
This looks like a really simple recipe that sounds delicious. I love how you made them into little stars. Thank you for sharing this with us.
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Amberlee says
Those look amazing! I will have to try them out, thanks!
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Pam says
My favorite cookies are those little thumbprints with jam filling, but these look really good!
Onica (MommyFactor) says
Dont think I’ve tried “German” cookies before. I’ll have to try this recipe. Love the star design. Thanks for sharing
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Annie Mai says
My favorite cookie at this time of year is gingerbread! I have never had German butter cookies before…at least I don’t think…
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teresa mccluskey says
butter cookies are my fav. My granny use to bake these for us all the time!
Tough Cookie Mommy says
I have always loved butter cookies and these are going to be no exception. I also love how they are shaped for the holidays. They are very festive and perfect for family gatherings.
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Melanie S. says
I really appreciate simple recipes, especially when I already have all of the ingredients on hand. These sound yummy. Can’t wait to taste them!
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Ashley Gill says
this sounds very easy! I’m sorry it took you so long! You’ve been missing out!! Now you can make them whenever you want!
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amanda says
These looks simple enough to make. Definitely not low calorie.. but moderation is key they say?
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Melanie says
I make these or used to with my mom. Love them, now I make a different kind but they are very similar!
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Lolo says
I love the look of those! They are so pretty even without icing!
Maria says
Yum!! Simple and perfect with a cup of coffee or cold milk.
Julie Wood says
These look so delicious. My Dad and sister and I would love to try this recipe. We are Germans and love German food! I am going to make these! Thanks for sharing.
Margot C says
I love sugar cookies, but usually they are sort of bland. The lemon was what was needed1
Southernman says
After following directions and mixing all ingredients I find the batter to be very dry and crumbly and not at all like a batter you could even bake. Any ideas?
Melanie Roberts says
YES!! It is very dry and crumbly you have to keep working at it till the butter gets very soft while keeping it and then keep it in the fridge for a few hours before rolling out; it is a very delicate butter dough, it works well but takes some time kneading and chilling hope that helps 🙂
Southernman says
I circumvented your advice and recipe abit. The batter was refridgerated for I’d say 18 hours total. I didn’t roll out the batter. ( I was abit frustrated at this point)…In a muffin tin I packed about 3/8-1/4 of an inch of batter in the bottom of each baking tin and baked them at 350 for 8-10 min till light brown around the edges. I got about a 2″ cookie. They tasted great and held thier form really well. I think I’ll add some almond flavoring to the rest of the batter.
I was hoping to replicate a German cookie I had at our local Oktober Fest last weekend. I think it came close. They are just as good.
Melanie Roberts says
Yay that’s good news, glad it turned out well. Sometimes it takes a bit getting used to, but the end result is great and something totally different, enjoy