I talk a lot about living in Germany on this blog. I was 18, and very impressionable when I went there to be a nanny to 4 children. Thankfully, the impression left with me was a tremendously wonderful one. I learned a lot about cooking clean (although, I didn’t know to call it that at the time).
But what made the biggest impression on me, was the holiday season. Christmas in Germany is so very different from Christmas in America.
The smells of the mulled wine brewing in large, black, cast iron pots on the streets and Christmas music playing everywhere you go. The handmade items for sale are exquisite, and most importantly, there was no commercialism to be found anywhere. Just the pure sense of the holiday. Happiness, family, and a bit of snow to top it off. Wonderful.
On the home front, the whirl wind of baking that ensued the moment the season started was nothing short of miraculous! I’ve never seen such organization in the kitchen. Such planning and care went into each batch of baked goodies. And, to my horror, all of it was stored away for Christmas.
But oh boy did I ever look forward to Christmas that year! I was on sensory overload. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the tastes…. oh, what I wouldn’t give to be there again. It was amazing.
One of the Christmas cookies I learned to make that year is the recipe I will share with you here. A recipe for Lemon Holiday Horns. Scrumptious!
While these are not low-fat by any means, I’d rather eat these than a lot of the junk you can get this time of year. I mean, if I’m going to be “bad”, I’d like to know there’s at least something good about what I’m putting in my body..
Note: The cookies I learned to make in Germany (with the exception of one recipe) all include butter. These are the only recipes on my blog that use butter. I avoid it at all other times during the year, but do allow it in small amounts during the holiday season. It’s a personal choice. I did however change from real butter to a non-hydrogenated version.
(If you don’t have a kitchen scale with grams on it, here is a conversion chart)
Recipe updated: 12/21/10
Ingredients
125 g non-hydrogenated butter (such as Earth Balance)
150 g honey
1 egg yolk
grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
300 g whole wheat flour
100 g grated almonds
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg white – to brush on before baking
Directions
Step 1 – Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2 – Let stand for 1 hour in the fridge.
Step 3 – Roll small walnut sized balls of dough into strips that can be shaped into a horn (or horse shoe) shape.
Step 4 – Brush with egg white
Step 5 – Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes.
Note: Let these sit in a sealed container over night. The flavors really develop when they are allowed to sit until the next day. They won’t taste like much right out of the oven.
Note: No nutritional data available.
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