This is a traditional German recipe for simple and delicious Christmas cookies. Just four ingredients and no frills – so buttery and delicious these cookies melt in your mouth!

Preparation time: 1 hour

What you need:

1 ½ cups (375g) white flour

2 sticks (250g) soft butter (do not substitute with margarine or any other butter substitute!), butter should not be liquid.

1 ¼ cups (125g) granulated sugar

1 egg yolk

How to do it:

Combine flour, sugar and butter in a large bowl, mix everything with your (clean) hands and knead it into a nice round ball. Cover with plastic wrap and put it into the fridge for 20-30 minutes. It can also sit much longer, even overnight.

Preheat oven to 350F (180 C)

Take small portions of the dough, roll out on a clean and flat surface so you get a 1-inch (50 mm) thick large pancake shape; use cookie cutters of any shape to make small cookies. Use a knife to get them off the surface and place on a non-stick baking tray.

Mix egg yolk in a small bowl with ½ teaspoon water and brush the cookies with the yolk.

The amount of dough should make about 1 1/2 to 2 baking trays.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden on top. Make sure they don’t burn!

Guten Appetit!