Cakes & Bread
Basler Brunsli Swiss Cookies, Christmas Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies
Prep
30 min
Cook
12 min
Servings
20
Level
Medium
Basler Brunsli is a legendary cookie from the city of Basel, Switzerland, made from ground almonds, chocolate, and cinnamon, with no wheat flour at all. The texture is soft and chewy inside with crisp edges, and it has that warm, fragrant aroma typical of European Christmas cookies. Its signature star shape has made this cookie a winter favorite in Swiss families for centuries.
🧂 Ingredients
🍽️ Servings: 20
Adjust the servings and the ingredient amounts & nutrition below update automatically.
- 250 grams ground almonds (almond flour)
- 200 grams fine granulated sugar (caster sugar)
- 100 grams dark chocolate, finely grated
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar, for dusting the work surface
- 1 tsp kirsch (optional, can substitute with lemon juice)
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👩🍳 Instructions
- 1 Whisk the egg whites with the salt using a mixer until foamy and stiff, forming firm peaks (soft peak progressing to stiff peak).
- 2 Add the fine granulated sugar little by little while continuing to whisk until the mixture becomes glossy and thick, like meringue.
- 3 Add the lemon juice (or kirsch, if using), and fold gently with a spatula so you don't lose too much air.
- 4 In a separate bowl, combine the ground almonds, grated chocolate, cocoa powder, and ground cinnamon, and mix well.
- 5 Gradually add the dry mixture into the egg white mixture, folding gently until well combined and the dough is smooth and moldable (not overly sticky).
- 6 Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to make it easier to shape.
- 7 Dust the work surface with powdered sugar (not wheat flour), then roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1 cm (roughly 1/2 inch).
- 8 Cut out the dough using a star-shaped cookie cutter, and place the shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing the cookies apart.
- 9 Let the cut-out cookies dry at room temperature for 2-3 hours (or overnight) so the surface forms a thin, glossy layer once baked.
- 10 Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Bake the cookies for just 10-12 minutes—don't let them brown, since the inside needs to stay soft and chewy.
- 11 Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before moving them, as they're still fragile while warm.
- 12 Store in an airtight container; the cookies taste even better and chewier after resting for 1-2 days.
💡 Tips
• Use good-quality dark chocolate with at least 60% cocoa content so the cookies aren't overly sweet and have a richer aroma.
• Don't skip the drying step before baking—this is the key to giving Basler Brunsli its signature glossy surface without cracks.
• If the dough is too sticky, dust your hands and rolling pin with a little powdered sugar instead of wheat flour, to keep the cookies gluten-free.
• Store the cookies in an airtight jar at room temperature—the texture actually gets better and chewier after resting overnight.
📊 Nutrition Facts / serving
110
Calories (kcal)
2 g
Protein
6 g
Fat
12 g
Carbs
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