All posts tagged: Swiss biscuit

Swiss biscuits – Basler Läckerli

January 10, 2022
by spqr
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biscuits / Swiss baking / Swiss food / Switzerland

Läckerli are a type of lebkuchen baked as a sheet biscuit. There are many words for these biscuits – Läckerlin, Läckerli, Läggerli, Leckerly, Leckerli, and there are many differing versions found in many Swiss cantons, including some made of marzipan. Basler Läckerli originate from the Swiss city of Basel, and are small, rectangular lebkuchen with a fine icing. They are rich with honey, almonds, hazelnuts, spices, lemon and orange peel, which are coarsely chopped. The Läckerli are baked […]

Swiss biscuits – Chräbeli

December 22, 2020
by spqr
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baking / biscuits / cookies / Swiss food / Switzerland

Chräbeli, or Kräbeli are biscuits made with aniseed, from the town of Baden in the Swiss canton of Aargau. They are related to biscuits called anisbroetli (or in Germany they are sometimes called Nürnberger Springerle) , which although made of similar dough are usually imprinted using special molds (or springerle). In the Middle Ages, anisbroetli became a substitute for marzipan, the aniseed biscuits were often referred to as “common marzipan” or “peasant marzipan”. The white, elongated curved Chräbeli from […]

Swiss biscuits – Berner Honiglebkuchen

December 28, 2016
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biscuits / cookies / Swiss food / Switzerland

This is a Bernese honey gingerbread that is unfilled, rectangular, or shaped using cutters. This form of gingerbread is often molded with an image of a bear, and decorated with icing embellishments. Gingerbread, which consists of honey and exotic spices was produced in the medieval monasteries. In Bern the gingerbread dates back to the early 19th century. A recipe appearing in “Neuen Berner Kochbuch”, written by Lina Rytz in 1835 listed a gingerbread recipe very similar […]

Swiss biscuits – Basler Brunsli

December 24, 2016
by spqr
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biscuits / Swiss food / Switzerland

The Brunsli is a Christmas cookie similar in composition to the zimtsterne. It consists of a coarse dough from egg white, chocolate, sugar and almonds. It likely originates in the 1700’s and has had a varied history. In the early 1900’s either chocolate or cocoa were used, but almonds were likely the most expensive ingredient (which hasn’t changed). During WW1, the almonds may have been replaced with flour. In some recipes the Brunsli are made […]

Swiss biscuits – Mailänderli

December 21, 2016
by spqr
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biscuits / Swiss food / Switzerland

Mailänderli (MY-LAND-DER-LI) are the quintessential Swiss christmas biscuit, made of flour sugar and butter. They may have existed since the 18th century, and are simple to make. In many of the recipes to follow, you could also substitute margarine for butter, but I don’t think this is the right thing to do. Classically, this biscuit has an egg-yolk wash applied prior to baking, but provides a nice base for a number of different biscuits. I N […]