This holiday is celebrated in the midst of usNew Year's festivities, so everything on the table that is not "left" on New Year's Eve in our stomachs, not like a Christmas cookie. Is that kutya prepared again. However, it depends entirely on the traditions of a particular family. Someone and a festive cake bakes.

But Europeans give the liver much moreimportant role. This is a symbolic souvenir, something like the Easter cake, which friends and relatives and just familiar people exchange to signify that the great happiness of Christmas came to Earth. Small cute yummy cheers, cheerful people and snowflakes decorated with glaze, spicy aroma of spices and nuts - that's how an original Christmas cookie should be.

The season begins in late November, as soon as theThe streets clean the last pumpkins of Halloween. In each city, a Christmas market opens, where housewives and entrepreneurs offer branded Christmas cookies. So, in Austria, shopping stalls do not close even for a minute until the Christmas Eve, delicious sweets do not have time to spread on the trays. It is customary to buy several types of cookies and pack it in a beautiful metal box - this is considered a traditional gift for Christmas.

By the way, true connoisseurs of traditions do not alloweven a small sweet tooth to taste Christmas cookies before the 25th day. Like a gift under the tree, it waits for its time. Therefore, the recipe should preserve the flavoring qualities of the baked goods and delight the smell with a spicy scent.

Here is the recipe for an Austrian Christmas dessertunder the name "Cinnamon Stars": 3 eggs, 150 g of powdered sugar, 250 g of almonds, 10 tbsp. flour, sugar vanilla (sachet), almond essence - 0.25 tsp, ground cinnamon - 1 tsp.

Christmas cookies are prepared as followsway: almonds are fried in husk and grinded in a blender. You can also use a rolling pin and grind the nuts manually. From the eggs, the proteins are separated and whipped into a foam with powdered sugar. Part of the mixture will go to the glaze - it is put off. In the rest add almonds, cinnamon and vanilla sugar, essence, mix the flour. Ready dough is put in the refrigerator for half an hour. Then, a layer 0.5 cm thick is rolled out on the flour-sprinkled surface and the cookie-sprockets (in this case) are squeezed out with a mold. Bake at a temperature of 180 degrees until the appearance of a golden crust, then cover with glaze with the addition of dye.

But we have a Christmas cookie inform of "ginger males". To make them is also very simple: 450 g of flour is taken 2 tsp. baking powder, 2 tbsp. ginger, 2 eggs, 175 grams of sugar cane and 175 g of butter.

So, the oil is softened slightly and whipped withsugar to the consistency of the cream. Stir in eggs, flour and other ingredients. Similarly, cool the dough, putting it for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Further roll out the layer, only thicker (up to 3 cm) and cut out the little men. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and bake cookies until golden brown. Decorate them with sugar glaze, you can make eyes or buttons of raisins and chocolate chips.