Jødekager (Danish Jewish Cookies)

Jødekager © kvalifood.com

Jødekager are classic Danish Christmas shortbread biscuits made with hartshorn salt, cut out with a glass or scored into diamonds with a pastry wheel. Brushed with egg and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and almonds. Crisp and buttery.

Ingredients

Makes 100 biscuits

  • 200 g butter
  • 350 g plain flour
  • 85 g sugar
  • ½ tsp hartshorn salt (ammonium bicarbonate)
  • 1 egg

Egg wash and topping

  • beaten egg
  • cinnamon sugar
  • chopped almonds

Directions

Make the dough

Cut the butter into pieces and rub it into the flour. Add the sugar, hartshorn salt and egg. Bring the dough together quickly and chill for ½–1 hour.

Cut out and bake

Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Roll the dough out thinly on a lightly floured surface. Cut the biscuits out with a glass, or score them into diamonds with a pastry wheel.

Place the biscuits on a baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and chopped almonds.

Bake on the top rack for 5–7 minutes, until golden.

Serving

Leave the biscuits to cool on the tray before transferring to a tin.

Notes

  • Makes approx. 100 biscuits.
  • Keep the dough cold while rolling — work in two batches if needed, keeping the rest chilled.
  • Hartshorn salt gives the characteristic crispness — it can be replaced with baking powder, but the result will be slightly different.
  • Store in an airtight tin for up to 3 weeks.