Berlinerkranser (butter wreaths) are the biscuit that melts on the tongue. The secret is unusual: half the egg yolks are hard-boiled. That gives a tender dough that is a little fiddly to shape, but worth the trouble.
Black Month pack What you need
The recipe makes about 40 wreaths.
- 2 hard-boiled egg yolks
- 2 raw egg yolks
- 125 g icing sugar
- 250 g soft butter
- 300 g plain flour
- 1 egg white
- Pearl sugar to decorate
How to make it
- Mash the cooked yolks with a fork, until there are no lumps left.
- Stir in the raw yolks and icing sugar to make a pale, thick cream.
- Mix in the butter and flour, a little at a time, until the dough is smooth. Do not stir more than you need to.
- Wrap the dough, and leave it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Heat the oven to 180 °C, and line the baking trays with baking paper.
- Roll thin ropes of about 12 cm, and form them into wreaths with the ends overlapping.
- Brush with lightly beaten egg white, and dip the tops in pearl sugar.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. The wreaths should stay pale.
When the dough gets difficult
The dough softens fast. Take out a little at a time, and leave the rest in the cold. If the ropes crack, the dough is too cold, so roll it briefly between your hands. Give the wreaths a few minutes on the tray after baking, as they are fragile while warm.
Use up the rest of the eggs
The recipe leaves you with two whole whites from the cooked eggs and two raw whites. One raw white goes on the wreaths. The other can be the start of coconut macaroons.
How to store Berlinerkranser
Let the wreaths cool completely, and put them in an airtight tin with baking paper between the layers, so the pearl sugar does not rub off. Keep the tin somewhere cool. They keep for one to two weeks, and they are at their best in the first week. If you bake early, they can be frozen, and you take them out the day before you serve them.
Food Container 1,600 ml589 NOKContainer, lid and pump in the same pack. The pump draws out the air and charges with the included USB-C cable.
Frequently asked questions
Why cooked egg yolks?
They give a crisp, tender biscuit that crumbles easily. That is what sets Berlinerkranser apart from other butter biscuits.
Can I use ordinary sugar instead of icing sugar?
Icing sugar gives the fine, even dough. Ordinary sugar gives a coarser biscuit.
Can the dough be frozen?
Yes. Wrap it tightly, and thaw it in the fridge the day before you shape the wreaths.
How do I get wreaths of the same size?
Roll the dough into one long rope, and cut it into equal pieces before you shape the wreaths.
What goes in the freezer, and what stays in the pantry? See storing Christmas biscuits.
A tin of their own for the wreaths
In the food container the wreaths lie in layers, and the pearl sugar stays where it should.
See the food container →- Pump included
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- Lid with clips
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- Transparent container