Ingredients
Tap to tick offDough
- ⅔ Cups Unsalted Butter
125 g - ½ Cups White Sugar
100 g - 1 Vanilla Sugar
or a few drops of vanilla in sugar - 1 Egg
- 2¼ Cups All Purpose Flour
300 g - 1½ Tsp Baking Powder
6 g
Filling
- 2 Cups Hazelnuts
200 g, ground - ½ Cups White Sugar
100 g - 5 Almond Extract
5 drops, or to taste - 1 Egg Whites
save the yolk for glaze - 5 Tbsp Water
may need more
Glaze
- 1 Egg Yolks
saved from filling step - 1 Tbsp Milk
- 1 Sprinkle Icing Sugar
Method
In a bowl or food processor
- ⅔ Cups Unsalted Butter
125 g - ½ Cups White Sugar
100 g - 1 Vanilla Sugar
or a few drops of vanilla in sugar - 1 Egg
- 2¼ Cups All Purpose Flour
300 g - 1½ Tsp Baking Powder
6 g
Cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg, dry ingredients and milk to form a thick dough. Do not overprocess. If the dough is not forming well, dump it onto the counter and knead until it comes together. If sticky, wrap in waxed paper and chill until workable.
Shape the dough into a fat log. Roll out on a well-floured surface into a rectangle which is approximately 25 cm x 50 cm. Trim and patch with bits of dough to keep a good rectangle .
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Make the Filling
- 2 Cups Hazelnuts
200 g, ground - ½ Cups White Sugar
100 g - 5 Almond Extract
5 drops, or to taste - 1 Egg Whites
save the yolk for glaze - 5 Tbsp Water
may need more
Mix the ground hazelnuts, sugar, extract, egg white together and add water to form a thick paste. Spread over the rectangle of dough, right to the edges. You may need to dip your spatula into water if it's sticky.
Tightly roll up the dough from a long edge, jelly roll fashion.
Shape the Kranz
- 1 Egg Yolks
saved from filling step - 1 Tbsp Milk
- 1 Sprinkle Icing Sugar
Grease a baking pan, or use a silicone mat. Carefully lift the log and shape into a circle, pinching the dough together, and gently stretching as needed.
Mix the egg yolk and milk together to form a glaze.
Using a sharp paring knife, cut a 1/2 cm zigzag pattern into the top of the krantz and then glaze.
Bake for 35 - 45 minutes at 350ºF until lightly brown and the kranz doesn't spring back when touched.
Once completely cool, dust with icing sugar. Opa used to place this krantz on a doily on a cake stand and make it the showpiece of his Weihnacht baking display. Or cut into small slices and store for a week in a tin, being sure to hide it from Andrea.