Christmas For me, it doesn’t start with decorating the Christmas tree, but rather the moment the old meat grinder is pulled out from the farthest corner of the cupboard. It only serves one purpose: shortbread biscuit production.
Baking is a family affair for us because it requires at least two people – one who presses and cranks the dough into the grinder and one who receives the finished pastry and places it on the tray.
Just like Grandma’s back then, the dough contains ground hazelnuts and – very important! – no baking powder. It must be so firm that it is impossible to handle it with the piping bag and after shaping it should rest in a cool place for one night before going into the oven. Only then will the shortbread be as crispy and buttery as it should be. (Elena Cremer)
