Totenbeinli, meaning ‘bones of the dead’ (though more literally translated as ‘legs of the dead’), are a crunchy, nut-filled cookie originating in Graubünden. This macabre name comes from the fact that they were once commonly served at wakes, and that they should be about as hard and crunchy as the aforementioned bones.

Today they are made year-round throughout the country, and under much more neutral names like Nussstängeli, ‘nut sticks’, in German, and croquants in French, describing their crunchiness. They are a perennial Christmas favourite too—they keep well and their shape adds interest to the season’s cookie platters.

150 g whole almonds or hazelnuts, toasted

120 g ground almonds or hazelnuts, toasted

100 g butter, room temperature

200g sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

180 g flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

Once the whole nuts are toasted, set aside a handful to keep whole, and very roughly chop the rest. You will have three kinds of nuts to add: ground, roughly chopped, and whole.

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and salt. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon, then stir into the butter mixture. Fold in the nuts.

Spread into a flat loaf (around 30 cm x 15 cm x 1 cm) directly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for about an hour or freezer for about 15 minutes, until firm.

When you are ready to bake

Preheat oven to 200° C.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the top has completely set.

Remove from the oven and wait for about 5 minutes, or until it is cool enough to handle. Cut into long slices, place back on the baking sheet and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes or until they are just starting to brown around the edges.

• Almonds or hazelnuts (or a mix!) are generally used, however you can also experiment with different nuts like walnuts, or maybe even pistachios?

More cookies?