Vogelnestli
Glimmering in Swiss bakery windows are the weighty Vogelnestli (bird’s nests), with a buttery base and nutty meringue border filled with jam. Sort of like a mix between Linzer and Spitzbuben, these cookies are a perennial favourite.
I hadn’t thought about making them myself until seeing the beautiful gems posted by lovely Swiss ex-pat baker Suzanne of Suzanne’s Swiss Bakery in Davenport, Iowa.
The cookie base is my Guetzliteig, a forgiving, easy to roll dough. Many recipes online suggest using a store bought sweet shortcrust pastry like a Mürbeteig/paté brisée sucrée, which is a fine substitution (but does not fulfill my buttery, homemade dreams).
The nutty meringue filling is standard, though I prefer ground almonds to hazelnuts, and for the jam filling you can choose your own adventure—raspberry, cherry, apricot, strawberry?
The typical shape for these cookies is round, though hearts make a wonderful Valentine’s treat.
Base
170 g butter, room temperature
150 g sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
1 tsp salt
300 g flour
Topping
4 egg whites (140 g)
120 g sugar
360 g ground nuts
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
200 g jam
For the cookie base
Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and salt. Sift in the flour and stir until combined.
Form into a disc, wrap and chill in the fridge for an hour, or until firm.
When you are ready to cut and bake:
Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F / gas mark 6.
Roll out dough to 0.5 cm thick. Cut out rounds 8 cm in diameter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in the fridge or freezer while you prepare the topping.
Topping
Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, start whipping the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar, beating until the mixture is thick and glossy. Fold in the nuts, cinnamon, and salt.
Assembly
Take out the chilled cookie bases. Using a piping bag with a star tip 1 cm in diameter, pipe the topping around the edge of each cookie. Fill the centre with jam.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the nutty meringue has browned slightly and the bottoms are golden.
Makes about 24 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters.
Recipe updated March 2023—from my Spitzbuben dough to my Guetzliteig, as it is much more forgiving to roll.
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