Kerstkransjes (literally little Christmas wreaths) are traditional Dutch Christmas cookies. Just after sinterklaas they appear in the shops in many different varieties. But actually they are really easy to make at home! They are a perfect little project to do on a rainy sunday afternoon with kids, but the recipe is fast and easy enough to do even on a busy weekday evening when you fancy something sweet, tasty and seasonal. It is also very nice to make a big batch and divide the cookies over several small bags tied with a nice ribbon and label: the perfect hostess gift for these busy December times.
Kerstkransjes can have many different toppings. I like them best sprinkled with some granulated sugar before baking, a very simple finish. But coarser sugar and sliced almonds are also very common. After baking you can drizzle the kransjes with or dip them in chocolate (dark/milk/white), and sprinkle some sprinkles on top for a colourful finish. Usually they are shaped as scalloped wreaths (hence the name), but also with smooth edges, or even in the shape of stars and Christmas trees.
Some people like to hang kerstkransjes in their Christmas tree as a decoration, using ribbon to attach them to the branches, but I don’t. It is just too easy to sneakily eat them all, leaving a tree behind with only empty ribbons, which means that you have to bake some new kerstkransjes (or have them baked and stashed away already). A bigger problem is that you actually need to eat all the cookies from the tree very fast to prevent them from getting soft and soggy… So I prefer to keep these cookies in a cookie jar and decorate my Christmas tree with non-edible stuff. 
Kerstkransjes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies 1x
Description
Easy, crisp, short and buttery Dutch Christmas cookies.
Ingredients
- 150 g flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 75 g sugar
- pinch of salt
- zest of 1/4 lemon and/or 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 125 g cold butter, small cubes
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 egg white
- 60 g granulated sugar (or slivered almonds, or coarse sugar)
Instructions
- Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and lemon zest/vanilla together.
- Add the cubes of butter, rub in with your fingertips.
- Add the egg yolk, knead fast to a dough, taking care not to overwork.
- Shape the dough in a disk, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 170C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Roll out the rested dough to 3 mm.
- Cut out cookies with a circular scalloped cookie cutter (6 cm) and take out the middle with a small circular cookie cutter.
- Place them on the lined baking tray.
- Re-rol the scraps and form into cookies.
- Place the cookies, and the scraps as well (re-rolling them again would make them tough) on the baking tray.
- Use a pastry brush to brush some egg white on the cookies.
- Sprinkle the cookies with the sugar.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake 15-20 minutes, until golden.
- Leave the cookies a few minutes on the baking tray to cool, then transfer to a rack to cool further.
Notes
- If you don’t own a nested circular cookie cutter set, you can also use a glass instead of the big cutter, and an apple corer instead of the small cutter.
- This recipe works also great in other shapes.
- If you want to hang them in the tree, make a hole for the ribbon with a drinking straw.
- Or use a sateh stick, prick it in and use a circular motion to make the hole a bit bigger.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: European
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 80
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- How to Make “Lussekatter”: Traditional Swedish Lucia Buns
- Nieuwjaarsrolletjes – Dutch New Year’s Rolls
- Brunede Kartofler – Danish Caramelized Christmas Potatoes
- Holiday Cookies With a Kick: Chili Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the dough need to rest in the fridge for at least an hour?
Chilling the dough re-firms the 125 g of cold butter after it has been worked in by hand, which is essential for getting a short, crisp cookie. If you skip the chill, the butter will be too soft and the cookies will spread rather than hold their wreath shape during baking.
I don’t have nested circular cookie cutters — what can I use instead?
The notes say you can use a glass instead of the large (6 cm) cutter and an apple corer instead of the small cutter to punch out the centre hole. The recipe also works in other shapes like stars or Christmas trees if you skip the ring shape entirely.
Why shouldn’t I re-roll the scraps more than once?
The recipe specifically instructs you to bake the scraps from the second roll as-is rather than re-rolling them again, because overworking the dough develops the gluten and makes the cookies tough rather than short and crisp.
What topping options does the recipe suggest beyond granulated sugar?
The article says coarser sugar and sliced almonds are also very common, and after baking you can drizzle or dip the kransjes in dark, milk, or white chocolate and add sprinkles for a more colourful finish. The base recipe uses 60 g of granulated sugar for a simple, classic look.
My Dutch mother-in-law bakes these every December and the scalloped edges are a whole choreography of fork-pressing and ring-cutting. Did a small batch myself last December and got a hand-cramp by cookie ten. Worth it. Saving this recipe for next year’s attempt.
Love it
Im making theses cookies for a christmas around the world project for school
These were delicious! I just made these… I came across your blog while looking for Dutch Christmas recipes. My grandmother was born in Amsterdam. I look forward to trying some of your other recipes! Thanks.
Hello Ena,
I have never had these cookies but am going to make them for Christmas.
Do you have a good recipe for Dutch pancakes?
I visited the Netherlands 10 years ago and ate many!
My favorite had cooked apples in them.
Thank you,
Anita