Jan Hagel Cookies

Crafted with simple, classic ingredients, Jan Hagel cookies are a traditional Dutch holiday cookie with their roots in the Netherlands. 

I love making these with my other Christmas cookies including Reindeer wagon wheel cookies, Santa’s sweet and salty cookies, and my all-time favorite- whipped shortbread cookies. 

They’re super buttery and delicious, incredibly easy to make, and have a subtle nutty almond flavor that everyone will love! 

Ingredients For the Jan Hagel Cookies Recipe

Butter: Butter helps add some richness and deliciousness to the cookies. I recommend only using butter as margarine has a higher moisture content which could affect the texture of the cookies.

Sugars: You’ll need two kinds of sugar to make the Jan Hagel cookies- granulated sugar to sweeten the cookies and pearl sugar (or small rock sugar) to decorate the top! 

Almonds: You’ll need to use thinly sliced almonds as the topping for the cookies. In addition to the pearl sugar of course. 

Almond Exact: This is optional, but I recommend adding it. The almonds on the top of the cookie are delicious, but adding that bit of almond extract really lends an even nicer nuttiness to the cookie.

Flour: All-purpose flour should work just fine for this recipe. 

Egg: Egg helps bring a beautiful luxurious flavor and softness to the cookie dough. 

Cinnamon: I also added a dash of cinnamon to lend an extra bit of flavor to the cookies. 
Salt: Just to enhance the overall flavors.

How to Make Jan Hagel Kookjes

1. Cream butter and sugar in a bowl. 
2. Separate the egg yolk from the egg white.
3. Add the egg yolk the butter and sugar mixture and mix well.
4. Add the flour, cinnamon, salt and combine.
5. Press the dough into the pan.
6. Brush egg wash over the top
7. Sprinkle pearl sugar and sliced almonds
8. Bake
9. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Cut into diamond shapes.
10. Cool the remaining way.

Tips & Variations for this Jan Hagel Cookies Recipe 

• Pearl sugar is essentially thermostable granulated sugar, which does not melt at high temperatures. This is what gives the cookies that beautiful texture on the top. However, I’ve made them with sparkly white rock sugar as well.
• If your cookie dough seems too tough, add a little spoonful of milk to soften it and make it pliable. 
• Ensure the cookie dough has been pressed evenly in the pan and all the cookie squares have even thickness. This will ensure that they’re all cooked to perfection. 
• I like to give the toppings an extra press so they stick to the top of the cookie dough. 

How to Serve the Jan Hagels

These Dutch cookies can be enjoyed at any time, all on their own. They also pair very well on any dessert table at a function and because their somewhat unique in North America, they offer a nice flavor difference from other Christmas cookies.

I personally love having them with my cup of coffee, and I’ll also heat up a glass of milk in the evenings and drink it with a few of these cookies. Talk about comfort food!

Lastly, I haven’t done it, but, I think they’ll also make amazing homemade holiday presents much like my DIY hot chocolate jars. 

Storage Ideas & Suggestions

Like most classic cookies, these Jan Hagel cookie recipe stays fresh for up to two weeks as long as they’re covered with a tight-fitting lid in a container.

To keep them even longer, freeze them in a freezer-friendly container, separated with parchment or waxed papers in layers. They’ll store well for at least 3 months, and you can thaw them at room temperature, so heat them in the microwave for 15 seconds.

Have you made this Jan Hagel cookie recipe? I’d love to hear how you liked them! Please comment below or if you have any questions about this cookie recipe, feel free to email me at Joanne@thesaltypot. com.

Thank you for stopping by The Salty Pot, and have a fantastic day!

~Joanne 

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Jan Hagel Cookies (a Dutch Christmas Cookie)

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 47 minutes

Buttery, crunchy, and not overly sweet, these Dutch almond shortbread cookies are an absolute must for any Christmas holiday cookie tray.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup Sugar, granulated
• 1 cup Butter, unsalted, softened to room temperature.
• 2 cups Flour, all-purpose
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Cinnamon, ground
• 1/4 tsp Almond Extract (optional)
• 1 cup Almonds, sliced
• dash, Salt
• As desired, Pearl sugar, sanding sugar or large granual sugar.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350, grease a 9 x 13 baking pan, or line with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, cream the sugar and butter together.
3. Separate the egg and add the yolk to the butter mixture, and reserve the white for use in a moment.
4. Add the almond extract if using and give everything a good mix.
5. Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix just until the mixture comes together.
6. Press the dough into the lined baking pan being careful to press it all out to an even thickness.
7. Add a tsp of water to the egg white mixture and brush it over the entire top of the dough.
8. Sprinkle the almonds evenly over top of the cookie dough and sprinkle the sugar over the almonds.
9. Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until the top is lightly golden.
10. Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 5-7 minutes.
11. Using the parchment paper ends, lift the baked cookie dough out of the pan onto the counter. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough diagonally one way, and then diagonally again the other way, to form diamond shapes.
12. Let the cookies cool completely and enjoy!

Notes

Do not over mix the cookie dough after adding the flour as it can make the cookies tough.
Every oven is slightly different so keep an eye on the cookies so the almonds don't burn on top.
If you're using salted butter, do not add the additional salt.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 48 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 89Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 1g

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.

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