Basler Brunsli are Swiss Christmas cookies filled with the flavors of chocolate and spice! They're very easy to make, and also gluten free and dairy free!
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These Basler Brunsli cookies are Christmas to the max. Chocolate and spice and everything nice. Cinnamon and cloves just taste like the holidays, and you can make them in festive shapes to celebrate the season.
They're easy to make, with an interesting little twist. Once you cut the cookies into shapes, you have to let them dry out for a bit, to ensure the top gets their signature bubbly, crackly texture.
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What are Basler Brunsli?
Basler Brunsli are a traditional Swiss chocolate spice cookie, with its origins in Basel, in the north of Switzerland. They're made at Christmas time and for other celebrations like weddings. Recipes can vary, but they always start with a base of almonds or almond flour, cinnamon and clove. Some versions include a bit of alcohol like Kirsch, some add cocoa powder as well as chocolate.
Try Basler Brunsli, an easy and delicious Christmas cookie!
- The dough is so easy to make: just blend all ingredients in the food processor!
- You only need 6 ingredients!
- They're super chocolaty and full of warm spices.
- Crisp edges + chewy centers = great texture.
- Gluten free and dairy free so everyone can enjoy them.
Ingredients you'll need
- Almond flour: Be sure you're using almond flour, not almond meal, which still has the skins in it.
- Bittersweet chocolate chips: I like Ghirardelli or Guittard.
- Egg whites
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon
- Ground cloves: The cloves really make these cookies taste like Christmas!
- Powdered sugar or colored sanding sugar: These are optional decorations.
How to make Basler Brunsli
Follow these easy step by step instructions for perfect cookies! This recipe makes about 2 dozen.
Step 1: Make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator
Place almond flour, sugar, cinnamon, ground cloves, and chocolate chips into a food processor. Process on high until all ingredients are blended into a fine powder. You'll still have a few larger bits of chocolate and that is okay.
Add the egg whites and pulse until dough forms. Shape the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
Step 2: Roll out the dough and cut out the cookies
Remove the disk of cookie dough from the plastic and sprinkle it with sugar on both sides.
Place between two sheets of parchment and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick.
Cut out the cookies using cookie cutters. Re-roll the scraps and continue to cut out more cookies until all of the dough is used.
Step 3: Dry the Basler Brunsli
Place the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets and let them dry in a cool room for one hour. Don't skip this step, it is what gives the cookies their unique puffed texture on top. (See tips below.)
Step 4: Bake and decorate!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, and allow to cool on the cookie sheet.
If using sanding sugar to decorate, add that immediately when they come out of the oven. If dusting with powdered sugar, wait until the cookies cool to sift it over the top.
Tips for making and storing Basler Brunsli cookies
- When it's time to dry the Basler Brunsli, some recipes will tell you to let them dry out for at least 3 hours or even overnight. I tested them at one hour and three hours of drying time and found no difference between the two. Maybe overnight drying makes more of a difference, but you'll be fine at one hour. (If you try the overnight method, let me know!)
- You can make Basler Brunsli thicker for a chewier texture. Up to ½ inch thickness is fine. Cooking times will vary for thicker cookies, so test a couple of them to get the timing right before you make the whole batch.
- I used these Ateco star-shaped cookie cutters in 3 different sizes for this recipe. Stars, flowers, and bears are common shapes, but use whatever cookie cutters you like or have on hand.
- Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
More gluten free cookie recipes
- Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Cookies are made with buckwheat flour and have a shortbread-like texture.
- Amaretti Cookies with Cocktail Cherries puts a twist on the Sicilian classic.
- Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are soooooo peanut buttery.
- Flourless Chocolate Cookies with Hazelnuts have a meringue-like texture and shiny tops.
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies will fool everyone—I promise no one will notice that they are gluten free!
Recipe
Basler Brunsli
Equipment
- star cookie cutters or other shape of your choice
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 egg white
- powdered sugar or colored sanding sugar optional for decoration
Instructions
- Place almond flour, sugar, cinnamon, ground cloves, and chocolate chips in a food processor. Process on high until all ingredients are blended into a fine powder. You'll still have some larger bits of chocolate and that is okay.
- Add the egg whites and pulse until dough forms. Shape the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
- Remove the disk of cookie dough from the plastic and sprinkle it with sugar on both sides. Place between two sheets of parchment and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick.
- Cut out the cookies using cookie cutters. Re-roll the scraps and continue to cut out more cookies until all of the dough is used.
- Place the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets and let them dry in a cool room for one hour. Don't skip this step, it is what gives the cookies their unique puffed texture on top. See note.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, and allow to cool on the cookie sheet. If using sanding sugar to decorate, add that immediately when they come out of the oven. If dusting with powdered sugar, wait until the cookies cool to sift it over the top.
Notes
- When it's time to dry the Basler Brunsli, some recipes will tell you to let them dry out for at least 3 hours or even overnight. I tested them at one hour and three hours of drying time and found no difference between the two. Maybe overnight drying makes more of a difference, but you'll be fine at one hour. (If you try the overnight method, let me know!)
- You can make Basler Brunsli thicker for a chewier texture. Up to ½ inch thickness is fine. Cooking times will vary for thicker cookies, so test a couple of them to get the timing right before you make the whole batch.
- Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- I used these Ateco star-shaped cookie cutters in 3 different sizes for this recipe. Stars, flowers, and bears are common shapes, but use whatever cookie cutters you like or have on hand.
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