Jan Hagels
Submitted by fox
Jan Hagels are crisp Dutch shortbread cookies spiced with cinnamon and ginger, brushed with egg white, and topped with chopped pecans or walnuts. Sliced into rectangular bars while warm.
YIELD
36 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
20 minREADY
35 minJan Hagels are a classic Dutch Christmas cookie with a name that translates roughly to John Hail. They’re sliced into thin rectangles, baked as one big slab, and broken apart while still warm into perfectly crisp shortbread bars.
The cinnamon and ginger combo is what defines these cookies. Not as forward as gingerbread, not as plain as butter shortbread, but somewhere in that lovely middle where the spice supports the butter instead of overwhelming it.
The egg-white wash brushed over the dough before baking does two things. It gives the surface a glossy finish and helps the chopped pecans or walnuts stick to the top. Without it, the nuts pop off as you slice and lift the cookies.
The bake-then-slice-warm technique is essential. Cool too long and the slab shatters into ugly pieces. Slice immediately after baking when the dough is still pliable, but the cookies hold their rectangular shape.
Pro Tips
- Press the dough into the pan firmly and evenly. Uneven thickness gives uneven baking, with some bars overdone and others underdone.
- Score the cuts before baking with a long ruler and sharp knife so the lines stay straight. Re-cut along those marks immediately after the cookies leave the oven.
- Toast the chopped nuts lightly before topping for deeper flavor. Just a few minutes in a dry skillet does it.
- Use a sharp pizza wheel for clean, fast cuts on the warm slab.
Variations
- Try almonds instead of pecans or walnuts for a more European flavor profile.
- Add a pinch of cardamom or nutmeg to the spice blend for a more complex Dutch flavor.
- Drizzle melted white chocolate or dark chocolate over the cooled bars for a holiday-fancy version.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 deg.
Lightly butter a 15½ x 15½ inch jelly roll pan.
Combine flour, cinnamon and ginger on sheet of wax paper and set aside.
In large bowl of elec. mixer, add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg yolk until mixture is well combined, then beat in vanilla.
Add flour mixture and stir until completely incorporated.
Turn dough onto prepared pan and pat it into an even sheet.
In cup or small bowl, beat egg white and water until frothy and brush mixture over the dough.
Sprinkle nuts evenly over dough and press them in lightly.
Using a long ruler and a sharp knife, cut dough into thirds lengthwise, then cut each third crosswise into strips about 1⅓ inches wide.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until the sheet is light golden brown.
(If using a CushionAire cookie sheet, baking time may be a little longer).
Place pan on a rack and immediately cut along the original cutting marks.
Transfer stripss to racks and allow them to cool completely.
Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks or up to 2 months in freezer.
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