When you sink your teeth into these Gluten Free Swiss Brunsli Cookies, you will be delighted! They boast a satisfyingly sweet flavor and are the right amount of chewy, soft, and tender. These brunsli cookies are naturally gluten free too!
Everything about these star-shaped brunsli cookies is amazing! They have a slight nuttiness to them that leaves a lasting impression. If you love cookies as much as we do, here are some of my best Gluten Free Cookie Recipes to try.
Mr. Fearless Dining has a cousin that lives right outside of Zurich. It has been a year since we have seen her, but I will always remember the cookies she would make at holiday time. I have managed to talk her into sharing her beloved recipe with me. Now, it's my turn to share it with you. (Don't worry, she knows!)
Baking these brunsli cookies is more than just spending time in the kitchen. The entire Fearless Dining household loves to get together and make memories while baking. It's a tradition to bake some sweet treats as a family. Once you taste them, I know you will understand why this is a recipe we have chosen!
My family has shared a lot of delicious European cookie recipes with me. You will want to try these Gluten Free Pfeffernusse Cookies too!
Don't forget to take a few moments to read over my Gluten Free Pantry Essentials And Equipment Recommendation Guide. It's easy to follow and offers some valuable information for you.
If you love these gluten free Swiss brunsli cookies, check out some of my gluten free cookie recipes
- These gingerbread sandwich cookies are so good. Give this Gluten Free Gingerbread Linzer Cookies recipe a try!
- If you love eggnog, these Crinkled Gluten Free Eggnog Cookies are delicious.
- Full of roasted chestnut flavor, these Gluten Free Roasted Chestnut Cookies are perfect for the holidays.
- Candy canes add lots of minty flavor to these Gluten Free Chocolate Madeleines.
Are you ready to make this deliciously crisp cookie recipe?
Instructions:
Add your chocolate flakes/shavings to a bowl.
Melt your chocolate in a microwave-safe dish.
Add the egg whites to a bowl and use an electric mixer to whip until they form stiff peaks.
Make sure your egg whites are very whipped. Here you can see how the mixture makes stiff peaks.
Gently fold the almond flour, sugar, and chocolate mixtures into the egg whites.
Wrap the cookie dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Roll the cookie dough out to ¼ inch thickness and use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out star cookies. Place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Optional dust with powdered sugar
What are brunsli cookies?
These gluten free Swiss brunsli cookies are basically famous in Switzerland. They are a delicious treat that is typically served during Christmas. They traditionally have spices like cinnamon in them as well as cocoa. You will find them cut into heart shapes frequently.
The cookies are also known as Basler Brunsli. They are well known for their tender, soft texture, and spicy, nutty flavor.
How do you store these cookies?
Store the gluten free Swiss brunsli cookies in an airtight container. Make sure to keep them away from extreme heat like a dishwasher or in direct sunlight. They will last 3-5 days if they are correctly stored.
How do I prevent cookies from breaking?
The best way to prevent the brunsli cookies from breaking is by allowing them to cool 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet. This will enable them to stick together and harden enough that they can be moved without tearing.
I recommend using multiple cookie sheets when baking so you can have one cooling and one baking at the same time.
Can you freeze these cookies?
Yes, you can freeze these gluten free Swiss brunsli cookies. Lay them out flat on a cookie sheet and place the sheet in the freezer for 2-3 hours. This will flash freeze them, so they don't stick together. Then remove them from the cookie sheet and place them in a freezer bag or airtight container.
They will last around 1-2 months in the freezer, so they are great for prepping for the holidays ahead of time.
*If you are making these around the holidays, you will want to check out all of these delicious Gluten Free Christmas Cookies recipes.
Tools:
- A very finely ground almond flour is key for the texture of these cookies. Do not use almond meal unless you want a gritty texture. I like Anthony's or Honeyville brands.
- Star-shaped cookie cutters. These are cheap and you can make these cookies in all.
Gluten Free Swiss Brunsli Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour * see note
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 ounces chocolate finely chopped/shaved
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Add almond flour, sugar, and spices to a bowl and whisk to blend.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and melt. I like to melt 20 seconds at a time, stirring between each 20-second interval so the chocolate doesn't burn.
- In a large bowl, add the egg whites and mix on high speed with an electric mixer until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
- Add the melted chocolate and almond flour mixture to the egg whites and gently fold together to mix.
- Place the cookie dough onto a piece of wax paper and wrap it. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cookie dough and roll it out to ¼ inch thickness.
- Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies.
- Place the cookie stars onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove onto a cooling rack.
- Optional: dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
- You do not want to use cocoa powder for this recipe.
- I recommend using almond flour and not almond meal because almond meal is much thicker of a grind.
- These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Elizabeth Rickenbach
What kind of chocolate is used? Unsweetened, semisweet, bittersweet, milk chocolate? Can you use chopped chocolate? I do not see a link.
Sandi Gaertner
You can definitely use chopped chocolate. I used shaved, but any ground chocolate should work.
Adrienne
Can you make these with a different type flour other than almond? Maybe coconut?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Adrienne, this recipe won't work with other flours. I would look for a chocolate cut out sugar cookie recipe if you want to replicate the stars. Coconut flour absorbs a ton of liquid, the opposite of how almond flour behaves.
Nancy
When do you add the sugar?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Nancy, it goes in with the almond flour. I clarified the directions so it is easier to see. Thank you :-).
Kim
These cookies look wonderful! What is the difference between 'ground chocolate' and cocoa powder? The chocolate product you linked to has the horrid 'may contain wheat' label so I will not chose that particular brand.
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Kim, I clarified in the recipe more, I hope it helps. Ground chocolate is more like shaved chocolate...which is sweetened and melts differently from cocoa powder. You are right the wrong shaved chocolate was linked. Thank you :-).