Punsch Plätzchen, Festlicher Genuss für die Weihnachtszeit
Advent is simply not complete without cookies, and these Punsch Plätzchen are something special to bake. They look beautifully festive and taste wonderfully tender. What makes them stand out is the trio at their heart: a soft white chocolate cream, fruity raspberry jam, and a thick punch glaze on top.
This is a German Christmas cookie recipe rated as moderate difficulty. It is adapted from the authentic Punsch Plätzchen recipe at foodwerk. The chilling takes time, but the steps themselves are simple and beginner friendly.
Here is the recipe at a glance:
Detail
Value
Yield
30 pieces
Serving size
1 piece
Prep time
240 minutes
Cook time
25 minutes
Total time
4 hours 25 minutes
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Christmas cookies
The flavor is sweet and fruity at the same time. The tender cream softens the cookie base, the jam brings a bright raspberry note, and the punch glaze adds that warm Advent aroma. That combination is exactly what makes these cookies so distinctive, and it is why they earn a place on every Christmas cookie plate.
Warum Weihnachtsplätzchen mit Marmelade so beliebt sind
Cookies with jam are a classic in Christmas baking, and for good reason. The sweet jam filling and the fine glaze give them an instantly festive touch, while the tender cream makes them genuinely hard to resist.
They are also wonderfully versatile. A hot cup of tea works beautifully with them, and a glass of mulled wine turns them into a proper winter treat. Because they look so pretty, they make a lovely gift for family and friends, whether you wrap them in a small box or arrange them on a plate for a visit.
If you are building a cookie selection this December, jam filled cookies deserve a spot on it. They bring color, texture, and a fruity contrast to all the buttery cookies around them.
Tipps für perfekte Punsch Plätzchen
These tips come from the original recipe and they make a real difference in the result:
Always chill the dough well. Cold dough is easier to roll out, and the cut cookies keep their shape much better.
Bake the cookies only until they are lightly golden brown. A pale cookie stays tender, while a dark one turns hard.
Mix the punch into the glaze until it is thick. A runny glaze slides off the cookie and leaves a sticky edge.
Stir the jam smooth before filling. Smooth jam is much easier to spoon or pipe into the indentation.
For an extra pretty finish, dust the cookies lightly with powdered sugar just before serving.
Cold dough, a light bake, and a thick glaze are the three things that decide whether these cookies look as good as they taste.
Ein Plätzchen für besondere Anlässe
These cookies are a wonderful idea for the Christmas season. Make them for the people you love, pack them as a gift, or simply keep a tin for snacking in between.
They also store well. Kept in the refrigerator, they hold up nicely and stay fresh through the holidays. That makes them a practical choice when you want cookies ready ahead of a visit or a quiet evening by the tree.
Because the recipe makes 30 pieces, there is usually enough for a gift box and your own cookie plate. The punch glaze on top makes them look far more elaborate than the work involved, and that is a very comfortable combination for a busy December.
Mein Tipp:
Chill the dough sufficiently before you roll it out. Well chilled dough can be cut out cleanly and the cookies hold their shape during baking. In a warm kitchen, it also helps to return the dough to the refrigerator between batches so it never gets soft.
If you want to compare how other bakers handle this German classic, take a look at the authentic Punsch Plätzchen recipe at German Foods and these traditional Punsch Plätzchen cookies at Mom’s Dish.
Ingredients
You need three groups of ingredients: the dough, the white chocolate cream filling, and the punch glaze with the jam filling. All quantities below are for 30 cookies.
For the dough:
550 g flour
250 g soft butter
2 medium eggs
1/2 tsp ground vanilla
260 g sugar
1 pinch of salt
For the cream filling:
300 g white couverture chocolate
150 ml whipping cream
For the glaze and the filling:
200 g powdered sugar
2 to 3 tbsp punch
150 g seedless raspberry jam
A few notes on the ingredients. White couverture chocolate melts smoothly and gives the cream its soft set, so it is worth looking for it rather than reaching for regular white chocolate chips. Seedless raspberry jam keeps the filling smooth, and the punch you choose decides how strong the glaze tastes.
The source recipe lists these nutrition values per piece:
Nutrient
Per piece
Calories
185 kcal
Carbohydrates
36 g
Protein
3 g
Fat
10 g
Creme
The method has four parts: the cream filling, the dough, whipping the cream, and the assembly. Read through it once before you start, so the chilling windows do not catch you out.
Cream filling
Chop the white couverture chocolate.
Bring the cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until everything has melted and formed one smooth mixture.
Place it in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 hours to chill completely.
Dough
Knead all the dough ingredients together.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Roll the dough out on a well floured surface and cut out round circles.
Place the circles on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cut a hole of about 1 to 2 cm in half of the cookies using a small cutter or a piping tip.
Bake at 200 °C, which is about 390 °F, for around 8 minutes. They should only turn lightly brown.
Whipping the cream
Whip the chilled white chocolate cream with an electric mixer until it holds its shape.
Pipe it onto the whole cookies using a piping bag.
Assembly
Mix the powdered sugar with the punch into a thick glaze.
Dip the cookies with the hole into the glaze.
Let them dry, then set them on top of the cookies with cream.
Stir the jam smooth and fill it into the indentation.
The hole in the top cookie becomes the little well that holds the jam, so the raspberry filling shows through the glaze and gives the cookies their layered look. Let the assembled cookies set for a while before you move them, and keep them in the refrigerator until serving.
Both the dough and the cream need time in the refrigerator, so plan those chilling windows into your baking day. Once the cookies are assembled, they are ready to enjoy with tea, coffee, or a warm mug of punch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Punsch Plätzchen?
Punsch Plätzchen are German Christmas cookies made from a tender shortcrust dough, filled with whipped white chocolate cream and raspberry jam, and topped with a glossy punch glaze. The name comes from the German word Punsch, a spiced fruit drink that flavors the glaze. This recipe yields 30 cookies and takes about 4 hours 25 minutes total, including chilling and baking.
How do you make Punsch Plätzchen?
Make the white chocolate cream first by pouring hot cream over chopped white couverture chocolate, then chill it for 3-4 hours. Knead the dough from flour, butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt, chill it for 1 hour, roll it out, cut rounds, cut holes in half, and bake at 200°C for about 8 minutes. Whip the cream, pipe it onto solid cookies, dip holed cookies in a powdered sugar and punch glaze, and finish with raspberry jam in the center.
Can you make Punsch Plätzchen without alcohol?
Yes, use an alcohol-free fruit punch for the glaze, or substitute a few drops of rum extract mixed with water or juice. The punch is not baked into the cookies, so using a nonalcoholic version keeps the recipe family-friendly while still giving the glaze its fruity flavor. Choose a red or pink punch so the cookies keep their festive rosy topping.
How long do Punsch Plätzchen last?
Once assembled, store Punsch Plätzchen in an airtight container in the refrigerator, with parchment between layers so the glaze and jam do not stick. Because the jam adds moisture, they are best eaten within about a week. Let refrigerated cookies sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving so the cream softens slightly.
Punsch Plätzchen, Festlicher Genuss für die Weihnachtszeit Advent is simply not complete without cookies, and these Punsch Plätzchen are something special to bake. They look beautifully festive and taste wonderfully tender.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough 550 g flour 250 g butter, soft 2 eggs, medium-sized 1/2 TL vanilla, ground 260 g sugar 1 Prise salt
Cream Filling 300 g white couverture chocolate 150 ml whipping cream
Other (Glaze & Jam) 200 g powdered sugar 2–3 EL punch (fruit punch concentrate) 150 g raspberry jam, seedless
Instructions
Cream Filling 1-Chop the white couverture chocolate: Chop the white couverture chocolate. 2-Bring the cream to a boil and: Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Stir until everything is melted and combined. Refrigerate for about 3-4 hours.
Dough 3-Knead all dough ingredients together and refrigerate: Knead all dough ingredients together and refrigerate wrapped in plastic wrap for about 1 hour. 4-Roll out the dough on a well-floured: Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface and cut out round circles. 5-Place them on baking sheets lined with: Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and cut a hole (approx. 1-2 cm) in half of the cookies using a small cutter or piping tip. 6-Bake at 200°C for about 8 minutes: Bake at 200°C for about 8 minutes (they should only turn lightly brown).
Cream Filling (Whip) 7-Whip the white chocolate cream with an: Whip the white chocolate cream with an electric mixer and pipe it onto the whole (solid) cookies using a piping bag.
Assembly 8-Mix powdered sugar with punch to form: Mix powdered sugar with punch to form a thick glaze. 9-Dip the cookies with the hole into: Dip the cookies with the hole into the glaze. 10-Let them dry and place them on: Let them dry and place them on top of the cookies with cream. 11-Stir the jam smooth and fill it: Stir the jam smooth and fill it into the indentation.
