Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (2024)

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When Aldi German Week rolls around, my mom stocks up on Stollen Bites. But this year, someone got there before her, and there just weren’t any on the shelves when I found a recipe I had torn out of a magazine years ago I decided it was time to bake them for her (does anyone else have a file folder of old recipes they’ve ripped out of magazines and newspapers?) Now we will have PLENTY at Christmastime. This Stollen Bites Recipe is easier than you would think (it’s certainly easier than baking a whole Stollen!). Added bonus, you can play with the additions. I baked these with Rum Raisins and Dried Pineapple (can you say Tropical Stollen?), but you can go more traditional with Candied Citrus Peel and Marzipan, or maybe add cranberries and leave out the rum?

Traditionally a baked Stollen is brushed with melted butter, and then covered in powdered sugar. But this recipe that “decorated” the bites with a sugar glaze… and even a few sprinkles. They really do look festive this way. Why not try both? The recipe makes around 50, so you have a lot to play with.

Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (1)

Stollen Bites Recipe

I’ve written up the Stollen Bites Recipe the way it was originally intended… with Candied Orange Peel. Because I baked these early in the season, none of the stores in my area had stocked the candied orange, and frankly, after visiting three stores, I was done. The recipe calls for just 1 tablespoon of it chopped fine, so I improvised. The dried Pineapple (soaked in a bit of lemon juice) that I had in the pantry worked really well (and paired with the rum nicely.) You can use other dried fruits if you prefer. The candied citrus will give it a very traditional flavor. You could also tuck a small amount of marzipan into the center of each ball.

As for the raisins, I soaked them overnight in the rum. And then, because there was a tiny bit of rum left in the bottom of the bowl, I just dumped it into my KitchenAid mixer with the raisins. Maybe that’s what gave the dough a nice brown color? Before you panic about the kiddos eating something with alcohol… there were 4 tablespoons for the whole recipe of 50 bites… and it bakes off. If you are really worry, just plump your raisins in a bit of juice.

note- my dough looks browner than I expected, but I think that comes from the ground Almonds, the ones I used were ground with the skins on. It doesn’t affect the taste at all, it just looks darker. Could also be from the extra rum…

Because I can’t leave well enough alone, I topped my Stollen Bites three different ways.
1. With the Traditional Melted Butter and Powdered Sugar
2. With a Lemon Glaze and Sprinkles (note- I added the sprinkles because my daughter didn’t want to accidentally grab a rum glazed one)
3. With a Rum Glaze

Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (2)

Obviously, the powdered sugar is how you see most Stollen. But these are more like a cookie, so why not make it fun? The Lemon Glaze add a nice tartness… and I’m a HUGE fan of Rum, plus, they it fit well with the rum raisins.

Pick one topping… or do all three. The recipe makes between 45 and 50 Bites.

Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (3)

Stollen Bites Recipe

I actually prefer Stollen Bites to a Stollen... they are a quick mouthful of flavor, with no muss or slicing (and no plate!), just a welcome addition to the cookie plate.Try different flavors combinations!

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Cuisine German

Servings 50

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup 150 gr Raisins
  • 4-5 Tbl Rum or apple juice
  • 3 1/2 cup 500 gr Flour (plus a bit for the work surface)
  • 4 Tbl Sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup PLUS 2 Tbl 150 gr Ground Almonds
  • 2 Packets active Yeast 4 1/2 tsp
  • Just under 1 cup Milk maybe 2 tablespoons less you want 200 ml- Warm
  • 7/8 cup 200gr Butter (plus more for brushing) softened
  • 1 Tbl Candied Orange Peel chopped fine

plus:

  • 1/2 cup maybe 100 gr melted butter for brushing

Finishing:

  • Powdered Sugar
  • Lemon Juice OR Rum and Milk
  • decorations or spinkles if desired

Instructions

  • Soak the Raisins in the Rum (or juice)- you need to let them sit at least 2 hours (I just did it the day before and let them sit overnight).

Stollen:

  • In the bowl of your mixer-

  • Combine the flour, sugar, vanilla extract, pinch salt, ground almonds, and yeast. Give them a quick mix.

  • Add warm milk, softened butter, and raisins (I poured in the rest of the soaking rum too).

  • Mix the dough until it comes together.

  • Then in your mixer or by hand, knead for about 10 minutes.

  • Right at the end add the finely chopped candied citrus

  • Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and let rise 1 hour in a warm place.

Preheat oven to 325 F:

    Shaping:

    • Prepare 2 baking sheets by covering with Parchment Paper

    • Pinch off a piece and make a ball around 1 inch across.

    • Set the ball on the baking sheet

    • Repeat 49 more times

    • Give them each at about an inch of space from the other.

    • When the first sheet is full, brush each ball with melted butter (yes, this happens BEFORE baking)

    • Bake 12 - 15 minutes. (I went 15)

    • While it's baking, prepare the 2nd pan.

    Decorate/Finish:

    • Powdered Sugar- Dip the baked Bites in Melted Butter (Maybe 4-5 Tbl for 24 bites), then dip into a Bowl of Powdered Sugar (1-2 cups). Re-apply Powdered Sugar if needed before serving

    • Lemon Glaze- For 14-15 bites (double or triple as needed) Mix 1 cup of Powdered Sugar to about 2 Tbl Lemon Juice until smooth. (Add more powdered sugar or more lemon juice if needed. It needs to feel sort of thick like glue... but not too thick to dip) Dip each bite into the glaze and let drip on a rack. (Decorate with sprinkles if desired)

    • Rum Glaze- For 14-15 bites (double or Triple as needed) Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 TBL Rum and 1 Tbl milk (I find that straight rum is just too much). Add more powdered sugar or liquid if needed. Dip bites into bowl and let drip on the rack.

    Notes

    You can change things up a bit if you like.

    I've written instructions for different toppings, powdered sugar or glazed.
    You can also mix in to the dough...
    Cranberries- instead of or in addition to raisins
    Dried Pineapple- diced fine
    Dried Cherries- diced fine
    Marzipan- stick a small ball of marzipan in the center of each bite before baking.

    Easy German Cookbook

    My Easy German Cookbook contains 80 Classic German Recipes. Recipes your Oma or Mama made, but never wrote down. Also find recipes perfect for the holidays like Roast Goose, Stollen, Rotkohl, and Klöße!

    Easy German Cookbook SIGNEDGermanGirl ShopStollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (5)Easy German Cookbook: 80 Classic Recipes Made SimpleStollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (6)

    Step by Step

    Soak the Raisins in Rum at least 2 hours (I soaked them overnight)

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (7)

    Combine all the dry ingredients in the Mixer

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (8)
    Add Milk, butter and Raisins (and rest of rum). Mix until it’s a dough

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (9)
    Knead 10 minutes

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (10)

    Add finely chopped candied Citrus (or whatever you like) , knead in until smooth

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (11)

    Let rise for 1 hour… give it an extra 20 minutes time if it’s not rising

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (12)

    Cover baking sheet with Parchment Paper

    Preheat oven 325 degrees F

    Pinch off a small amount. You want to make balls around 1 inch in diameter

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (13)

    Brush the dough balls with melted butter

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (14)

    Bake 15 minutes… let cool on rack

    FOR POWDERED SUGAR TOPPING

    Set up your station-
    -naked bites on one side… melted butter and powdered sugar in bowls
    -then a rack to catch the dipped balls
    – I put the used parchment paper under the rack to speed clean up

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (15)

    Dip a ball first in butter, then in powdered sugar
    Rest on rack

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (16)

    FOR LEMON GLAZE

    mix lemon juice and powdered sugar

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (17)

    Dip stollen bites into glaze.

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (18)

    set on rack

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (19)

    before it dries, add sprinkles (if desired)

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (20)

    For Rum Glaze

    same as Lemon…
    Mix powdered sugar, rum and milk

    Dip bites into glaze, then let sit on a rack

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (21)

    Enjoy Your Stollen Bites!

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (22)

    I’d love to hear about any yummy Stollen Bites combinations that you come up with!


    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (23)

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (24)

    Stollen Bites Recipe- Perfect for the Cookie Plate! (2024)

    FAQs

    How should stollen be served? ›

    Traditionally stollen is sliced and served as is with breakfast, although some people prefer to warm individual slices in a toaster or a microwave.

    Why is stollen so expensive? ›

    Expensive ingredients like almonds, nuts, raisins, orange peel, essence of rose and rum were imported. Because the coronation occurred during the Christmas season, the bakers shaped the loaves to resemble a baby in swaddling clothes in respect for the Christ Child. Ask any baker: Stollen is a labor of love.

    How do the Germans eat stollen? ›

    Think of a Stollen as the love child of a fruit cake and a loaf of bread: it's typically baked from a yeasty dough (replete with dried fruit soaked in rum), then covered in icing sugar. Like you'd expect, you eat a Stollen in slices, often with your coffee or Christmas punch. Some people put butter and jam on it.

    Does stollen get better with age? ›

    Stollen gets better with age and can be enjoyed up to 3 weeks after baking if stored properly. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap before wrapping it again tightly in aluminum foil. Age it in a cool and dark area, such as the pantry, until serving. Optional: switch up the dried fruit.

    Is stollen served warm or cold? ›

    Using a serrated knife Stollen is usually served by the slice throughout the holiday season. Typically, it is warmed in the microwave or toaster and is either served with a generous helping of jam, honey, or butter.

    Should stollen be refrigerated? ›

    No, generally you do not need to refrigerate or freeze your stollen. If you will not be eating the bread for a few months, you may want to store it in the freezer. Otherwise, storing your stollen at room temperature in a bread box or drawer will allow it to last for months.

    What does stollen mean in German? ›

    Stollen (German: [ˈʃtɔlən] or German: [ʃtɔln]) is a fruit bread of nuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit, coated with powdered sugar or icing sugar and often containing marzipan. It is a traditional German Christmas bread.

    Why do Germans eat stollen? ›

    The shape of Stollen-- this fold-over dough with a white top layer-- is symbolic of baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths. It started as a fasting cake made during Advent when people couldn't use butter, milk, or fruits (due to fasting rules) so it started as a very plain bread.

    Do Aldi sell stollen? ›

    Specially Selected Luxury Topped Stollen 600g | ALDI.

    Do Jews eat stollen? ›

    The resulting product, called stollen in it's most generic form, was originally of Jewish origin, and was eaten throughout the Hanukkah season.

    What is the most famous stollen? ›

    Saxony's World Famous Delicacy. The Dresdner Christstollen is a piece of cultural history, a centuries-old baking tradition, a prevailing passion and, above all, a delicious treat. For centuries, Dresden's bakers and pastry makers have kept up this tradition, passing it on from generation to generation.

    What is a fun fact about stollen? ›

    The city of Dresden in Saxony has played a big role in the history of Stollen. In 1730 a Dresden baker named Zacharias baked a giant stollen so large, it took eight horses to pull it out of the oven. But most stollen today are about the size of a normal loaf of bread, usually covered with white powdered sugar.

    How do you store Stollen bites? ›

    Stollen bites keep well for a week at room temperature; freeze for longer storage. Toss with confectioners' sugar again just before serving.

    What is the difference between panettone and stollen? ›

    Although their different shapes and textures suggest otherwise, panettone (tall and light) and stollen (long and dense) are made from a basic butter- and sugar-enriched yeast dough. Panettone typically contains candied orange peel and raisins; traditional stollen had candied lemon peel and dried cherries as well.

    What is the tradition of stollen at Christmas? ›

    Christmas classic: the stollen

    Oblong in shape and sprinkled with icing sugar, the shape of the traditional German Christmas stollen symbolizes the Child Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. In Germany, the stollen is as much a part of Christmastide as Christmas markets and Christmas trees.

    Why do Germans eat stollen on Christmas? ›

    Stollen also has religious symbolism, with the loaf of bread symbolising Christ's body. It represents the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling garments by being coated with powdered sugar. As a result, it is also known as Christ Stollen or Christstollen.

    How long does stollen last once opened? ›

    Stollen lasts for a while, and the flavors will intensify as they age. Try to eat your stollen within 2 weeks or so for the freshest flavor and texture. If you don't eat your stollen within a 2 weeks, it could dry out.

    References

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