Mailanderli Swiss Shortbread Cookie

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This classic Swiss cookie recipe is a rich shortbread type of cookie that is easy to prepare and my favorite with hot coffee or cocoa. Mailanderli has a variety of spellings on the internet and on recipe cards, you might come across but they all refer to the Swiss version of the sugar cookie. Try this simple recipe that belonged to my Great Grandma Frieda. It is best made with real butter, and extra good if made in the company of loved ones.

I think it bears mentioning that in my perusal of older recipes, both in printed books and written on cards belonging to women in my family, I really appreciate both the simplicity and practicality of the recipes.

For instance, this recipe calls for the zest from one lemon. Not half a lemon (uh, what am I to do with one unzested half of a lemon?) nor does it call for just one white and leave you with a purposeless yolk. I have noticed this over and over and think it is one of the reasons that I am drawn to the methods of yesteryear. There’s nothing that turns me off faster than a recipe that requires me to dig out 25 different spoons, cups, bowls, a rosary, and a magnifying glass to complete it. The recipe below and many others found in stained but golden old cookbooks are often in measurements that are easy to remember, surely because we all used to spend a lot more time cooking. I hope this one will be one you commit to memory also.

You will not find recipes shared on this blog that have multiple adjectives in the title either; If a recipe is titled “sugar-free salted caramel fudge cheesecake pie” I am gone by ‘salted’. Please expect good and simple out of me, Dear Reader, and nothing less.

Grandma Frieda’s Mailanderli Sugar Cookies

Mix: 1 ½ cups butter
1 ½ cups sugar
Add: zest from one washed lemon
2 whole eggs and the white of one more egg (save the yolk for brushing on top before baking)
4 cups flour
Roll between 2 pieces of wax paper to a ¼ inch before chilling for 8 hours.
Cut using a cookie cutter (or drinking glass) and brush raw cookies with a little bit of the egg yolk mixed with a little water.
Bake 15-20 minutes at 350, until barely golden brown.
Cool on a cooling rack.
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If you are a lover of all things Swiss (that is, all things that are tidy, precise, pristine, alpine, gorgeous, high quality, etc.) the way I am, you might enjoy my Swissophile board on Pinterest.

​ Follow A Domestic Wildflower’s board Swissophile on Pinterest.

If you loved my little grater, it is Pylones brand (which is French, not Swiss, but still adorable) and similar ones can be found here and I am crazy about their darling kitchen items. Once upon a time, my boyfriend bought me one of their hot pink and orange toasters…sigh.

As for my one of a kind rolling pin, it was handmade by Cuddihy Wood Creations. Head over there to request one! I have the matching salt and pepper shakers too 🙂

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Enjoy, Wildflowers! Tell me: What is your favorite cookie recipe? Have you ever heard of or made Mailanderli before? Share in the comments below!