Yes, it’s a cookie recipe. But let me tell you: everyone who has tried one of these cookies has been stricken with a look of sheer joy. The kind that almost takes you out of your body. Especially if eaten right out of the oven, as hot as your mouth can tolerate.

The story behind the recipe is meaningful, too. It’s from Oma and Bella, two beautiful women, survivors of the Holocaust, who stayed in Berlin and used cooking as a way to keep old traditions alive. See the story on Public Radio International, along with clips from the documentary about them. 

For this week’s Project Create, create something yummy yourself: Make these cookies, and bring joy to your mouth.

German Sugar Cookies

“HAGELZUCKERKEKSE”

Makes about 40 cookies


1 pack cream cheese (8 oz)

1 stick butter (4oz)

¾ cups flour

1 egg white

1 cup coarse baking sugar

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Place the butter in a bowl. If the butter is cold, grate it with a cheese grater so that it mixes easily with the other ingredients. Beat in the cream cheese.

Fold in the flour and mix ingredients well so that they form a dough.

Place the dough on a lightly floured flat surface, and mold it into a ball.

Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or as long as overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle some flour onto a pastry board and roll out the dough until it is about ⅛th of an inch thick.

Cut out individual cookies using the rim of a small glass.

Beat the egg white in a dish and, using a pastry brush, coat each cookie with it.

Dip the wet side of each cookie into the baking sugar until generously coated.

Bake the cookies on a baking sheet for 25 minutes until golden brown.

After about 20 minutes start to check the cookies. Depending on the oven, they might need an extra 5 to 10 minutes.