Joulutorttu are traditional Finnish Christmas Cookies made in a shape of pinwheel and filled with a delicious prune jam. The recipe makes a big batch of cookies. Bake them for Christmas and freeze any leftovers.
Finnish Christmas Cookies With Prune Jam (Joulutorttu)
As we're moving closer to Christmas, I keep sharing traditional European treats that are a must during Christmas holidays. My Danish Chrismtas Rice Pudding (Risalamande) has been an absolute hit on social media.
If you've never tried rice pudding prepared the Danish way, click on the photo --> and print the recipe. Your family will thank you for it.
Today, we're taking off to Finland and making traditional Finnish Christmas Cookies (Joulutorttu).
It usually takes me some time to pronounce the name, but it doesn't really matter. What really matters is these cookies are delicious.
They are very crispy, have a nice and tangy prune filling and last but not least...did you see them? Joulutorttu are so cute!
Made in a form of pinwheel, these traditional Finnish Christmas treats are sure to become a good addition to your Christmas baking.
Let me ask you something my friend.
Have you ever to been to Finland? Or have you tried Finnish recipes before?
Finland is the only Scandinavian country I haven't had a chance to observe just yet. From what I've heard and read, it's absolutely beautiful. It's one of the countries where you can see stunning Northern Lights.
Speaking of food, Finnish cuisine is very traditional. They love seafood as well as cooking with wholesome grains and berries.
One of the most popular Finnish recipes that I made at home was Lohikeitto, which is Finnish Salmon Soup. It's so delicious and perfect comfort food for winter.
But let's get back to Joulutorttu, shall we?
These cookies are one of those traditional Finnish treats that are a staple for Christmas. They are crispy, delicious and just good looking.
Ready to make Joulutorttu? Let's get to work!
Start off with the dough. In a large bowl whisk together softened butter, orange zest, salt and sugar. Add one egg and whisk again.
Sift together flour and baking powder and add them into the butter and egg mixture. Knead the dough until all ingredients are combined, wrap it in a plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, puree the prunes until smooth.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to ⅛-1/16 inch thick. If it's too thick, the dough may break during shaping. Using a ruler as a helper, cut out squares 2.5 х 2.5 in.
Transfer the squares on the 2 parchment lined baking sheets. Make diagonal cuts in each corner of every square about 2 inches to the centre.
Lift one corner of a square and fold it into the middle. Fold the next corner onto the previous one. Continue folding 2 more corners until your cookies have a pinwheel shape.
Lightly press in the center of the cookies and place there about a teaspoon of prune jam.
Brush cookies with a beaten egg and bake in a preheated to 390 F oven for 9-10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Just before serving sprinkle with an icing sugar.
And that's pretty much it. I hope my instructions weren't too confusing. Because if they were, please look at the pictures. I, myself definitely enjoy a good photo tutorial especially when it comes to new and unknown recipes.
The recipe makes about 26 cookies. Store them in the airtight container in the fridge or you can freeze them and enjoy whenever you want some crispy and delicious treat.
Here's a little secret how you can make these cookies even faster. If you are short on time or simply don't want to make the dough yourself, puff pastry will work just as good. If you do use puff pastry, expect your cookies to puff up a little more. Other than that, great taste and crispiness is guaranteed.
More Desserts from Europe
- Risalamande - classic Danish Christmas no-bake dessert with cherry syrup
- Banket - quick and easy puff pastry dessert with almond paste
- Stollen - German Christmas cake with paste, dried fruits and nuts
- Viennese Butter Cookies - 5-ingredient cocoa cookie recipe perfect for Christmas
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4.5 ounces softened butter
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 ⅞ cup flour
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 orange zested
- a pinch of salt
- ¾ cup pitted prunes
Instructions
- Start off with the dough. In a large bowl whisk together softened butter, orange zest, salt and sugar. Add one egg and whisk again.
- Sift together flour and baking powder and add them into the butter and egg mixture. Knead the dough until all ingredients are combined, wrap it in a plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, puree the prunes until smooth.
- On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to ⅛-1/16 inch thick. If it's too thick, the dough may break during shaping. Using a ruler as a helper, cut out squares 2.5 х 2.5 in.
- Transfer the squares on the 2 parchment lined baking sheets. Make diagonal cuts in each corner of every square about 2 inches to the centre.
- Lift one corner of a square and fold it into the middle. Fold the next corner onto the previous one. Continue folding 2 more corners until your cookies have a pinwheel shape.
- Lightly press in the center of the cookies and place there about a teaspoon of prune jam.
- Brush cookies with a beaten egg and bake in a preheated to 390 F oven for 9-10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Just before serving sprinkle with an icing sugar.
Notes
I hope you'll make these beautiful Finnish Christmas Cookies! And if you do, don't forget to snap a photo and post it on Instagram with a hashtag #lavenderandmacarons.
I'll see you soon!
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Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
Tia says
The "Joulutorttu" is not a cookie, never has been. It's a pastry because it is always made from the puff pastry dough, not from a cookie dough, and definitely no orange zest. No Finnish person would ever make it from cookie dough, myself included. Also, it a way easier to just buy the prune jam from the store, than make it from scratch. Hardly anyone here makes it themselves and the same goes for the the puff pastry dough. The Joulutorttu is definitely traditional christmas delicacy in Finland but the only thing this recipe has gotten right is the star shape. :/
Lynn VanNatter says
I plan to make these this Christmas season but I am not the most experienced baker so I'm wondering, after I've pureed the prunes, what do I do with them? I see no further mention of them in the instructions.
Iryna says
Hi Lynn! Sorry for the confusion. You puree the prunes until you have a jam consistency. Then, set prune jam aside and work with the dough. After you shaped the dough into pinwheels (as per my photo instructions), place about a teaspoon of pureed prunes (jam) in the centre of a cookie, brush cookies with an egg and bake. I hope this helps and your cookies come out wonderful!
Lumi says
Hello, hello! Finnish person talking here! So um, I'm not too sure about this, but actually they aren't traditiditionally cookies. They are supposed to be sort of crispy but still soft, and flaky, and a lot puffier than your recipe seems to make them.
Nina says
Another Finn here! I agree, they’re supposed to be a lot puffier ?
Mashka says
So beautiful!
Iryna says
Thank you!:)