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Dessert

Belgian Christmas Cookies

A buttery cookie with almond extract, brown sugar, and a topping of almonds, cinnamon, and colored sugar.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Almond and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,514 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

Belgian Christmas Cookies

Oven375°F (190°C)
Time10–12 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

  2. Cream butter with extract; add brown sugar gradually, creaming until fluffy.

  3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.

  4. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together; add in thirds to creamed mixture, mixing until blended after each addition.

  5. Turn into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan and spread evenly to edges.

Top and bake

  1. Sprinkle a mixture of almonds and cinnamon over batter, then sprinkle with a mixture of red and green sugars.

  2. Bake for 10–12 minutes.

  3. Cut into bars while still warm.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

697Calories
20 gProtein
19 gFat
111 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Almond1 almond (1.2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Almond + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,514 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  2. Almond + flourtop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,673 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,341 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  4. Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together30,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Butter + almondtop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,245 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).

Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Butter
Creamed with sugar to trap air, giving the cookie a tender, fluffy crumb.
Brown sugar
Adds sweetness and moisture, and its molasses deepens flavour and browning.
Eggs
Bind the batter and add structure and richness as they are beaten in.
All-purpose flour
Provides the main structure that sets the bars as they bake.
Baking powder
Releases gas in the oven so the batter rises and stays light.
Almonds
Add nutty flavour and a bit of texture on top of the batter.

The step that matters

Creaming the butter and sugar. Beating butter and sugar until fluffy traps air that expands in the oven. Under-creaming leaves a dense bar, while the batter should be mixed only until blended after adding flour so it does not toughen.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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