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a plate of PA Dutch sand tart cookies

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5 from 2 reviews

Sand Tarts

Recipe by becky

  • Total TimeAbout 2 hours, plus chilling time
  • YieldApprox. 150 2-inch cookies

Comprised of butter, sugar, and flour and decorated with fun toppings, this old fashioned sand tart recipe is a PA Dutch Christmas cookie baking tradition.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Dough:

454 grams unsalted butter, softened (1 pound; sticks)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
454 grams granulated sugar (1 pound; 2 1/4 cups)
680 grams all purpose flour (1 1/2 pounds; 5 1/4 cups)

To Decorate:

1 egg white, lightly beaten
Cinnamon sugar
Walnuts
Other toppings* (other nuts, sprinkles, colored sugars) as desired


Instructions

In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix butter on high speed until smooth and creamy. Mix in the eggs, followed by the sugar. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just barely incorporated, with no dry spots remaining.

a bowl of sand tart cookie dough with a spatula

Flatten into discs. Wrap in clingfilm/plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour, or overnight.

two discs of sand tart dough on a marble surface

Preheat oven to 350° F (176° C).

With a wooden rolling pin, roll dough very, very thin, less than 1/8-inch thickness. Dough should look almost translucent, but not be so thin that it tears when you move the cookies.

rolling sand tart dough with a rolling pin

Cut shapes with a metal cookie cutter.

cutting star shapes of cookie dough with a metal cutter

With a metal spatula, transfer cookies to a large, unlined, ungreased baking tray.

star shaped sand tarts arranged on a metal tray before baking

sand tart stars arranged on a tray

With a pastry brush, brush tops with a very thin layer of egg wash. Sprinkle with desired toppings.

pastry brush brushing sand tarts with egg white

sand tart cookies decorated with nuts and cinnamon sugar

a tray of sand tart cookies decorated with nuts and cinnamon sugar

Bake in preheated oven for 8-11 minutes, or until lightly brown around the edges.

star shaped PA Dutch sand tarts on a tray after baking

star shaped sand tart cookies on a metal tray

Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

sand tart cookies cooling on a wire rack

hand holding two star shaped sand tart cookies

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

star shaped PA Dutch sand tart cookies

 

Notes

Recipe adapted from The Amish-Dutch Cookbook by Ruth Redcay.

This recipe will make lots and lots of sand tarts! The exact amount will depend on the size of the cutters you use. You can easily halve the recipe and still have plenty of cookies to share. I find that a half batch typically yields about 75-80 smaller (2-2 1/2-inch) cookies.

*Traditional sand tarts are topped with cinnamon sugar, and sometimes walnuts. However, there are lots of creative toppings you can use instead. Some suggestions include colored sugars, sprinkles, or other kinds of nuts such as pistachios or pecans.

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