Recipes: How to make Christmas stollen, gingerbread cookies & coconut macaroons

Seabourn chef Chef Anton “Tony” Egger has worked at the luxury cruise line for many years and is helping whip up an array of festive favourites for cruise guests this winter.

You don't need to go on cruises to feel that Christmas spirit though, thanks to the magic of baking.

Egger has shared three of his top recipes with World of Cruising so you can rustle up some tasty bites in your own home.

We've got a Christmas stollen recipe, how to make gingerbread cookies and a guide for baking coconut macaroons.

Christmas Stollen Recipe

Makes 2 Stollen

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 1 cup (250 ml) lukewarm milk
• 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup (100 gram) granulated sugar
• 4 cups (580 gram) all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup (170 gram) unsalted butter, at room temperature so it's very soft
• 2 teaspoons quality pure vanilla extract
• zest of one lemon,
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces (230 gram) Marzipan/Almond Paste , divided in half (you can omit the marzipan if you prefer)

For the Fruits & Nuts:

9 ounces (255 gram) raisins

3 ounces (85 gram) candied lemon peel , finely diced

3 ounces (85 gram) candied orange peel , finely diced

3 ounces (85 gram) sliced almonds , finely chopped

/3 cup (85 ml) dark rum

For the Glaze & Dusting:

3/4 cup (170 gram) unsalted butter, melted

powdered sugar for generous dusting

- READ MORE: Explore Christmas markets on a festive Rhine cruise this winter -

Method

Step 1- Soak the dry fruits

• Place the raisins, candied citrus peel and almonds in a medium bowl and pour the rum over it. Stir to combine. Set aside and let the fruit mixture soak in the rum while the dough rises.

Step 2 - Prepare the dough

• Stir the yeast and 2 tablespoons of the sugar into the lukewarm milk and let sit in a warm place for 10-15 minutes until very frothy.
• Place the flour, remaining sugar, egg, egg yolks, butter, vanilla extract, lemon zest, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast/milk mixture. Use a spoon to stir the mixture until it comes together.
• Knead the dough on the bread setting for 7-8 minutes. Remove the dough ball, lightly spray the bowl with a little oil, return the dough ball, cover loosely with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place or lightly warmed oven (just barely warm), to rise until nearly doubled in size, at least 1 hour.

Step 3 - Lets make the dough

• Punch down the dough and add the soaked fruit/nut mixture to the dough (it should have absorbed all the rum by now but if there is excess liquid, pour it out before adding the mixture to the dough). In the electric kitchen stand mixer, using the dough hook, knead the fruit/nut mixture into the dough until combined. If the dough is too wet to handle, add a little bit of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it in two equal halves. Press or roll each piece into an oval to about 1-inch (2.5 cm) thickness. Roll each piece of marzipan into a log the length of the oval. Press the marzipan gently into the middle of the dough.
• Fold the left side of the dough over to cover the marzipan, then fold right side over on top of the left side so that the edge of it sits just left of the middle of the stollen. In other words, don't fold the right side all the way over to the left edge of the stollen. Pinch and tuck the top and bottom ends of the stollen to cover the marzipan. Use the bottom edge of your hand to press down along the length of the stollen towards the right of the center to create a divot and characteristic hump.
• Place the stollen on a lined baking sheet. Cover the stollen loosely with plastic wrap and let them rest in a warm place or lightly warmed oven for 40-60 minutes until puffy. At that point you can pick off any raisins that are sticking out of the dough (they will burn during baking).

Step 4 - Lets bake the Christmas Stollen

• Towards the end of the last rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and bake the stollen for 30-40 minutes or until golden. You can use an instant read thermometer to aim for an internal temperature of 190 degrees F (90 degrees C).
• Let the Stollen sit for 5 minutes, then use a toothpick to poke holes all over the stollen (this will allow the butter to seep in), then generously brush the stollen with the melted butter while the stollen are still warm. Immediately sprinkle with a generous amount of powdered sugar, rubbing it into the creases and down the sides. Let the stollen cool completely. You may want to give it another dusting of powdered sugar once cooled.
• The stollen can be sliced and eaten now or for best result wrapped tightly (wrap in plastic wrap then foil) and left to "ripen" in a cool place for 2 to 3 weeks. The liquid from the dried fruits will further penetrate the dough for more flavor and moisture.

Coconut Macaroons Recipe

Makes 24 pieces

Ingredients

• 3 cups (225g) dried, unsweetened coconut flakes
• ¾ cup (150g) caster sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 large egg whites
• ½ teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional)

- READ MORE: 6 of the best New Year cruises for 2021/2022 -

Method

Step 1- Preheat the oven

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Cover a baking tray with baking (parchment) paper or a silicone baking mat.

Step 2 - Prepare the dough

• In a mixing bowl, stir together the coconut, sugar and salt until well combined.
• Stir in the egg whites and vanilla or almond extract if you are using it.
• Continue stirring until all of the coconut is wet with the egg white - about 1 minute. You can use your hands to mix as well.

Step 2 - Shape the dough

• Shape and press the coconut dough into 24 or so balls (they should be a little smaller than a golf ball) and place on covered baking tray. Pinch and shape each ball into a pyramid. The macaroons can be placed close together on the tray as they do not spread when baking.

Step 3 - Bake the Coconut Macaroons

• Place in preheated oven to bake for 12 minutes.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before moving them off the baking sheet.

Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Makes 24 x 4-inch cookies

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (145g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar
• 2/3 cup (160ml) molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 ½ cups (438g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• optional: easy cookie icing or royal icing

- READ MORE: River cruise expert shares favourite foodie memories -

Method

Step 1- Part 1, to prepare the dough

• In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy-looking.
• Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Next, beat in egg and vanilla on high speed for 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
• The butter may separate; that’s ok.

Step 2 - Part 2, to prepare the dough

• In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves together until combined.
• On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined.
• The cookie dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky.
• Divide dough in half and place each onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap each up tightly and pat down to create a disc shape.
• Chill discs for 24 hours. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough.

Step 3 - Preheat the oven

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Step 4 - Get the cookies ready

• Remove 1 disc of chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. Roll out disc until 1/4-inch (7 cm) thick.
• Tips for rolling– the dough may crack and be crumbly as you roll. What’s helpful is picking it up and rotating it as you go. Additionally, you can use your fingers to help meld the cracking edges back together.
• The first few rolls are always the hardest since the dough is so stiff, but re-rolling the scraps is much easier. Cut into shapes. Place shapes 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Re-roll dough scraps until all the dough is shaped. Repeat with remaining disc of dough.

Step 5 - Lets bake the cookies

• Bake cookies for about 9-10 minutes.
• Keep in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they’ll be. For soft gingerbread cookies bake for 8 minutes.
• Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Once completely cool, decorate as desired.