Saure-Sahne-Kringel (German Sour Cream Cookies) are an easy, old-fashioned treat made with just 4 simple ingredients. Using cold butter and cold sour cream creates a dough that bakes up in delicate, flaky layers, almost like a quick puff pastry. Rolled in pearl sugar, the cookies turn wonderfully crisp and crunchy on the outside. The sour cream adds a subtle tang that makes them taste extra special.
German Sour Cream Cookies
German Sour Cream Cookies are a wonderfully old-fashioned treat that’s not very widely known, but absolutely worth baking. You’ll see them under a few names: Saure-Sahne-Kringel, Sauerrahm-Kringel, or Saure-Sahne-Plätzchen (sometimes also written as Sauerrahm-Plätzchen). They’re so easy to make and buttery, with a crunchy pearl sugar topping.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this easy recipe:
You only need 4 simple pantry ingredients to make these cookies: flour, butter, powdered sugar, and sour cream. Using cold sour cream and cold butter is key—it makes the dough flaky and the cookies bake up slightly crisp and delicate.
You can choose any flavorings you like; I used vanilla extract and a little almond extract, but cinnamon and/or cardamom or citrus zest (lemon or orange) would also be lovely.
For the topping, pearl sugar adds the best crunch and makes the cookies super pretty—granulated sugar works in a pinch, but it’s really not the same, and these cookies are traditionally sprinkled with pearl sugar.
How to make it step-by-step
STEP 1: Cut the butter into very small cubes. Add it to a mixing bowl along with the flour, sour cream, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, cardamom, and almond extract.
(1 stick + 3 tablespoons (155g) cold butter, 2 cups (250g) flour, ½ cup (115g) sour cream, ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, a big pinch of salt, 1 ts pure vanilla extract, 1/8 ts cardamom, optional, a couple of drops almond extract, or lemon/orange zest)
Measuring flour: I use the spoon-and-level method (1 cup = 125g). Fluff the flour, spoon it into your cup, then level it with a knife. A digital scale will give the best and most consistent results.
STEP 2: Knead by hand or mix with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until a dough forms.
STEP 3: Flatten the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
STEP 4: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Roll out the dough on a counter or rolling mat lightly dusted with a mixture of flour and powdered sugar. Cut out rounds about 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter, then cut out smaller rounds in the center, about 1 inch (2.5 cm).
STEP 5: Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving a little space between them.
Make the egg wash: in a small bowl, whisk the egg with a little water.
Brush the cookies with the egg wash, then sprinkle with pearl sugar or granulated sugar (but you’ll lose a lot of the amazing crunch if you skip the pearl sugar).
Bake until lightly golden on top, about 15–17 minutes.
STEP 6: Let cool briefly on the baking sheet until easy to handle, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
Storage
These cookies store very well and stay crispy. You can store them in a tightly closed container for about a week.
More German Cookie Recipes
- Nussmakronen (German Hazelnut Macaroons)
- Kokosmakronen (Kokosbusserl) – German Coconut Macaroons
- Gingerbread squares with plum jam and chocolate (Lebkuchen cookies)
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Saure-Sahne-Kringel (German Sour Cream Cookies)
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 stick + 3 tablespoons (155g) cold butter
- 2 cups (250g) flour spooned and leveled, not scooped
- ½ cup (115g) sour cream
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
- big pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon cardamom optional
- a couple of drops almond extract or lemon/orange zest
Additionally:
- Flour and powdered sugar for rolling out the dough
- 1 small egg+1/2 Tbsp water for the egg wash
- Pearl sugar or granulated sugar to sprinkle on top of the cookies
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Instructions
- Cut the butter into very small cubes. Add it to a mixing bowl along with the flour, sour cream, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, cardamom, and almond extract.1 stick + 3 tablespoons (155g) cold butter, 2 cups (250g) flour, ½ cup (115g) sour cream, ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, big pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1/8 teaspoon cardamom, a couple of drops almond extract
- Knead by hand or mix with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until a dough forms.
- Flatten the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Roll out the dough on a counter or rolling mat lightly dusted with a mixture of flour and powdered sugar. Cut out rounds about 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter, then cut out smaller rounds in the center, about 1 inch (2.5 cm).
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving a little space between them.
- Make the egg wash: in a small bowl, whisk the egg with a little water.
- Brush the cookies with the egg wash, then sprinkle with pearl sugar or granulated sugar (but you’ll lose a lot of the amazing crunch if you skip the pearl sugar).
- Bake until lightly golden on top, about 15–17 minutes.
- Let cool briefly on the baking sheet until easy to handle, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Measuring flour: I use the spoon-and-level method (1 cup = 125g). Fluff the flour, spoon it into your cup, then level it with a knife. A digital scale will give the best and most consistent results.
- Calories = 1 cookie (1/21 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
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