Basler Brunsli are one of Switzerland’s most traditional cookies — deeply chocolatey, gently spiced, and made with finely ground nuts instead of flour. If you’re looking for a cookie that feels both old-world and elegant, yet surprisingly simple to make, this Basler Brunsli recipe delivers.
These cookies originate in Basel, Switzerland, where they are especially popular during the Christmas season. Unlike many holiday cookies, Basler Brunsli are naturally gluten-free, relying on nut flour for structure and richness rather than wheat flour. The result is a cookie with a crisp exterior, soft and chewy center, and an intense cocoa flavor that deepens as the cookies rest.
This recipe stays true to the traditional method while using precise measurements and quality ingredients to ensure consistent, reliable results at home.
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Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Table of contents
- What Are Basler Brunsli?
- Ingredients
- Sustainability
- Technique – How to Make Basler Brunsli (Overview)
- Cutting, Baking, and Texture Tips
- Naturally Gluten-Free
- Holiday Cookie Make-Ahead and Gifting
- Discovering Basler Brunsli on our trip to Basel Switzerland
- RECIPE
- Why Basler Brunsli Deserve a Place in your Holiday Tradition
- Related Posts
What Are Basler Brunsli?
The name means “the little brown cookie from Basel”. Basler Brunsli cookies are a traditional Swiss holiday cookie that originated from the city of Basel. They have been a popular holiday treat in Switzerland for over 100 years, and are often given as gifts during the Christmas season.
Basler Brunsli are classic Swiss chocolate cookies made with:
- Ground almonds or hazelnuts
- Cocoa powder or chocolate
- Sugar
- Egg whites
- Warm spices such as cinnamon and clove
They are rolled out, cut into shapes — often flowers, stars or diamonds — and baked briefly so they remain soft in the center. Then decorated with powdered sugar, or other toppings. After baking, the flavor continues to improve over several days, making them ideal for holiday baking and gifting.
Unlike modern chocolate cookies, Basler Brunsli are not overly sweet. Their richness comes from nut flour and cocoa rather than butter, making them a healthier alternative to butter cookies and naturally gluten-free.
Ingredients
With so few ingredients, quality makes a noticeable difference, so we are recommending specific brands that we know are the highest quality.
Using the best ingredients creates the best cookies. I name the brands I use in the recipe, so there is no guessing. There is a detailed explanation for why I use each brand on the “quality brands” page.
- Sugar – Wholesome regenerative organic sugar produced from organic sugar cane fields that are green cut and are not burned or treated with herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. Burning sugar cane fields contributes to air pollution, climate change, and is also a major cause of the destruction of the rain forest.
- Nut Flour – Bob’s Red Mill almond flour or Bob’s Red Mill hazelnut flour or ground from nuts
- Chocolate – Valrhona Chocolate is a high quality chocolate and the taste makes a really big difference. They produce chocolate that is grown sustainably, responsibly, ethically, and using regenerative practices. Most of Valrhona’s products are also gluten free and kosher.
- Salt – Diamond Kosher tastes cleaner and measures differently.
- Spices – such as cinnamon, clove or Ras el Hanout from World Spice
- Liqueur – added for flavor and to add an elegant taste
No Affiliates Statement
We call this our “no affiliates” statement because we accept no advertising, have no affiliates and accept no payment. We are not paid to mention brands – we just love buying the best, sharing that information and saving the planet at the same time. The effort put into writing and photographing the blog is solely based on our dedication to the cause.
Sustainability
Before I ever developed recipes, I worked in agriculture— assisting the Farm Advisor with research, advising farmers, growing crops, and regulating organic growers. That experience continues to shape everything I cook.
The ingredients in this recipe reflect that perspective. They’re chosen with care, with attention to how they’re grown and how they contribute to a more sustainable future. In the ingredients section, I share the story behind each one.
Technique – How to Make Basler Brunsli (Overview)
The process is straightforward and doesn’t require special equipment. Basler Brunsli cookies are made using the French meringue method, where the egg whites are beaten with the sugar to form a meringue before the other ingredients are added. Then the other ingredients are carefully added. Ground nuts are used instead of flour, so there is no gluten formed while mixing, making the recipe easy and forgiving. However, the ingredients must be carefully folded into the egg whites to keep them from collapsing.
- Mix ground nuts, cocoa, sugar, and spices
- Whip egg whites to form stiff peaks
- Carefully fold the almond mixture into the egg whites
- Chill or rest the dough for an hour or overnight
- Roll out and cut into shapes
- Allow the cut out cookies to dry out for an hour before baking
- Bake just until set
Cutting, Baking, and Texture Tips
What makes this recipe reliable:
- Finely ground nuts for smooth texture
- Proper resting time for flavor development and to allow the dough to dry out
- Careful rolling thickness to keep centers soft
- Do not overbake. The cookies should remain slightly soft when they come out of the oven — they firm up as they cool.
- Use sharp cutters for clean shapes
- Let cookies rest before serving for best flavor
If baked correctly, Basler Brunsli should have a delicate crust with a tender interior. The result is a cookie that looks beautiful, cuts cleanly, and tastes even better after a day or two.
Naturally Gluten-Free
One of the great advantages of Basler Brunsli is that they are naturally gluten-free, not adapted or substituted.
Because the dough contains no wheat flour, the almonds provide both structure and moisture. This makes the cookies ideal for anyone avoiding gluten — without sacrificing texture or flavor.
Naturally gluten-free baking traditions like this one are a reminder that excellent cookies existed long before alternative flours became trendy.
Holiday Cookie Make-Ahead and Gifting
These are the perfect cookies for winter holidays. They can be baked weeks in advance, stored in tins, and shared throughout the season. This makes them one of the most forgiving and practical holiday cookies to prepare ahead. Their long keeping quality and improving flavor make them perfect for:
- Holiday cookie boxes – They can be included in the cookie box , and fit beautifully alongside other European classics like Zimtsterne and Springerle.
- Gifting – popular and elegant, they also hold up well in a box or shipping.
- Make-ahead baking – Basler Brunsli improve with time. Flavor deepens after 2–3 days. Store in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks. Freeze baked cookies for longer storage
- Pairing with coffee or tea – elegant enough to served as dessert,
- Ice cream sandwiches – They are sturdy enough to be paired with ice cream on a sandwich or plated.
When I served them as a dessert for Christmas, I happened to have a stencil of a birch forest that I picked up at the art store. Dusting it with powdered sugar made a nice winter scene for the presentation.
Discovering Basler Brunsli on our trip to Basel Switzerland
It was late November when we were in Basel, Switzerland, and there were already signs of the approaching holidays. Most importantly, the shops were selling Christmas cookies. Basel is famous for several cookies, which are actually named for the town. We especially liked the Basler Brunsli, a chocolate spice cookie, that is perfect as a Christmas cookie. Basler Brunsli are closely tied to winter holidays and Christmas markets throughout Switzerland.
The shopkeeper where we discovered the cookies, explained that they use nut flour instead of wheat flour. Usually it was almond flour, but these were made of hazelnut flour. Historically, hazelnut flour was used when almond flour was scarce.
When we returned home, we researched the recipe and used what we had learned in Basel to create the best recipe for Basler Brunsli Cookies by using the easiest method and the highest quality ingredients. We used hazelnut flour, like the cookies in Basel, and added orange liqueur for flavor. Since the bear is an important symbol in Switzerland, we thought a cookie in the shape of a bear would be appropriate.
RECIPE
Equipment
- food processor
CHOOSING BRANDS:
For certain products, the choice of brand will make a big difference in the outcome of the recipe and in your carbon footprint. So, for those products, we have listed the brand. We are not paid to mention a brand and have no affiliates.
Ingredients
- 114 grams Valrhona Manjari 64% cacao chocolate
- 3 Tablespoons Valrhona cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 egg white
- 70 grams Wholesome regenerative organic sugar ground superfine
- 1 Tbsp orange or cherry liqueur
- 170 grams Bob's Red Mill hazelnut flour or Bob's Red Mill almond flour
- ½ cup sparkling white sugar
Instructions
- Allow the ingredients to come to room temperature (about 65° F). This may take about an hour.
- Using the food processor, grind together the chocolate, cocoa powder, cinnamon and cloves, stopping before they start to clump. Do not over process.
- Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg white on medium for about a minute. Increase the speed to medium high and add the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Beat the mixture until it is a stiff meringue.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the liqueur.
- Fold in the chocolate mixture until incorporated, being careful not to deflate the egg whites.
- Fold in the nut flour until incorporated, being careful not to deflate the egg whites.
- Pat the mixture into a flat circle about ½ inch thick and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour, or even overnight.
- Spread the sparking white sugar on a cutting board. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is ⅜ inch thick, turning it over to make sure it is evenly coated with the sugar.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using cookie cutters, cut the cookies into shapes. The cookies break easily, so smaller shapes are traditional. Use a spatula to move them onto the baking sheet.
- Allow the cookies to dry out for an hour before baking.
- When ready to bake, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 250° F.
- Bake until they are set, but not browning, about 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a cooling rack.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before serving. They firm up as they cool.
Nutrition
WHY THIS RECIPE IS A GAME CHANGER:
This recipe is a total game-changer — crafted with the finest [brand name] ingredients, simplified using a master recipe with pro-tested techniques from top chefs and bakers, and designed for deliciously sustainable cooking made easy.”
Why Basler Brunsli Deserve a Place in your Holiday Tradition
Basler Brunsli are proof that cookies don’t need butter, flour, or elaborate techniques to be memorable. They rely on tradition, balance, and good ingredients — principles that never go out of style.
Whether you’re baking for the holidays, exploring European baking traditions, or looking for a naturally gluten-free cookie that doesn’t feel like a compromise, this Basler Brunsli recipe belongs in your collection.
True to The Master Pantry philosophy, this recipe combines the best seasonal ingredients and quality brands with homemade methods to maximize both flavor and sustainability. It was inspired by our travels and works well as a holiday recipe.
Photos by Tony Fitzgerald Photography
Recipes created by Lisa LeCoump — Food Photographer, Agricultural Expert, and Home Baker. Sharing master recipes, chef secrets, and sustainable baking for every kitchen. Featured on various publications.