Biscuits and Cookies Christmas Recipes

Sand Tarts: A Pennsylvania Holiday Tradition

Sand Tarts

Original post published December 27, 2017. Last updated on December 12th, 2023.

Sand tarts are traditional Pennsylvania Dutch cookies made from a handful of simple ingredients: butter, flour, and sugar. Featuring a thinly rolled dough (often cut into fun holiday shapes like stars, trees, and stockings), a layer of egg wash, and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar, sand tarts are especially popular during the holiday season.

Thin, crispy, and oh-so-delicious, sand tarts make the perfect Christmas Eve baking project. Not only will they fill your kitchen with the scents of the season, but they also look just lovely when arranged on a cookie platter for Santa!

Sand Tarts

A Family Tradition

These sand tarts are not just a Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas tradition, but a family tradition as well. For as long as I can remember, my family has used a recipe from The Amish-Dutch Cookbook by Ruth Redcay. This cookbook was printed in the 1960s, and is little more than a stapled-together collection of recipes from various Pennsylvania hotels and restaurants:

Sand Tarts

How to Make Sand Tarts

I’ve adapted the above recipe slightly, and have also updated the instructions to fill in a few of the blanks. (The original instructions simply say to “roll very thin and cut with cookie cutter,” which isn’t much to go on if you’ve never made these before!)

Sand tarts traditionally feature cinnamon sugar and walnuts, but modern adaptations allow plenty of room for creativity. Be sure to have lots of ‘toppings’ on hand, because decorating is the best part!

Colored sugars, sprinkles, and nuts in small bowls on a countertop

Possible sand tart toppings include:

Cinnamon sugar (you can buy it or make your own with granulated sugar and ground cinnamon)
Colored sugar (easy to make at home; see notes below)
Christmas sprinkles or nonpareils
Walnuts or other chopped nuts
Silver cake decorating balls
Cinnamon red hots

Making Colored Sugar

Colored sugars can be made using granulated sugar and gel food coloring, or even the cheap liquid colors from the grocery store.  Or, you can purchase colored sanding sugars designed for cake and cookie decorating.

A tattered cookbook page and sand tart Christmas cookies

Sand Tart Tips and Tricks

The key to getting these just right is to roll the dough VERY thin (you want crispy sand tarts, not soft or chewy ones!) If you haven’t made sand tarts before, it will take a some trial and error to get the thickness just right. Don’t worry if you burn the first tray but rolling the dough too thin—it happens to all of us!

Use just the tiniest bit of egg wash. You want just enough to add a bit of sheet on the cookies and allow the toppings to adhere, but don’t go overboard. (It’s not like egg-washing puff pastry, where you can be fairly generous with the amount used.) Too much egg wash and your sand tarts will be soft and gummy, which isn’t very appealing. I suggest using a natural-bristled pastry brush rather than silicone; the silicone brushes just arent as precise.

Use real butter for this recipe, not margarine or vegan butter.

Keep the dough cold. If it starts to feel warm or soft, pop it back in the fridge for a few minutes.

You’ll want to have a silicone rolling mat and a wooden rolling pin on hand, as well as a selection of cookie cutters. If possible, I suggest using sharp metal cutters rather than duller plastic ones.

A cookbook, sand tart Christmas cookies, and a red and white tea towel

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

Sand tarts freeze extremely well. To freeze, layer cooled cookies between sheets of parchment and freeze in an airtight container. Because they are so thin, sand tarts will thaw very quickly (10-15 minutes) at room temperature.

More About PA Dutch Cuisine:

While studying for my MSc in Culinary Innovation, I wrote my dissertation on Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine. During the research process, I read quite a few books and cookbooks on Pennsylvania Dutch food and culture. These are a few that I recommend:

Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook, by J. George Frederick
As American As Shoofly Pie, by William Woys Weaver
Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking, edited by Richard Hartmetz
The Amish-Dutch Cookbook, by Ruth Redcay

Sand tarts on a baking tray, surrounded by bowls of colored sugar

Sand tarts on a tray, a rolling pin, dough, and bowls of colored sugar

Other Christmas recipes you might enjoy:

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Peppermint Ganache
Nutella-Stuffed Christmas Wreaths
Festive Cranberry Jelly Candy
Easy Peppermint Bark

And if you make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

Sand tart Christmas cookies on a wire cooling rack

Sand tart cookies on a wire rack

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Sand Tarts

Sand Tarts


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  • Author: becky
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Description

Comprised of butter, sugar, and flour and decorated with a variety of fun toppings, these crispy cookies are a PA Dutch holiday tradition.


Ingredients

Scale

For the dough:

454 grams unsalted butter, softened (1 pound, or 4 sticks)
2 eggs
454 grams sugar (1 pound, or 2 1/4 cups)
680 grams flour (1.5 pounds, or 5 1/4 cups)

For decorating:

One 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, whip the butter until fluffy. Whip in eggs, followed by sugar and flour, mixing until dough just comes together.

Flatten the dough into discs. Wrap in clingfilm/plastic wrap and chill at least one hour, or overnight.

While dough chills, preheat oven to 350° F / 175° C.

With a wooden rolling pin, roll the chilled dough very, very thin (this is the key to a good cookie!) The dough should be almost (but not quite) translucent; it should not be so thin that it breaks or falls apart when you move the cookies.

Cut dough into desired shapes with a metal cookie cutter.

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

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

Arrange on an unlined tray and bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until very lightly brown around the edges. (Keep an eye on the oven—sand tarts burn easily!)

Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

 

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.

*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.

**Keep your egg wash very light. Too much, and your sand tarts will be gummy, not crispy!

  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Chilling Time: 1 hour, or overnight
  • Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
  • Category: Biscuits and Cookies
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: Dessert

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