I’m not going to lie, it was really hard work trying to find a J for this series. I mean, I realise there’s one very obvious J when it comes to talking about Christmas, but this A-Z is supposedly following a culinary theme.
I finally hit on an edible J in one of the many baking books I’ve picked up from our local community bookshelf: Das beste Dr. Oetker Backbuch (the 1982 edition, for those of you who have it). Johannistaler are two round vanilla cookies sandwiched together with redcurrant jam. The top cookie has a whole in the middle (à la Jammie Dodgers, for any Brits reading) through which you get a peek of the bright red filling. They look very pretty, and sound extremely moreish, too.