Bird's Nest Biscuits Recipe
Bird's nests – a real treat
Bird’s nests are classic, traditional Swiss biscuits that everyone simply loves. They’re always made with a crisp shortcrust or sugar pastry base, topped with a delicious hazelnut macaroon. The finishing touch is a dollop of the finest jam. These delicious biscuits can easily be enjoyed all year round and are the perfect accompaniment to any coffee or tea break. Another handy thing is that they’re ready in no time at all and can be kept in a biscuit tin for up to a month. So if you make a larger batch from the outset, you’ll always have a delicious treat ready for yourself and your guests, even if they pop round at short notice. We’ve included the traditional ‘Vogelnestli’ recipe here for you, but this can, of course, be easily adapted to suit the season. How about, for example, a pinch of cinnamon and cloves in the dough and in the macaroons for winter? Instead of raspberry jam, you could use something like plum or quince jelly. In spring and summer, you can also freshen up the dough with a little grated lemon zest and use coconut instead of hazelnuts. As you can see, the possibilities are endless – but for now, let’s head into the kitchen to try the classic recipe! Have fun making them and enjoy!
Key figures
Quantity: 20 pieces
Baking time: approx. 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Shelflife: 1 month
Sugar dough
| Butter | cold | 35 g | |
| Granulated sugar | 60 g | |
| plain flour | 100 g | |
| Whole egg (beaten) | 25 g | |
| vanilla seeds | 2 pinches | |
Hazelnut paste
| Granulated sugar | 200 g | |
| Hazelnuts | ground | 100 g | |
| Egg white | 60 g | |
Ready-to-ship quantity: more than 20 pieces
Price:CHF28.90
Making the sugar dough
Put all the ingredients, except for the whole egg, into a bowl and rub them together between your hands. Once the lumps of butter have disappeared, you can add the whole egg and work it into the dough. Then knead the dough on your work surface until it is smooth, wrap it in cling film and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. After chilling, knead the dough briefly, then roll it out on a lightly floured work surface using rolling pins to a thickness of 3 mm. Next, use a round, scalloped cookie cutter (5 cm diameter) to cut out the biscuits. Place the cut-out biscuits on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Ready-to-ship quantity: more than 20 pieces
Price:CHF8.50
Making the hazelnut mixture and finishing the dish
Place all the ingredients for the macaroons in a large bowl and beat the mixture with your hand mixer (or a food processor) for 5 to 10 minutes on a medium setting until you have a thick mixture. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 12-point star nozzle.
Now pipe the hazelnut mixture in a circular shape onto the cut-out biscuits. Make sure the hole in the centre is still big enough to fill with the jam later. Once all the nests have been piped and filled with raspberry jam, leave them to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. In the meantime, you can preheat the oven to 210 ºC (fan).
After the resting time, bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
Storage & Shelf life
The Vogelnestli will keep for up to a month in a biscuit tin. You can freeze these sweets for up to 2 months.
Nutritional information per 100 g
Energy value in kJ:1701 kJ |Energy value in kcal:405 kcal |Fat:16 g, of which saturated fatty acids: 4 g |Carbohydrates:58 g, of which sugars: 46 g |Protein:6 g |Salt:0.05 g
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vogelguetzlirezept
By: Ursula Baumgartner On 2025-10-12Schade, dass beim Zuckerteig keine Mengenangaben sichtbar sind.
Replied by: Rebecca Odermatt On 2025-10-14