'It's German Cookie Time' from Sweet Musings: Our Blog — Bredenbeck's Bakery & Ice Cream Parlor in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia

It's German Cookie Time

Dec 5, 2011 | Category: General   

For many people, thoughts of Christmas bring about fond memories: twinkling lights, holiday carols, presents, and—of course—heaping platters of fresh-baked cookies made using family recipes. These memories are a little different for me. Since I loved atop my family’s bakery for most of my childhood, Christmas meant working in the shop, baking German cookies and treats for the people of Philadelphia.

My job was to roll the cookies in powdered sugar. Since I was just little, I had to stand on top of an icing barrel to see the counter. The cookies would often get lost in the mound of powdered sugar on the counter, so I would make a game of dropping them in, and then trying to find them.

We baked thousands of cookies: Pfeffernusse, spice cookies made with candied fruit and confectionary sugar; Cinnamon Stars, moist, chewy cookies made with almond paste, cinnamon and royal icing; Springerle, anise-flavored cookies hand-pressed with original German molds featuring delicate designs; and Filbert Bars, made with hazelnut flour and royal icing.

Other treats included traditional Stollen, yeast bread filled with raisins, nuts and sherry-soaked dried fruit, dipped in hot butter and coated in powdered sugar; and Schnecken, chocolate, cinnamon walnut or crumb treats, topped with confectionary sugar.

And they flew off the shelves. My mother used to hide our family Christmas cookies from my father, because if he found them, he would sell them in the shop. I can remember hearing my mother complain one year that she couldn’t have a Springerle on Christmas Day because my father had sold the stash she had hidden in the closet!

These days, we don't just bake the cookies to sell in our store. Bakeries that specialize in German treats have become more difficult to find, so Bredenbeck’s has shipped nationwide since 1985.

The process of making and shipping fresh cookies and treats is time-consuming, which is why a lot of bakeries don’t do it. But I continue to make them out of tradition and love. It’s my way of saying, "Hey Dad, hey Pop-Pop: this is the legacy I’m going to leave.”

I may be biased, but I truly think your loved ones near and far would appreciate our these authentic German holiday treats. Add them to your family tradition this year, and tell me what you think of them! You can order them here.


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Sweetest regards,
Karen

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