20 November 2010

Baking up a storm with my Bavarian Bestie...

So this morning Petra came over laden with groceries and recipe books intent on showing me just how easy it was to bake my favourite German Christmas cookies or as she called them Weihnachtsplätchen. A mouthful isn't it... so I'm just going to stick to calling them cookies or biscuits!

She had brought with her the recipe book that belonged to her Oma (Grandma), her collection of cookies cutters, all ingredients we needed and a big warm smile - cheered me up to no end on such a bleak, wet and miserable day. We had a bit of a chat and a laugh, exchanged some stories of our lives over a cuppa and then set about creating a big mess on my kitchen table. Yes, when I say table I mean table...no bowl needed to blend the ingredients together. German style is to plonk it all on the table and kneed, kneed, kneed like there is no tomorrow! I looked at the mixing bowl I had previously gotten out for her to use to mix the ingredients - obsolete! Seriously. Well, why not. Who needs to use mixing bowls anyway.

After I had got over the initial shock of the mixing of ingredients on the table, we rolled out the dough and cut out our shapes. All along sharing stories about Christmases of past at home, food we eat to celebrate and baking we've learnt from our mums or in Petra's case her aunt...so nice to share a story or two.




The kids will be over the moon with their Friday afternoon treats, especially Sean...Spitzbuben are his favourite. Although I'm not sure he will believe that I actually made them & that they didn't come from the bakery down the street!










Petra's recipe book that belonged to her Oma and the recipe that Petra has used 'forever' to make Weihnachtsplätzchen. How special is that? Now I have a copy of it too and whenever I use it I will think back to this time here in Munich when I baked Christmas cookies with my Bavarian Bestie! 


Alison x

1 comment:

The Moerks said...

So pretty, I will have to try some of these for my Christmas baking.