Advent

Today the second week of Advent began, so we're lighting the second candle. Just two more and it's Christmas!

advent

Advent means a time of calm, but also of big preparations and pre-Christmas shopping. It puts us in the holiday mood. In Germany it's also a season of getting together with family and friends, drinking mulled wine at the Christmas markets, kids' carousels, and sometimes baking Advent treats together, which are later given as gifts to loved ones and friends. Baking cookies together is a great excuse to get together. What's also important is that kids can take part too, and they are so happy to roll out, cut out and decorate the cookies, sneaking bites of everything sweet every few minutes when no one's looking.

Advent calendar

And every year during Advent I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, trying out more and more new recipes for little Advent cookies and gingerbread cookies. I shut myself in the kitchen, put on Christmas carols and bake. My older daughter Louisa often helps me, and she loves cutting out and decorating cookies. When everything is ready, I pack the cookies and gingerbread into pretty little bags or boxes and hand them out to friends and neighbors, and the rest I tuck away in decorative metal tins for ourselves.

advent cookies

There are so many recipes for cookies like these, and I never know what to pick! This year I decided on:

Marzipan Eyes

Orange Spritz Cookies

Almond Linzer Augen Cookies

Cinnamon Meringues

and

Grandma Helga's Advent Cookies