Der Lebkuchenmann

Last week, Jim and Drew made gingerbread cookies.  This was the second year they have done this together; it's a really nice tradition!  Jim uses his Grandma Bee's recipe.  They made the cookies over three nights.  Drew really looked forward to Jim getting home every night so they could work on their cookies.  First, they made the dough...

The next night they rolled out the dough, cut out the cookies, and baked them.  

On the third night, they made the icing and decorated the cookies!  

All that's missing is a photo of them eating the cookies!  We enjoyed them for several days, and left some for Santa, too.  :)  

We bought a book in German for Drew called "Lebkuchenmann" (I posted a photo of the book's cover at the top of this post).  It is the traditional story we know in the US, just in German.  However, "lebkuchen" in Germany is actually a different type of cookie than our gingerbread cookies.  It is softer and more cake-like.

I had never had lebkuchen before we moved here, and now I am a big fan!!  I like them even better than gingerbread cookies.

Another popular Christmastime treat in Germany is the "Christstollen."  

The shape of the cake is meant to mimic the shape of the baby Jesus wrapped up in a swaddling blanket.  Our landlord gave us a "Dresdnerchriststollen" (as in Dresden, Germany) as a gift, which I later learned from my German teacher is the most well known type!  Christstollen is kind of like a mix between a coffee cake and a fruit cake.  It has dried fruits and marzipan inside and is covered in powdered sugar.  Unlike the fruit cake we know in the US, though, Christstollen is very soft.  It tastes great with coffee in the morning or as an after dinner dessert!!  Jim was not a huge fan of it, which just meant more for me!  I had no problem finishing the loaf. :)   

Zimtsterne are the final Christmas treat I want to introduce you to (can you tell I'm nine months pregnant and have sweets on the mind?).  

Zimtsterne, which represent the Christmas star, are made with cinnamon and almonds.  They are chewy and have a sweet nutty flavor.  

The three desserts I just described are very traditional German desserts during Adventszeit & Weihnachtszeit, but they are all desserts that are more commonly bought in stores than baked at home.  What a treat!  Lecker, lecker, as they say here.  Delicious. :)