Baltimore Bakes
It’s time for a little holiday history and shop tips for Charm City Confections!
The Rise of the Christmas Cookie
The Christmas Cookie. It’s ubiquitous - and delicious! Word has it, we have the Germans to thank for our favorite holiday confection. The Christmas baking tradition can be traced back to the monasteries of the Middle Ages. By the 16th century, Christmas “biscuits” had become popular across Europe, with Lebkuchen being favored in Germany, pepparkakor in Sweden, and krumkake in Norway. These biscuits featured ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, almonds, and dried fruit—ingredients often associated with the Christmas cookies of today.
The word “cookie” comes from the Dutch word “koeptje”. The Dutch brought the first Christmas cookies to the New World sometime around the 1600s. The popularity of the cookie may have grown due to the ability to store them longer without spoiling (unlike pies and cakes). Longer storage meant cookies could be baked in advance for visitors and gifts.
Tasty treats take shape…
The Cookie Cutter.
Changes to American importation laws in the late 1800’s created a rise of cheap imported products from Germany making cookie cutters available in American markets. Cookbook recipes skyrocketed and voila! The cookie shifted from tasty treat to iced icon!
Snacks for Santa
The practice of putting out cookies for Santa began in the 1930s during the Great Depression, when parents were trying to instill a sense of thankfulness in their children. This tradition has stood the test of time as children in Canada and the United States still leave cookies for Santa. Other countries have variations on the theme (like a pint of Guiness in Ireland), but that’s a blog for another day…
Where to get your Baltimore Bakes!
It can be quite the labor of love to add baking to an already busy holiday season so let’s take a second and share a list of hometown holiday treats that will wow any holiday guest or add to your gift giving:
Crust by Mac
These shops are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to great holiday baked goods but walk along the promenade from Inner Harbor through Little Italy, Harbor East and Fells Point and you can hit every one of these shops on our list! AND you’ll be supporting local businesses, the local economy and experiencing local holiday cheer. Whether it’s candy, fudge, macaroons, cakes, pies or the classic christmas cookie you’re looking for, you’ll find it on the waterfront!
