Baking Traditions and Springerle

January, panic, and pale biscuits. I welcomed in the new year half-awake, clutching a decaf coffee, and wondering how I’d managed to feel behind schedule less than ten minutes into January.I’d already fallen asleep earlier in the evening (kids: consistent, if nothing else), so when midnight arrived I was conscious, but only just. This was meant to be a moment of clarity and new beginnings.Instead, it felt like my existing to-do list had followed me into the new year and brought unwelcome friends. The next few months are already spoken for. School and nursery routines rebooting themselves. Cars continuing to demand mechanical attention. The UK bracing for a light dusting of snow and reacting accordingly (poorly). Spring cleaning lurking. Gardening season warming up. These weeks and months will disappear faster than expected, largely because I’ve already agreed to something for most of them.Somewhere in all of this, my brain did what it often does when things feel busy: it wandered off to Germany. Specifically, to German traditions. And more specifically… German baking. While I was mentally juggling calendars and obligations, I was offered an article about German baking traditions from Professor Stephanie Leitch. One that took a surprisingly personal turn. What starts as a look at classic recipes becomes a journey into fond memories, baking ritual, and her long-standing attachment to Springerle. Those intricately stamped cookies that feel like they’ve always existed (they have) and probably always will. I've posted it on our sister site, German at Heart.READ IT HERE → In Praise of the Pale Biscuit: Edible Prints They’re not flashy. They don’t care what year it is. They just keep showing up on plates in Germany and abroad. This feels oddly reassuring. When I look back, most of the things I’ve worried about over the years eventually sorted themselves out. Not always elegantly, but adequately. And the things that didn’t? Those came out of nowhere anyway. No amount of advanced stress would have helped. There’s something comforting in that. In the idea that you don’t have to constantly reinvent yourself to conquer the year. Sometimes you just keep going. Like old recipes. Like habits that work well enough. Like cookies that refuse to modernize. So this is how my new year starts. Not with resolutions, but with a glance backward, a small nod of appreciation, and a decision to keep moving forward. Preferably, without adding too many new items to the list. And if German baking traditions are involved along the way, even better. Herzliche Grüße,Eran Fulson

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Baking Traditions and Springerle

January, panic, and pale biscuits.

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