• jenninemiller on December 10, 2025

  Updated link to extra photos of the cookies: https://thewednesdaychef.com/2016/12/01/classic-german-baking-photos/

• Apollonia on June 14, 2021

  The rising times suggested in the book are well off for those using instant yeast instead of fresh, so prepare to substantially increase the yeast or count on much longer rising times.

• eliza on December 02, 2016

  The author just posted a photo library of many of the recipes in the book, and is planning to add more as she is able. http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/classic-german-baking-photos.html

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Simplest butter cookies (Butterkekse)

  • stef on December 21, 2017

    These are really simple butter cookies. First time baking with bakers ammonia and they turned out nice and crisp. The dough didn't come together as per recipe. I added an extra quarter cup of cream. It hits the spot if you want just want a little something with your afternoon tea/coffee

  • senzler on November 08, 2022

    Like the previous commenter I found these dry.

  • korkyporky on January 12, 2026

    A perfect tea cookie! I also needed to add more cream to the dough for it to come together as other commenters mentioned.

• Sandy almond sugar cookies (Heidesand)

  • amandacooks on June 16, 2017

    I've made these cookies twice now, and they are so, so good. The dough was really hard to mix with my hands though. Next time I will use the food processor and then stir in the flour by hand. The first time I made them with granulated sugar since I was out of confectioners sugar, using the same amount by weight. The second time I made them as instructed, and the texture is definitely sandier with the confectioners sugar. They still turned out great with granulated sugar, just more like a typical butter cookie.

  • amandabeck on March 07, 2021

    These are tasty cookies, and a good use of pearl sugar. They were a little crumbly, so I ended up cutting slightly thicker slices to keep them from falling apart. Next time, I would try to slice them as thinly as possible, and make sure to bake a little longer and farther apart on the baking sheet so they crisp up and get the texture they're supposed to. They are still tasty, and could look nice for the holidays with some colored sanding sugar instead of the pearl sugar.

  • Jhein12 on May 08, 2026

    Very tasty but not traditional. Traditional ones use brown butter.

• Almond-sugar cookies (Blitzkuchen)

  • twoyolks on December 18, 2017

    These were pretty simple to make and pretty tasty. The recipe introduction down plays the lemon flavor a bit more than it should.

• Chocolate-dipped almond crescents (Mandelhörnchen)

  • anya_sf on February 18, 2020

    These were easy to make; the trickiest part was coating each cookie in nuts, as the dough was fairly fragile (but easy to stick back together). I only got 9 cookies. They needed an extra 5 minutes to bake. I tried brushing chocolate on the bottom of one cookie, but then dipping the ends was super messy (and the chocolate wasn't deep enough in the bowl), so I just spooned the chocolate over the ends instead. The cookies were chewy and delicious, just like the ones I remember from Germany.

• Cardamom snap cookes (Knerken)

  • laurenlangston on February 05, 2017

    The first recipe I've tried out of this book. They turned out great! Let's be honest though, brown butter and cardamom isn't a tough sell for me. I was super precise about weighed measurements. Used Bob's Red Mill AP flour and Amish roll (salted) butter, let dough rest for 2 hours. Easy to cut with a knife. Baked for 15 minutes at 350F convection. The ammonia takes getting used to but of course the eye-watering smell bakes out.

• Cinnamon pretzels (Zimtbrezeln)

  • laurenlangston on February 12, 2017

    Topped these with cinnamon sugar before baking -- it was definitely the right idea. Especially because when I put the next batches down on the cookie sheets, the cinnamon sugar from the last batches made a nice crispy caramelized bottom. Went with 16g logs.

  • twoyolks on December 26, 2018

    These are quite a bit of work too make and have a nice enough flavor but not enough to justify the effort.

• Chocolate-hazelnut cookie bars (Nussecken)

  • anya_sf on December 15, 2025

    A bit frustrating to prepare and I wondered if the pan size was wrong. The base was super, duper thin - I couldn't press it into the pan, had to roll it (with difficulty). The topping took 5 min longer to bake and in hindsight maybe should have baked longer. Half the chocolate was just enough (there was some left, but there needs to be a certain depth for dipping). In the end, the bars were delicious, but not quite like I remember from Germany. These were more tender; the bars from my memory were sturdier, with a thicker base, more caramelized topping with larger hazelnut chunks.

• Almond cream jam bars (Eisenbahnschnitten)

  • dbuhler on August 20, 2023

    Oh how I wanted to love these but they were just okay for me. The base was easy to make, but rolling it out was a challenge until I wised up on the second one and traced the base of the pan on a piece of parchment paper and then rolled the dough on to the parchment. For me, the shortbread base doesn't have enough salt in it (typo perhaps?) so I found it's flavor to be quite bland, but I did love the texture. My main issue was with the almond cream, however, it was likely all my own fault as I used homemade almond paste (Daring Gourmet's recipe) which has egg whites in it. When I mixed the almond cream it was too runny, so next time I may omit the honey or one or both of the egg whites (or use her recipe for almond paste or buy some). My piping didn't hold it's shape at all and in some places it dripped down the sides. These were a lot of work and it's a bummer that they weren't better. I did substitute sour cherry jam for the red current and I would make that switch again.

• Saxonian glazed streusel slices (Prasselkuchen mit Blätterteig)

  • lkgrover on February 06, 2017

    Simple and delicious! I like the puff pastry airy-ness, the streusel with just the right amount of sugar, and the lemon icing.

  • mamacrumbcake on May 29, 2023

    This is a crisp puff pastry, topped with streusel and lemon glaze. Everyone loved this and it was super simple to make. If you keep puff pastry in your freezer, you won’t even need to run to the store as all the ingredients are pantry staples. I was initially concerned that the amount of streusel was too much for the pastry, but it was the perfect amount. Note that the recipe is for one sheet of puff pastry. If you want to make 2 sheets, (Pepperidge Farm comes 2 sheets per package) you will have to double the recipe. These streusel slices are not very rich so people tend to eat more than one—a double batch will disappear quickly. The author notes that you can add a layer of jam between the pastry and the streusel, but my family vociferously insisted the simple, jam-free version was the best. The consensus was: “Don’t mess with it!”

• Lemon-glazed cakelets (Amerikaner)

  • Pandan on June 08, 2024

    I want to make Amerikaner/black&white cookies for my son‘s birthday & trying different recipes. This was the first time I baked with bakers ammonia. It didn’t smell that strong and I could’nt taste it afterwards. The texture is nice & delicate. I am more used to the more dense Amerikaner my family used to bake using Vanilla custard powder & baking powder. This might be more traditional but I prefer mine to be more dense and moister. I made 20 small ones, baking time 15 minutes.will update with a comparison to other recipes.

• Aniseed sponge cake (Anisbrot)

  • Lepa on March 22, 2024

    This is so unique and tasty! It doesn't have any fat except for the eggs so it's a bit like a richer angel food cake - with a strong anise flavor. I can't wait to have some with coffee tomorrow!

• Toasted hazelnut loaf cake (Nusskuchen)

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on October 30, 2021

    Made this with lemon as suggested. Baking time was too long, after 60 minutes it was actually too dark and done in the middle. Tasted delicious, I’m going to try the chocolate variation next time.

  • Apollonia on February 21, 2022

    Despite the headnote's suggestion that this is more austere than American cakes, this loaf was very rich in butter and eggs, to say nothing of the hazelnuts! The lemon variation was very nice, though as with the other poster, mine was getting fairly dark at 60 minutes and needed to be foiled for the last bit of baking. I rubbed the lemon zest into the sugar-- always a good idea!

  • skvalentine on August 29, 2023

    Delicious-- we enjoyed the lemon version. I wish I had read these notes prior to baking, because mine also got overdone (burned black on the bottom). Still delicious and moist enough inside after I cut off the black parts :)

• Sunken apple cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)

  • Astrid5555 on December 29, 2016

    This is the apple cake of my childhood, exactly like my Grandma used to bake it. A "Wednesday cake" as the author calls it, because it is quick enough to be made on a weekday. Nevertheless a delicious one!

  • raybun on June 18, 2017

    A really delicious cake, easy to make and beautiful to look at.

  • milgwimper on December 29, 2017

    Thank goodness this recipe is forgiving and easy. Accidentally left out the sugar topping and the glaze the second time around, but added fresh whole strawberries to the top and unsweetened whipped cream on the side. It was delicious, not very sweet, fresh tasting, with a cup of coffee, a wonderful treat. Reminds me of Germany. I would suggest, not adding fresh strawberries to the whole cake, just the slices being eaten, as strawberries rot fast. I would make this cake again, but I will not make it with granny smith apples, they were a little too tart and hard even after baking. We have made this cake multiple times, even with children helping, or an inexperienced baker, it has come out great. Serve it with unsweetened or lightly sweetened whipped cream and coffee or tea.

  • Lepa on March 01, 2018

    This is a simple, easy and delicious cake. It's not fancy but very satisfying with some whipped cream. We loved the fact that it's not too sweet.

  • eeeve on May 05, 2020

    My family loved this cake, I liked that it’s very traditional German but not as dry as some German sponges seem to be! Not much else to say apart from that the cake tastes lovely and it didn’t last long. Some of the apples weren’t quite cooked through enough IMO. Would definitely be even nicer with whipped cream on the side.

  • krista_jo on September 26, 2021

    As others say, a quick and easy cake and not too sweet (even with the 2 tbsp of raw sugar on top). The only change I made was to spray the inside of the springform before lining the bottom so that the sides would be greased.

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on September 24, 2022

    Easy, fast and very nice. I will remember this cake when I want a comforting piece of apple cake.

  • chawkins on October 16, 2023

    Very good and simple cake and not too sweet. I did not make the whipped cream topping. Cake was good even without it. I just want to know what is the purpose of partially slicing the apple quarters.

  • mklasan on April 29, 2026

    Added more sugar and cut up more apples to 1/2” pieces, guests loved it!

• Apple-almond cake (Apfel-Marzipan-Kuchen)

  • stef on October 22, 2017

    This was so good. The chopped apples in the cake make it so moist and the almond paste adds so much flavor. Brought to a brunch and everyone raved about it. Will make again for sure

  • TrishaCP on October 24, 2017

    Thank you Stef for pointing this one out. This is very moist and flavorful and came out great, even with just half of the specified almond paste. I'm so accustomed to the apple and cinnamon pairing that it was refreshing to find a new apple (almond) flavor combination.

  • mamacrumbcake on December 07, 2017

    This is a beautiful cake and quite easy to make. My family, unfortunately did not love it. To be fair, their objection was the almond flavor. I didn’t think it was very pronounced, but my husband and kids did. If you like almonds, this shouldn’t be a problem. The little chunks of apple in the batter are so delicious (I used golden delicious). I baked the cake for 70 minutes and thought it was a touch dry. I would take it out sooner if I made it again.

  • caitmcg on December 17, 2017

    I made this one day and cut into the next, but I thought it was best two days after baking. It was moister, and the almond flavor was much more developed (the day after baking it was relatively muted, as Weiss says it is in the headnote). I used Granny Smith apples in the batter, and Pink Lady for the top. Mine got a bit overbrowned on the edges, as it was deep and took longer to bake through than expected. so I'll keep an eye out and cover with foil earlier, or use a wider pan, if I make it again.

  • Lepa on February 19, 2018

    Another happy baker here. Not much to add here except to note that the cake is absolutely delicious. If you like cakes that aren't super sweet, this one is for you. We served it with whipped cream that I added a bit of almond extract to. Perfection!

  • anya_sf on November 29, 2018

    Incredibly moist and delicious. Sweet enough for dessert (I used Fuji apples), but not too sweet for breakfast. The only change I made was to use pomegranate jelly for the glaze, which has a neutral flavor but added shine.

  • stigard on March 09, 2019

    The flavor is wonderful but it ended up peeking over the pan, which was 3” tall (recipe says the cake will be 2”), so it never did fully cook in the center. I took it out when it was clear the sides were getting too dry. Perhaps one less apple would help, although I think I’ll make it in a bundt pan next time and put the sliced apples in the bottom before adding the batter. Even though it needs adjustment it’s delicious so I’ll definitely make it again.

  • vickster on November 17, 2019

    A delicious cake that was very popular with my coffee group. It is moist with a pronounced almond flavor. I did end up cooking it about 15 minutes longer than recommended. I am not sure if it was my oven or what, but I baked until the toothpick came out clean. I will definitely make again.

  • hillsboroks on March 28, 2020

    The only word for this cake is decadent but in a good way. It is so moist and the way the apple and almond flavors meld and complement each other is magical. Like the others commented it is nice to have the apples without cinnamon for a change and to have something so flavorful but not terribly sweet. I weighed my apples and ended up using 4 apples, 3 Granny Smith and 1 Fuji. I put the Fuji and a Granny Smith in the batter and used the other two Granny Smiths on top. I also had to let it bake about 15 minutes longer before it tested done and the cake started to pull away from the side of the pan. I glazed it with homemade apricot-pineapple jam. While it was luscious the first night while still a bit warm this cake was even better the next day. At the rate it is disappearing there won't be any left to judge the flavor after today.

  • Jane on April 24, 2020

    I have been looking forward to making this cake for ages but I'm afraid I am a lone disappointed voice. The concept and appearance of the cake is lovely (though I should have covered the top of my cake with foil earlier). But the drawback for me was the cornstarch. I may be overly sensitive to it but I was very aware of the cornstarch texture in the cake. Luisa says it's the cornstarch that gives the cake its creamy texture but to me the cornstarch was too prominent. I may try making it again, swapping out most of the cornstarch for flour.

  • Daniela164 on December 04, 2020

    This is a lovely moist cake. Almond paste goes very well with the apples. Highly recommended

  • SKidd on October 14, 2022

    Make this every year, it’s so good! This time I tried a half batch in an 8 inch round pan and it’s looking good (adjusting baking times slightly).

  • skvalentine on October 28, 2022

    This is delicious! I didn't make any changes, but continue to have trouble with my oven and thus the sides and bottom got overly browned. I'm cutting those parts off as I slice it, haha, but the rest of the cake is fabulous and I'm going to have to drop some off at friends' houses so I don't eat the entire thing myself.

  • lkgrover on October 31, 2022

    Loved this cake. Great alternative to the usual cinnamon/cardamom flavors that often accompany apples.

  • ShayLRoss on April 13, 2026

    I was pleased that I got it properly baked this time (the first time was a bit of a fail and not baked long enough), but this time, I fear I baked it too long. I didn't have apricot jam unfortunately, and utilized some raspberry preserves instead. Next time, I just need to bake it for a little less time and get apricot jam on hand! While I haven't gotten this correct yet, I'm not giving up.

  • Jhein12 on May 07, 2026

    Pretty good.

• Glazed apple cake (Gedeckter Apfelkuchen)

  • Prim on December 30, 2018

    This is a very good cake.

  • TrishaCP on October 08, 2021

    I was looking to use up a glut of apples and found this recipe. It is called a cake, but it isn’t quite a cake. You make a sweetened short crust pastry and line a springform pan with it. You cook a mix of apples and raisins and cinnamon together and add it to the tin, topping it with a lid of pastry. It bakes up like a cross between a pie and a tart, but once cooked you top it with a lemon glaze. Between the glaze and the apples, the whole thing softens but in a good kind of way (not a soggy bottom kind of way). This was easier to prepare than it sounds, though attaching the delicate pastry lid was a bit touch and go. This sounds like it could be too sweet, but I used tart apples and since the filling isn’t sweetened, it was just fine. I’ve never baked anything quite like this before, but I will definitely be making this again.

• Sunken lemon-cherry cake (Lottchen's Kirschkuchen)

  • julesamomof2 on February 05, 2018

    I bought a couple of large jars of sour cherries from a trip to northern Wisconsin last summer, not knowing quite what I would do with them. They worked perfectly in this cake. We loved it topped with non dairy whipped topping.

  • Zosia on February 15, 2018

    Such a delicious cake and so easy to put together. The lemon zest, in particular, lifted the flavour and complemented the cherries perfectly. I used frozen sour cherries.

  • Lepa on February 22, 2018

    This cake was easy to put together and easy to eat. Once again, I love the fact that the cakes in this book aren't tooth-achingly sweet. I used sour cherries in water but suspect the cake would be even better if I had used cherries in syrup, which the book recommends.

  • TrishaCP on March 12, 2018

    We loved this cake- the lemon and cherries are beautiful together. Great flavor for such simple ingredients. I also used frozen sour cherries.

  • hirsheys on April 10, 2018

    This was super easy to make and a really lovely everyday cake. It's not too sweet (quite tart, actually!) and so is exactly my favorite type. I used the European butter and jarred morello cherries from TJs. I had to use my 10-inch springform pan, so I baked it a little less (45 mins), but I think it'd also work (might even be better?) in a loaf pan.

  • stockholm28 on September 02, 2018

    Delicious and simple cake. I used frozen sour cherries that I zapped in the microwave for about a minute (just long enough to break into individual cherries). I thought 500 grams of cherries was going to be too much, but the proportion of cherries to cake was very nice once baked.

  • lkgrover on May 18, 2020

    Delicious, easy cake. I used fresh cherries, and served with vanilla ice cream.

  • Apollonia on January 29, 2022

    Perfect little tea time cake. Super easy and not too sweet. I rubbed the zest into the sugar, which I think helps up the lemon flavor. Otherwise, perfect as written.

  • SKidd on January 27, 2024

    Simple, quick to put together, and delicious. Nice enough for dessert, easy enough for a snack.

• Spiced chocolate-cherry cake (Dunkler Kirschkuchen)

  • TrishaCP on March 05, 2017

    This cake has great flavor with the spices, cherries, and chocolate. I made this using frozen regular cherries, which worked out just fine. It did run a touch dry-I baked it for 50 minutes because the center wasn't cooked through at 45 minutes, so her suggestion of whipped cream is definitely a good one! Just a heads up this is not a one bowl cake either-you add whipped egg whites to the batter at the end.

  • caitmcg on August 19, 2017

    I made this cake last year at the holidays, and thought it was excellent. I used a full jar of drained, bottled tart morello cherries from Trader Joe's. I accidentally omitted the 2 tablespoons of cocoa, but no matter, because it was still plenty chocolaty. The spices were subtle, but the flavor well balanced. I sprinkled the top with sliced almonds before baking and finished it with a light dusting of powdered sugar, for a more festive look. Instead of whipped cream, I served it with homemade pink peppercorn ice cream.

  • Lepa on January 16, 2019

    I'm sure this cake is fine, if it's your sort of cake, but it's not my family's kind of cake. Both my nine year old son and I didn't even want to finish a whole piece. It's a bit dry but rich and chocolaty. We didn't love the cherries in this. I really don't think you should write this cake off but if, like me, you love this book because most of the cakes are buttery but not super sweet and rich, you may want to pass on this cake. I served this with homemade whipped cream, fwiw.

• Sour cherry streusel cake (Kirschstreuselkuchen)

  • raybun on June 12, 2017

    Very nice! I used a large jar of sour cherries in light syrup from a Hungarian deli. Lovely with a cup of tea. I'll try and reduce the sugar in the streusel topping next time as it was a little sugar crunchy but it's a very minor quibble.

  • stef on February 16, 2018

    Thanks to Zosia for posting that she used frozen sour cherries. Haven't tasted the cake but it looks and smells good. Next time might try almond extract instead of lemon zest

  • anya_sf on May 13, 2018

    I doubled the recipe for a 12x18" pan. I mixed the streusel in my stand mixer using the paddle. I used a 56 oz jar of sour cherries in syrup from the Russian market. There was a lot of syrup, so I didn't use quite all of it - discarded maybe 25% - and it seemed good. The cherries just covered the batter in a single layer. Although the batter was fairly thin initially, it rose a lot during baking. The larger pan took longer to bake, about 65 minutes. We ate it the next day and it was very fresh tasting. We all really enjoyed it. I would have liked more cherries, but worry that they would add too much liquid.

  • TrishaCP on March 17, 2019

    This was fine but nothing special. I prefer the sour cherry cake with lemon in this book. I used frozen sour cherries, so just baked the cake for about 15 minutes longer than required.

  • SKidd on June 21, 2025

    I finally made this one, so I can compare with the other (sunken cherry) from the same book. I made a half batch in a 8x8 pan, and added a little lemon zest. I think I like this one equally, it’s more a matter of if you’re in the mood for a cherry heavy streusel version. I had fresh cherries from our tree so eyeballed the amount of juice. Quite liked the thicken sauce for the fruit topping—mine had no added sugar so was quite tart which we like but if using fresh fruit you could add a little to the sauce. The cake was not super thick but plenty enough to hold the toppings. The sunken version is more cake forward (and a good cake at that) and simpler. Baking time was a little longer and hard to tell doneness because of the wet fruit. I went by the streusel color as directed and that worked fine.

• Strawberry cream roll (Erdbeer-Sahne Biskuitrolle)

  • Astrid5555 on June 03, 2017

    Easy and quick to make, tastes delicious! Perfect when in need of a quick dessert for guests.

  • kari500 on December 17, 2017

    Delicious and fairly easy. Didn't get a huge amount of roll, but didn't matter. Peaches or nectarines would also be delicious in this.

  • twoyolks on May 20, 2020

    I think this could be a great dessert but this recipe isn't it. The sponge cake wasn't very good and was rather dense. The filling is just whipped cream with strawberries but not particularly good versions of either.

• Lemon cream roll (Zitronenbiskuitrolle)

  • stef on February 17, 2019

    Cake bakes in 12 minutes. I used marcapone cheese instead of quark. Had the Trimmings. Delicious

  • SugarTreeBaking on March 03, 2019

    Quick bake. I used American quark, drained - too runny. Next time I’ll try mascarpone. Delicious, not too sweet, great lemon flavor.

• Simple rhubarb cake (Rhabarberkuchen)

  • Astrid5555 on June 06, 2017

    Made this today with the last rhubarb from the garden. Super simple to make with just the right tartness. Will go onto regular rhubarb rotation, delicious!

  • Globegal on June 12, 2017

    Very good and simple to make. Not overly sweet but flavorful. This is a recipe to make for those who don't think they like rhubarb (that's me!) I liked this even without the almond streusel I forgot to add but the streusel helps tone down the sourness of the rhubarb. Made some changes to accommodate what was on hand. Used about 325g instead of 500g of rhubarb & cut them about 1/8 to 1/4 inch instead of 1/2 inch. Also, added a little cream to milk to make up for using regular, salted butter & a little less salt. Didn't have a 10" cake pan so used an 8x8" pan. Last change was adding a few drops of Fiori di Sicilia along with the vanilla. This was so good am willing to try with more rhubarb.

  • vickster on June 25, 2017

    Super simple and delicious and a great use for the rhubarb in my garden. Love the tartness!

  • sarahcooks on May 16, 2018

    Made this with the struesel. I'm not sure it would have been quite sweet enough for the kids without it, but I think I would enjoy it either way. Delicious!

  • hirsheys on May 28, 2018

    This was yummy, though not terribly remarkable. I have other rhubarb cakes I prefer that I'll make over this one, though I appreciate that this one is not terribly sweet. A good afternoon cake.

  • TrishaCP on June 03, 2018

    This was a nice and simple cake- very tart. Mine was quite flat, but I think that's because I was at the end of a container of baking powder and didn't quite get the two teaspoons required.

  • stef on May 19, 2019

    Made this in a 10" springform. Although cake is delicious it is quite flat. Maybe a 9" pan would be better. Used 100gr European butter and flavour is quite rich. Requires a lot of rhubarb. Not sure I would make it again. Quite tart.

  • SKidd on April 25, 2026

    Fine, easy. Nicely sweet though the rhubarb have off a bit of moisture to the texture and I didn’t use the entire amount of rhubarb. Used an 8 inch pan as many thought it was a bit thin and that worked fine, baked in about 55 minutes.

• Classic breakfast rolls (Brötchen)

  • milgwimper on November 11, 2016

    This is based on the recipe by Lutz Geißler. The bread needs to be slashed by a razor or a super sharp knife. Plan ahead to make this, and you don't need ice you can use a pan of water. I needed to bake this a little longer than 25 minutes. It might be because the author might have had a convection oven...Might bake it for another 5 minutes. I had a think line of uncooked dough. These were great, and we will be making these again.

  • twoyolks on January 22, 2018

    I didn't find these to be particularly good. They baked up fine with a nice crust but not quite as much color on the crust as I would like. The rolls themselves had a dense crumb and didn't have much flavor.

  • senzler on March 26, 2022

    Love these.

  • anya_sf on April 15, 2020

    My rolls did not rise at all in the fridge, so I let them rise 1.5 hours in the morning before baking. Baked for 25 minutes, they turned out nice and crusty. The crumb, however, was much less light and airy than typical Brötchen. That could be due to the various flours I used (#quarantinebaking). They were tasty with butter and jam.

• Gingerbread almond nuggets (Biberle)

  • TrishaCP on December 12, 2016

    The flavor is outstanding. I found the dough easy to roll out following the instructions (time-consuming but not as bad as expected) and my cookies look like the photo on her website! (Miracle- I'm not usually too successful when rolling cookies.) I used my scale to ensure equal parts of dough and almond paste before rolling, and I'm sure that helped. I found the measurements required for the butter and brown sugar (tablespoons plus teaspoons) annoying, but not as bad as the needed 10 oz almond paste (standard tube in US supermarkets is 7 oz)- maybe the intent is to use the book's almond paste recipe? Also, watch the texture/cook time. I'm unsure of what the final texture for these cookies should be, but I pulled mine out at 10 minutes and they were very close to being burned on the bottom and are quite firm. ETA- after two weeks, they did soften to a pleasingly firm and chewy texture and my family loved them.

  • TrishaCP on December 12, 2016

    Recipe can be found online here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/gingerbread-almond-nuggets-biberle/15602/?utm_term=.30b023cd625d

  • stef on December 08, 2019

    Followed recipe but I found the dough quite dry. I'll use less flour next time. I did roll them out and got about 50 cookies. They were baked in 11 minutes on convection bake. Nice flavour of h 8oney, spice and almond paste. Made Christmas 2024. Found that after a week they softened up a bit and we liked them better.

  • ldebuys on January 29, 2026

    I think I won't cook these for quite as long if I make them again. They remained quite firm, never softening enough to not be a little bit scary to eat.

  • MichiganCooking on January 02, 2026

    Unique taste combination, and a hit on the cookie platter (jokes about "dog treats" notwithstanding!). The recipe as printed uses 1.5 tubes of grocery-store almond paste. (I used the leftover half tube to make a half-recipe of Bethmännchen/almond domes, also a hit.) They were pretty hard coming out of the oven, and softened up a little. Maybe consider adding apple slice/breadslice/brown sugar bear to tin.

  • amandabeck on December 27, 2021

    I added these to a cookie tin because of the promise they kept well. I think they have a nice unique look and tasted nice if you're looking to mix up the shapes/textures/flavors on a cookie platter or mailer.

• Plum-filled gingerbread pockets (Lebkuchen-Powidltatschkerln)

  • TrishaCP on December 20, 2016

    These turned out pretty well, but we'll see what my family thinks! I was skeptical at first because my dough was very sticky when I put it in the fridge to set overnight- essentially, the opposite of what she states. However, it was very easy to roll out and to shape with the jam. My yield was way off hers- I had about 32 cookies, but perhaps I didn't roll them thinly enough. I would say about 1/3 of my cookies burst jam in the oven, but I think that was most likely user error, as I probably could have done a better job in sealing them. I personally really like rye flour, and it does make the cookies tender, but I do find the texture of it noticeable on the palate (not sure how else to describe it and maybe it is just me). The flavor of the spices is absolutely excellent.

• Chocolate-stuffed yeasted cake (Schokoladen-Gugelhupf)

  • Astrid5555 on January 03, 2017

    Delicious, authentic Gugelhupf! Made in my stand mixer instead of kneading by hand. The most difficult thing about this cake is getting the rolled dough into the Gugelhupf pan. Will make again!

  • darcie_b on January 05, 2017

    I used an Anniversary Bundt (10 cup). It needed longer to rise than the recipes states. It baked much quicker than the recipe indicates too, even after accounting for the different pan. Weiss suggests reducing baking time by 5-10 minutes; the cake was done about 20 minutes early. If you use a Bundt pan I would begin checking after 30 minutes. The chocolate swirl was gorgeous when sliced and the cake tasted great - not too sweet and just rich enough.

• Apple strudel (Apfelstrudel)

  • darcie_b on January 05, 2017

    The dough was much easier to work with than I thought it would be - I was able to stretch it to the full size without tearing and I had never worked with strudel dough before. The instructions on how to assemble the strudel were unclear, however. The filling leaked out but that could be the result of not knowing how to roll it up properly. Nevertheless, this was a hit with everyone in our family and I will definitely make it again.

  • Jhein12 on May 07, 2026

    It wasn't as difficult to make as I expected. It turned out so nice.

• Poppy-seed braid (Mohnzopf)

  • darcie_b on January 05, 2017

    The rising time in this (and other recipes in this book) doesn't work for me. It might be because I'm using instant yeast instead of fresh; but Weiss doesn't suggest any difference in timing. The initial 1 hour did not result in any discernable rise. I proceeded with the recipe anyway and it was too dense. The poppy seed filling seems a bit loose and fell out of the braid; the end result didn't look at all like the photo. I'll trust my instincts next time and allow for more rising time and may cut back on the liquid in the filling. The flavor is good, though, and I will try this again. FWIW I used a "Back to Basics" mill to grind the poppy seeds and it worked perfectly.

  • hirsheys on January 07, 2019

    Lizzy made this and it was yummy, but a bit over baked. (Also perhaps a bit underraised...) Be careful with temps for this book - 200 degrees C does not equal 400 degrees F.

  • senzler on March 26, 2022

    First time did not grind poppyseeds. Second time I did. What a difference.

• Swabian anise cookies (Springerle)

  • Avocet on January 09, 2017

    The directions to have the cookies rest for five minutes on a damp towel gives the best "foot' on the cookie I've ever gotten. I didn't use her recipe however, since it calls for 25% more sugar proportionately than standard recipes.

  • krista_jo on November 05, 2021

    I struggled with springerle before I came across this recipe. Now I have success with even very complex molds. I also enjoy the flavour, which comes directly from the aniseeds instead of aniseed flavouring.

  • MarciK on December 13, 2022

    This was my first time making springerle cookies, and the recipe was easy to follow. The cookies turned out as they were meant to. When I baked them, the underside was still a little soft. I’ve seen other recipes suggesting to turn the cookies over half way through the 24 hours rest, but this didn’t say to. It didn’t seem necessary. You are putting the cookie on a damp cloth anyways before baking. After baking, they stuck just a little to the parchment, but taking out carefully with a metal spatula and drying on a wire rack was enough to dry out the bottom. I wasn’t sure I’d like the anise, but since they were whole seeds rather than extract or oil, I didn’t mind it. I’d like to experiment with other flavors in the future.

• Yeasted apple cake (Apfelkuchen)

  • Astrid5555 on April 10, 2017

    This is a nice, simple and not too sweet cake. I made one mistake though. The apples give off quite a bit of moisture while baking and I was afraid that all the juice would keep the dough from baking through. So instead of following the baking time stated in the recipe I was also looking for the visual clue until "any visible cake is golden brown and the apples are toasted" as instructed. Unfortunately this resulted in a slightly overbaked and crispy base. The taste however was still very good. Will repeat and follow the specified baking time next time.

• Easter bread with raisins and sugar cubes (Aachener Poschweck)

  • sosayi on April 17, 2017

    Thoroughly enjoyed this Easter Bread! I'll definitely make it again. The sugar cubes (I used brown) melted into the dough deliciously, just as described in the recipe note. And the dough itself was easy and quick to make. I prepped most of the ingredients the night before (weighed, toasted nuts, etc.), but I may actually try to have it rise overnight in the refrigerator next time to have it ready even earlier. It's a short rise (only an hour), so I feel an overnight, slower cool rise might actually work just fine.

• Black Forest torte (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte)

  • sarahcooks on June 13, 2017

    This was just not good. The cake is very dry, as you would guess from the lack of butter or oil. Maybe if you used the full amount of kirsch it would help moisten it, but I used the minimum. Even so, I have a feeling it would still be not very good even with lots of kirsch, though maybe you would stop caring.

• Candied orange sandwich cookies (Gefüllte Orangentaler)

  • caitmcg on August 19, 2017

    These little macaroons, the classic kind made with almond paste, are delicious but the recipe's stated yield is off by a startling amount. I measured all the ingredients by weight and mixed exactly as directed, and used a measuring spoon to portion the dough. I ended up with around half the number of baked cookies indicated, each barely an inch wide. Rather than make a dozen tiny sandwich cookies, I chose to drizzle the chocolate over the individual cookies. Great flavor, but overall disappointing result because of the yield. If I revisit the idea, I'll start with a different base recipe.

  • Jhein12 on May 08, 2026

    So good. I put them in my cookie boxes

• Marbleized poppy-seed cake (Marmorierter Mohnkuchen)

  • Astrid5555 on November 05, 2017

    As always, split family opinions when it comes to poppyseed cakes. Older son and I really, really looove poppyseeds, while younger son and husband do not like it at all. None the less, from time to time, we get our poppyseed treat and just share it with the neighbours. The cake was a little on the dry side, but I slightly overbaked it in my dark Gugelhupf pan. Very authentic, just like my Grandma used to make!

  • LouiseQuasiChef on November 18, 2017

    I used a Vitamix to chop up a hefty quantity of poppy seeds per instructions. I like the: blend with hot milk, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts to give the poppy seeds a sweet, alluring taste. One word of caution for me next time and perhaps others: don't do like I did and overdo the mixing-batter-with-poppy seeds and first layer in the pan so that there's very little unadulterated batter left at the end to try to make a layer with over the poppy seeds! Also, my batter was too dry and I added more milk. Because I only had 1 stick of high fat butter, I substituted some heavy cream for some milk to up the butterfat(!) and maybe that caused the thickening of the batter? Anyway, I sampled when warm and it was very delicious. A dry, plain cake, just like I like for tea!

• Melting vanilla-almond crescents (Vanillekipferl)

  • Astrid5555 on December 07, 2017

    I wanted to try these because the dough can be made in the stand mixer, all my other recipes have to be made by hand. While these are good, they do not resemble the Vanillekipferl my mum usually bakes for Christmas and you find in Austria. Still, not bad at all!

  • hirsheys on January 07, 2019

    We found these a bit dull. The vanilla wasn't strong enough, so there wasn't much flavor.

• Bite-size stollen (Stollenkonfekt)

  • jessekl on December 24, 2017

    These are delicious! A few notes that I want to remember for next time: -Instead of the Vanilla Sugar I added some cardamom to the powdered sugar. YUM. -Soaking the fruit in the rum instead of adding it directly to the mix would be delicious. -I used a small ice cream scoop for these. Turns out they need to be rolled into a ball for a better shape than just dropping them onto the baking tray.

  • TrishaCP on December 27, 2020

    These are really delicious and so easy to pull together. I subbed a cup of candied orange and candied lemon peel for raisins, which aren’t my favorite. With all of the candied citrus peel I also omitted the lemon peel. I didn’t do the best job of maintaining the same size for each mini stollen- the slightly larger ones had the best bake as they didn’t get as dry.

  • Astrid5555 on December 15, 2022

    Much quicker to make than a real stollen and perfect for adding to a cookie box. Delicious!

  • Nancy402 on December 12, 2021

    These made my kitchen smell amazing! Made the quark in my Instant Pot the day before, and made homemade vanilla sugar with a vanilla bean. Next time will put a teeny ball of marzipan in the middle of each roll, just for the fun of it, but these are delicious and festive as-is.

  • anya_sf on December 20, 2024

    As others have said, the flavor of stollen with much less work. Strained Greek yogurt worked instead of quark. I also had to bake them the day after making the dough and they were fine. I got 30 cookies (about 30 g each). Tasted the day of baking (I had to because one crumbled) and 2 days later, the spice level was still quite strong. Four days after baking, the spices were perfect for my taste, although half were gone at that point, so others clearly liked them sooner.

• Lemon-almond crescent cookies (Zedernbrot)

  • amandabeck on December 28, 2017

    Fussy to shape, but these were a hit! Nice and almond-y. Chewy. Beautiful and tart when glazed.

  • MichiganCooking on January 02, 2026

    I made these with almond flour, so the crumb was quite fine. Lacking cookie cutters (they were all given away in a fit of cleaning!) I cut these into elongated diamonds. Beautiful results for the cookie platter, and the cookies got rave reviews from three generations of family on New Year's Day. Our gluten-free eater pronounced them addictive. :)

• Old-fashioned German gingerbread (Lebkuchen)

  • sosayi on December 29, 2017

    This is the second year that I’ve made these cookies and I absolutely love them. They’re incredibly flavorful and complex, keep forever, and are a dream to roll-out. Seriously, this dough is like playdough. It’s so easy. Last year, I coated them in chocolate and this year I glazed them. Both are good, and I’ll probably do half and half in the future. I do think that I underbake mine slightly compared to what she calls for, as I prefer cookies to be slightly chewy. I think mine were done very close to the 15 minute mark, if I recall correctly. Be sure to glaze them immediately, though. I waited two minutes for the fist batch and the glaze became a streaky white coating, while the second one that I did right away just sort of soaked in and made the cookies glisten. And.... yes. I did make the dough 2 months in advance and let it sit on my counter in a lidded ceramic crock. Takes no time to put together and, frankly, having the dough ready was a life saver in a busy holiday season.

  • TrishaCP on December 27, 2020

    These are very good gingerbread cookies. I made the dough in early October and baked them off in mid-December. I was too nervous about leaving the dough on the counter for two months since it was unseasonably warm this year, so I left it in my drinks fridge (one of those mini- fridges that keeps things cool but that you don’t really use for anything too perishable). I took the dough out about a week before using and left it on the counter so it would have at least a week of leavening as the recipe intended. The cookies seemed to rise just fine and the taste was complex the way I did it. I coated them with chocolate since that is my favorite lebkuchen topping.

• Spiced almond jam tart (Linzertorte)

  • caitmcg on January 07, 2018

    I had some issues with this recipe, although the final outcome was delicious. I did bake it 3 days before serving, and as promised, it was almost more confection than torte at that point. The dough came together well, but there absolutely is not enough of it for three-quarters to cover the specified 10-inch pan, and even in a 9.5-inch tart pan, there is not nearly enough to make a 1/2-inch layer. Weiss does not say anything about covering the sides of the pan, but I did so at half height, and still found the remaining dough was not enough to make 1/2-inch lattice strips to cover the top, even rolled thin. Running out of time, I sprinkled some chopped bittersweet chocolate over the raspberry jam and baked the tart open-face. I tried baking the remaining dough as cut-outs, but even baking it from chilled, it spread and became indistinct blobs. There may have been some user error here, but overall, I found the written instructions frustrating and imprecise.

• Marble cake (Marmorkuchen)

  • twoyolks on January 22, 2018

    This was a great cake. It's not too sweet or rich. The chocolate flavor is prominent but not overpowering. It's moist. It's heavier than most cakes without being too heavy.

  • stef on January 26, 2025

    Nice fine crumb. Equal balance of vanilla and chocolate flavour. Recipe states 60 minutes baking time. Took mine out at 50 and felt it a bit over baked. Will try 45 minutes next time.

  • lkgrover on January 12, 2026

    Excellent cake. I baked in a bundt pan for 49 minutes. I used gluten-free baking flour to accommodate a coworker's dietary needs, which worked well.

• Creamy leek tart (Süddeutsche Lauchtorte)

  • kari500 on January 22, 2018

    I don't have a lot of experience with crust, and this one didn't work for me at all. But the filling on this is really very good, and I'll make it again with a store bought crust.

  • Yildiz100 on February 20, 2018

    We thought it was delicious! Very creamy and rich without tasting overly so. Cooking times were spot on. I omitted the bacon and used four medium large leeks. Next time, if omitting the meat I would definitely use 5 leeks, but other than that the filling was perfect and we didn't miss the bacon at all. Subbed in a different classic shortcrust instead of using Weiss'.

  • stef on June 09, 2018

    I made the crust in my food processor. It was crumbly so I added 2 tablespoons of sour cream and it came together beautifully. Filling is so good. A repeat for sure

  • Lepa on March 01, 2023

    This was a really delicious tart. I followed @stef's suggestion and added two tablespoons of sour cream to the crust dough and that made it come together perfectly (so glad I read the notes before making this)! Otherwise I followed the recipe. Timings and directions were perfect.

  • Joyceeong on March 26, 2018

    Creamy and delicious! I did not use bacon, but I lightly pan-fry a small piece of chicken breast meat, seasoned with salt and pepper. Let cool, and cut into small dices, about 1 cup. And I've used Cheddar cheese, and my homemade sour cream. Instead of white wine, I use my homemade chicken stock. Delicious tart, with buttery crust and very tasty filling.

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on November 15, 2022

    I used a little extra water to make the dough come together. Came out beautifully after blind baking and normal baking. Very nice result.

• Yeasted cake with rum-soaked raisins (Gugelhupf)

  • Lepa on February 21, 2018

    This is my first experiment with using fresh yeast- and baking a yeasted cake. I'm pleased with the results. It has nubbins of rum-soaked raisins and a lovely fragrance of lemons. It's not sweet (perfect for breakfast or with coffee/tea!) and benefits from a dusting of powdered sugar. Mine got very dark after 50 minutes. Next time I will heed the warning to watch it closely for the last 20 minutes and cover the cake with foil if it browns too much.

• Sweet Christmas bread (Christbrot)

  • TrishaCP on December 04, 2024

    Unfortunately, I did not heed the book notes about the rising times being wrong if using instant yeast in this book. The initial rise of 30 minutes is woefully inadequate. (In comparison, Advent’s Christbrot recipe also uses a triple rise technique, but the initial rise is a few hours long.) The dough pre-rise was also quite dry for me and hard to knead- if ever a recipe calls for a machine kneading it’s this one. These problems ruined the recipe for me and I can’t recommend it.

• Glazed flourless Nuremberg lebkuchen (Elisenlebkuchen)

  • TrishaCP on December 21, 2019

    These did not work out for me. I made the larger lebkuchen because I could only get the larger size baking wafers, and I wonder about how much testing was done for the larger size, because I couldn't get them cooked through in the specified time at the specified temperature. I even put them back in the oven to bake again, and they were still raw. The flavor of the edges with the chocolate (I used the chocolate dipped version) was fantastic, so I may try these again using the smaller wafer. But they were a lot of work at a busy time of year NOT to work out.

  • Daniela164 on December 20, 2020

    I couldn't get the Oblaten, used rice paper instead. It worked very well. Very nice Lebkuchen. Will definitely make again

• Sweet quark rolls (Quarkbrötchen)

  • Astrid5555 on March 26, 2020

    Finally made these little rolls and everybody loved them, a perfect breakfast option. Will repeat very soon!

• Hazelnut-almond batons (Nussstangen)

  • Astrid5555 on December 27, 2021

    Perfect instructions, great flavor and crunch from the chopped hazelnuts and pearl sugar. Repeat next year, do not change a thing.

  • hillsboroks on January 25, 2021

    These cookies are light as air with a delicate crunch. The flavor of the hazelnuts and almonds meld wonderfully. I did find the dough a bit too crumbly and dry to work with at first and ended up adding an extra 2 tablespoons of butter to it. The extra butter made it hold together just enough to roll out. I baked them an extra 3 minutes to get them to the golden brown color the recipe described. Next time instead of using an egg yolk in the egg wash I will try using the egg white instead because the yolk gave the cookies a yellow color.

• Poppy-seed crescent rolls (Mohnhörnchen)

  • SugarTreeBaking on April 13, 2020

    An easy recipe for an introduction to yeast baking. Used instant yeast, and the finished product while delicious, could have been fluffier. Will try again with the recommended fresh yeast.

  • anya_sf on April 30, 2020

    The dough seemed a little stiff and maybe I should have added extra liquid, but I didn't (I weighed the ingredients). It took twice as long to rise and even then did not rise much. I shaped the rolls the night before baking and refrigerated them. In the morning, they proofed for an hour before baking. They were soft with a lovely faintly sweet flavor, perfect with butter and jam. They were definitely more dense inside than fluffy, but the author says to expect this.

• Sour fresh cheese (Quark)

  • Nancy402 on December 12, 2021

    This worked like a charm in the Instant Pot. 12 hours on Yoghurt setting and then 4 hours to drain. Delicious alternative to yoghurt.

• Yeasted streusel cake (Streuselkuchen)

  • twoyolks on December 20, 2021

    This is more like bread with streusel on top than a cake. I didn't dislike it but I didn't love it.

• Simple Christmas cookies (Weihnachtsplätzchen)

  • twoyolks on December 24, 2022

    The cookie themselves are simple but easy to make and good for decorating. The icing recipe, using lemon juice, is simply way too lemony.

• Cinnamon-sugar buns (Franzbrötchen)

  • hirsheys on January 07, 2019

    Lizzy made these - they are excellent, though the temp may be a bit high (they dried out a bit). Still delicious. Very laminated and the cinnamon is subtle.

  • senzler on March 26, 2022

    Made numerous times. Love them

• Yeasted plum cake with streusel (Pflaumenstreuselkuchen)

  • hillsboroks on September 23, 2020

    I made this with perfectly ripe Italian Prune Plums and it was delicious, especially warm. I did put the streusel on and cannot imagine making it without the streusel as it was the perfect topping. I shared with several neighbors who all gave me compliments after they had eaten their pieces. Next time I would consider putting the oven rack down one level to try to get the bottom crust a bit more done.

  • stef on June 01, 2019

    I made this with rhubarb. Wish cake part was a little higher

  • anniecc on September 12, 2025

    I have a German plum tree and have tried a few different versions of this cake. I liked this recipe and found it pretty straightforward to follow, although the dough was quite sticky to work with. In my oven 40 minutes was probably slightly too long, the crust came out quite dark.

• Spiced plum butter (Pflaumenmus)

  • imaluckyducky on August 28, 2021

    5 stars -- had four lbs of italian prunes and this recipe brings me back to my Oma. Wonderfully scented and spiced. Looking forward to using this in baked goods. Will make again!

  • laurenlangston on September 30, 2022

    This took twice as long in the oven as the recipe stated (four hours instead of two) but I now have 32oz of gorgeous plum butter to use for my holiday baking in a couple of months! I added a splash of homemade nocino, which I find always makes plum preserves sing.

  • stef on February 20, 2019

    Made this plum butter from frozen Italian plums. Roasted in oven until 215f. Great method. I didn't puree it.

• Kirschstreuselkuchen

  • stef on July 15, 2018

    This is a delicious cake with a nice Streusel on top. Bakes in indicated time

• Silesian poppy-seed roll (Schlesische Mohnrolle)

  • anya_sf on July 20, 2019

    I feel like there needed to be twice as much dough relative to filling. The stated amount was super thin; it was never going to rise to the thickness shown on Luisa Weiss' blog. So overall, I was disappointed. However, the filling tasted just like my favorite poppy seed filling from Germany. It was difficult to tell when the pastry was baked, as it did not brown much, so I did leave it in the oven much longer than the recipe states.

• Braided almond-cream wreath (Kranzkuchen)

  • anya_sf on August 26, 2025

    I'd wanted to make this for a long time - don't know why I waited as it was actually fairly quick and easy for this type of pastry. I used a stand mixer for both the dough (adding a few extra tablespoons of flour) and filling (2 7-oz pkgs almond paste were sufficient). Even though my kitchen wasn't that cold, the dough took 2 hours to rise. The wreath's shape got distorted when transferred to the pan; next time I would transfer it prior to twisting. Baking time was closer to 55 min. The Kranzkuchen still tasted delicious and fresh enough the morning after baking.

• Glazed nut braid (Nusszopf)

  • Pandan on May 05, 2026

    This tuned out quite good. I wouldn’t call it the best Nusszopf I have ever made but I liked it. Made this for Easter and it kept well for several days.

• Meringue cream cake (Hannchen-Jensen-Torte)

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on October 13, 2019

    Made this for a birthday party with family. Looked very rustic (see picture). The recipe suggests cutting upper layer before serving, I can highly recommend this! Not overly sweet, and tastes very nice.

• Hessian potato cake (Salzekuchen)

  • Frenchfoodie on March 03, 2019

    Not for me - I increased the bacon x4 and it was still bland mashed potato in a (tough) tart shell. It sliced well and looked good so maybe it is just a case of amping up the flavour...

• Potato strudel (Kartoffelstrudel)

  • Jviney on June 26, 2019

    Hubby really liked this dish; I was indifferent. Perhaps more salt...

• Rye rolls (Roggenbrötchen)

  • anya_sf on April 15, 2018

    A few times while I was making the dough, I was worried something was wrong, but followed the instructions and they worked perfectly. I proofed the dough during the day, then shaped and refrigerated the rolls overnight, and let them rise in the morning. They turned out rather flat, but the recipe states that this is expected due to the rye - and I think also because I topped them with seeds. I checked them after 20 minutes in the oven and they already looked burnt, but actually were perfectly done. They have a crisp crust and medium open crumb, with slightly sour, chewy texture. Perfect with butter, cheese, or even jam.

• Caraway-cheese rye rolls (Käse-Kümmel-Brötchen)

  • sosayi on April 24, 2019

    Very easy to put together with clear directions. Went well with ham for Easter dinner. Leftover rolls were good, reheated, for 3-4 days. I’d make them again.

  • ShayLRoss on April 01, 2026

    I loved how these turned out, they went perfectly with chili. I enjoyed the caraway and rye combination, and would love to try different cheeses.

• Soft pretzels (Brezeln)

  • SenseiHeidi on January 17, 2021

    These ARE Bavarian pretzels! Not too much work, mostly unattended time. I used bread flour and instant yeast. Kneaded 8 min in Kitchenaid stand mixer on low, then 1 min by hand on lightly floured counter. This was a very stiff dough. I also greased my baking sheets before they went into the oven. It is worth it to search out the food grade lye and pretzel salt. Second time I made them with AP flour - they came out a little crispy for my taste. Will definitely use bread flour from now on.

• Raisin-frangipane spiral buns (Rosinenschnecken)

  • anya_sf on March 15, 2022

    I ended up making this over 3 days, as the dough initially took 4 hours to rise, not 1. I used instant yeast and see from other notes that this is a common problem in the conversion from fresh yeast to instant. After the initial rise, the dough chilled overnight, then I laminated and shaped it the next day, chilled the shaped buns, then proofed (again for 4 hours) and baked them the next morning. The buns turned out great, but next time I'd consider using more instant yeast and still be prepared for much longer proof times.

• Roasted squash bread (Bremer Kürbisbrot)

  • anya_sf on October 14, 2023

    I made the regular unenriched recipe, using canned pumpkin puree, shaped into a Swiss braid. Even with 2 Tbsp added milk, the dough was very stiff and didn't want to hold its shape, so the baked loaf wasn't as pretty as it should have been. Next time I'll add more milk. The dough took a long time to rise. The bread was quite tasty (squash flavor subtle), especially toasted with butter and honey.

  • SKidd on February 24, 2023

    A slow riser (you could probably bump the yeast up a little) but a lovely bake. I made the enriched version (more egg yolks and milk) and it was soft dough but workable with no adjustments (went with flour weight). Braided and baked in a 9x4 Pullman pan, was done on the early side of time range.

• Swiss braid (Schweizer Zopf)

  • Lepa on February 25, 2018

    This was a nice fluffy loaf that looked lovely and tasted fine but wasn't, in the end, very special. I am afraid the braiding directions completely conquered me and the suggested youtube tutorial only confused me more. In the end, I made three strands and braided it like challah and it looked fine.

• Honeyed lebkuchen squares with caramelized almonds (Honiglebkuchen)

  • ashallen on February 05, 2020

    Author's headnote lets you know these aren't gooey American-style cookies. I'm a big goo fan but this lighter style was nice. Very aromatic flavor from spice & candied peel. Used strongly flavored wildflower honey-worked well with the other strong flavors. Used Ceylon cinnamon but cassia would've been stronger/better. Out of curiosity, I ignored author's advice not to eat these for first few days-edible but a bit sawdusty and strong baking soda flavor. I put a moistened terra cotta "sugar bear" in the storage container and it was great for their texture - fudgier/chewier! Dough had some interesting textures as it came together but was ultimately fine. Most fiddly part was forming the square. I ended up using a silicone mat + rolling pin, lightly flouring dough top since it wanted to stick (even in my cold kitchen). Also cut a clean edge on dough and used trimmings to build out corners. Will probably try other recipes before making this again - looking for a moister cookie.

• Swiss spice squares (Basler Leckerli)

  • MichiganCooking on January 02, 2026

    Lack of candied peel in stores this year meant I made my own -- easier than I thought, and great results. I've made similar cookies before but always with plain almonds and honey only. The added granulated sugar helps them soften up I think, and the combo of nuts is also very nice.

• Almond domes (Bethmännchen)

  • MichiganCooking on January 02, 2026

    Half-recipe with leftover almond paste from biberle! Very cute..

  • anya_sf on December 15, 2025

    Fairly quick and easy to make, just takes some effort to mix almond paste by hand. I found it easier to roll the balls with dry hands vs wet, but a little wetness would have helped the almond halves stick. My cookies took 13 min to bake to light golden, which was possibly a minute too long. Note the recipe says to prepare 1 baking sheet, but bake 2, but you will only need 1.

• Cinnamon-almond meringue stars (Zimtsterne)

  • anya_sf on December 24, 2018

    I'm not sure if these turned out right. The meringue was fairly dense from all the sugar, so the dough didn't need extra almonds to be stiff enough to roll. I didn't feel comfortable leaving the raw cookies at room temperature overnight, so I put them in the fridge for 12 hours, uncovered. Baked them about 5 minutes until the tops were set. The cookies seem too chewy and dense, not quite dry enough. Perhaps they needed to dry out longer? Also, it was raining, so the humidity can't have helped. The cinnamon-almond flavor is really good, but they're not like the Zimtsterne I had in Germany. Update: they did improve with age.

  • Jhein12 on May 08, 2026

    Make sure your almond flour is good. Brand new bag but mine was kinda rancid so my cookies tasted like that.

• Walnut macaroon slices with jam (Makronenschnitten)

  • Jhein12 on April 15, 2026

    Good wholesome cookie

• Hazelnut-raspberry macaroons (Haselnuss-Himbeer Makronen)

  • amandabeck on December 27, 2021

    I did not like these at all-- too sweet without a lot of balance, and I didn't love the texture. I would not make them again.

  • anya_sf on December 24, 2018

    Quick and easy to make if you buy roasted hazelnuts (I found them at Trader Joe's). My cookies turned out kind of flat, but were still nicely chewy. Initially when I removed them from the oven, I don't think they were quite done because the indentations in the centers actually ended up holes. I was able to patch up the holes, bake the cookies an extra minute or so, then proceed with success. The combination of hazelnut and raspberry is great.

• Almond paste (Marzipanrohmasse)

  • anya_sf on March 03, 2019

    I never knew almond paste was so easy to make. I did not need to grind it for the full 10 minutes.

• Food52

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• Eat the Love

  Weiss...explores German baked goods extensively. For those who are looking for recipes beyond the classic French or American desserts, this book is for you.

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  Author shares links to press about her book.

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• Wednesday Chef

  Author talks about writing this book.

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