At this time of year, shop windows in the German town of Aachen are “stocked with row upon row of the dense, gingerbread-like cookies known as printen,” said Grace Young in Saveur. Though printen were probably invented by bakers in the nearby Belgian town of Dinant, sometime around 1620, the bakers of Aachen refined and perfected the recipe. Printen dough contains no eggs, butter, or oil, and originally was made with wheat flour, cane sugar, hazelnuts, candied orange peel, and ground spices, including cloves, anise, cardamom, and citrus. The cane sugar was later replaced with zuckerrüben sirup, a molasses made with beet sugar and crushed rock candy, which “gave the printen a delicate, sugary crunchiness” that’s distinctive.
The printen made in Aachen are popular throughout Germany, and are also available for overseas delivery. Those made by Printenbäckerei Klein are my personal favorite. Styles range from hard to soft, and some are covered in chocolate. Boxed assortments cost from $28 to $75, plus shipping. To order, call 011-49-241-474-350, or visit Printen.de. For maximum freshness, specify air delivery.
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