How many types of Plätzchen shall it be?
Advent means to me: lots of warming lights in the dark, an Advent calendar and home-baked Plätzchen (christmas cookies).
This year I started baking Plätzchen quite early. I started on the weekend before the first Advent. If anyone wants to criticise me for this, in my defence: Firstly, I grew up without traditional Christmas and the German Advent season at home and don't know when to start baking Plätzchen; and secondly, I set myself the goal of baking 10 different types of Plätzchen. I was inspired by true incidents, beautiful Plätzchen tins with 10 different types of Plätzchen. To be able to to manage that, I had to start baking early.
As far as the number of Plätzchen types is concerned, I may be a little off the truth. The truth is more like 5 to 6 types.
Recently, a colleague went around the office with her tin and offered some Plätzchen. Her tin didn't have 10 types. But that was only because it was the leftover tin. The family members did have 10 types in their tin (so it is quite a real thing!). I immediately had to know how her grandma managed that. How does one do that? My colleague explained that the grandchildren had helped out here and there. But is that the answer to the riddle?
The thing is: They are all there at once after all, so you can't just bake weekend after weekend - as I tried to do. It didn't work anyway because half of them were already eaten during the week. Other colleagues suggested that this is an activity for the whole weekend. Of course, good preparation is also important (enough ingredients - have you thought about the amount of flour and butter...; enough tins).
The idea of baking so many Plätzchen in one weekend to have a certain amount of choice is very appealing to me. This year I made a total of four types but as mentioned above, half of the first batch was gone after a few days. So this is my very personal Advent goal. But not this year.
As you can see, I'm on my way to understand german Plätzchen culture. And I think I'm on the right track as I set great value upon calling Plätzchen just that and not Kekse (cookies).
What I've learnt this year: Plätzchen tins, very important. Without Plätzchen tins, half the magic of Plätzchen is gone. And for the following, I can really be criticised for: I put my Plätzchen in Tupperware boxes. Maybe it's good for keeping them fresh but it really doesn't create any atmosphere. That feeling of scurrying over to the Plätzchen tin, carefully lifting the lid or energetically tearing it open and pulling out your favourite Plätzchen - well, that tastes particularly good.
Photo from Paulina Kaminska on Unsplash
