Step back into a time when Christmas meant candlelight, snowflakes on the window, and the scent of vanilla and cinnamon drifting through every home. In A Christmas From My Childhood , author Betsy Spiegel shares a heart-warming collection of authentic German Christmas cookie and Stollen recipes , drawn from her own family baking traditions in 1970s East Germany (DDR). These are the beloved cookies that filled Advent tins and family tables: • Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Stars) • Vanillekipferl (Vanilla Crescents) • Butterplätzchen (Simple Butter Cookies) • Kokosmakronen (Coconut Macaroons) • Nussmakronen (Walnut Macaroons) • Spitzbuben (Jam Sandwich Cookies) • Pfeffernüsse (Spice Cookies) • Lebkuchen (German Gingerbread Cookies) • Dominosteine (Layered Christmas Treats) • Marzipankartoffeln (Marzipan “Potatoes”) • Spekulatius (Spiced Shortcrust Cookies) • and the crowning Christmas Stollen - the traditional sweet fruit bread of every German Christmas. Each recipe is simple, nostalgic, and beautifully told - capturing the true meaning of Christmas baking: togetherness, warmth, and joy from the simplest ingredients. Inside you’ll find: • Traditional German Advent cookie and Stollen recipes • Stories and memories from my East German family life in the 1970s and early 1980s • Beautiful vintage-style designs and page layouts made for baking and sharing • A loving look at how East German families celebrated Christmas with creativity and heart Whether you’re rediscovering your German roots or simply love the comfort of homemade cookies, A Christmas From My Childhood invites you to light a candle, warm the oven, and bring the spirit of an old-world Christmas into your home again. Frohe Weihnachten - from my Christmas kitchen to yours!