Swiss Cookies Book
What’s this about a cookie book?
It’s my new book, Swiss Cookies! And it’s all about Swiss Cookies!
Where can I buy it?
I’m so glad you asked!
At the moment, you can buy it directly from the publisher, Bergli Books in English and in German (they also ship internationally), or at fine Swiss bookshops, in house or online .
What kind of cookies are in this book?
All your favourite Swiss cookies!
Vogelnestli, Totenbeinli, Biberli? They’re in there. The Christmas classics: Mailänderli, Spitzbuben, Zimtsterne, Brunsli? Of course. Got a hankering for a Prussien or an Amaretti? Yup, them too.
But wait, that’s not all!
There are plenty of new cookies to explore too. Need a cookie that looks like a button? Or like wood shavings? I’ve got you covered.
Where are the recipes from?
It depends on the cookie. I was lucky enough to have plenty of old recipes from my Bernese grandmother Rosa and my husband’s grandmother Marie. And I have a large collection of old Swiss cookbooks and textbooks from domestic schools.
Sometimes I gathered all the recipes I could find for a cookie, baked them to see what I liked from each version, then made an amalgamation of all the best parts. Other times I just used the classic recipe, like the version of Mailänderli that my family has been making for decades, or the Bretzeli recipe from my husband’s family. Or I just tried my best to simplify historic recipes like the Berner Haselnusslebkuchen.
Berner Haselnusslebkuchen
And then there’s a section of my own recipes—Swiss Cookies Reimagined, with sandalwood snickerdoodles and Ovomaltine sandies, among other new creations.
Who did the photography?
I did most of the food styling and photography myself, with plenty of help from my husband Sam. He let me use his fancy camera, helped me pick the right lenses, and gave me guidance on post-processing and storage (and kept bugging me to do lots of backups). He also helped out on location, taking most of the shots away from home.
What else is in the book?
Besides photos and recipes there are plenty of tips on cookie baking, plus the history of the cookies, and some features on cookie bakers and cookie-adjacent companies.
Here’s a peek at some of the wonderful places I visited while writing the book:
It’s in English and German, right?
Yes! My intrepid husband Sam even did the translation of the English recipes to German.
It’s been a real labour of love writing about my cookie romance.
I hope you love this book and find some new or nostalgic Swiss cookies to love too.
