Sister Jill Reuber

Even though the cookies date back a century, the Sisters of St. Benedict didn’t start their cookie business until a few years ago.

Selling cookies in the monastery’s gift shop for several years, the Sisters noticed how quickly their cookies sold out, so they created a business plan to better market their wares.

The Sisters bake three varieties of cookies, all with a Benedictine history.

The Springerle is a traditional German cookie that is reminiscent of the taste of an Old World Christmas, according to the sisters of German lineage. The square cookie is very time-intensive to make, and it has a crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside texture when it’s finished.

The Almerle is a round cookie with the texture of a Springerle, but the taste of almonds. The molds used for the Almerle are copies of those brought from Germany by one of the early sisters.

According to the Sisters of St. Benedict, Springerles have a strong anise oil smell. A few years ago, they substituted almond oil for the anise and people really liked it.

The Hildegard Cookies are named after a Benedictine abbess who was known, among other things, as a scientist and healer. Her spice cookie recipe was said to slow the aging process and “encourage a cheerful countenance.”

More recently, the bakers started making St. Hildegard’s Crunch Mix, a tasty combination of St. Hildegard cookie chunks, dried cranberries and almonds.

The Sisters of St. Benedict value craftsmanship and want to expand their business as a way to support the monastery. They say baking is an ages old craft and food is universal. Talking about the cookies helps them talk about their way of life and their community.