I posted a looking for question over on the cookie forum but thought someone who doesn't make cookies might have seen these pictures somewhere in your browsing! I've made cookies for years using cutters made in Germany and the paper printed pictures made in England! I had gotten everything from Maid of Scandinavia/Sweet Celebrations. Now that Sweet Celebrations is no longer, I can not find the pictures to put on my cookies! Does anyone know where I might be able to find these pictures?

My Mother in law always sent these cookies [ that she purchased in the German import stores in Brooklyn] to us in Christmas packages sent to Arizona. So when I saw the cutters and pictures I knew just what to do with them! So for years and years, these ginger cookies have hung on the tree, been passed out to friends and family over the holidays and enjoyed. Now I am down to the last of the pictures and hoping somebody will recognize them and help me find where to find them!

Where I live we can print out a color photo of whatever and get it made into edible images at the local cake store. Is that what you're talking about?

No, they are not edible images but are printed on a glossy paper, then the cookies are frosted with a royal icing and after that dries the paper images are added with a dot of icing to anchor it to the cookies.

I have several that must be 15 years old [ that go on the tree for 'just decoration'! If I can't locate a source, I can always make some either from paper or go the edible image route, but I really would rather have the 'original' as that is how i remember them from so many many years ago!

That sounds like something similar to a chocolate transfer or a buttercream transfer, only used with royal icing. Is that right?

The paper image is what goes on the cookie, and it is removed to allow the whole cookie to be eaten. Was guided to Pifel and Holing who show the santa one, but they only have an 8" version in stock and say the 6" [ which I need] is discontinued! So the hunt continues!

By all means post when you are done -- I'm not familiar with this technique and I'd love to see it.

Duplicate post, please see:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-661152-.html

HTH

After a rather unsuccessful search for the paper images, I did get about 45 of the cookies done for friends and family with what I left in my stash of goodies! The hunt will continue to replace the pictures, but for this year I'm done.... here is a picture of how they turn out.

Here's a sampling of die cut Victorian Hansel & Gretel "cards" imported from Germany (last factory making this type of thing):

http://tinyurl.com/yesfn5s

and a link to the rest of that line on the site:

http://tinyurl.com/ycplryr

HTH

Thanks for the link Jan..... some really nice things there! BUT.... the paper pictures are marked 'printed in England'.... any other ideas? Will be an interesting year long search before next Christmas for sure! Oh well....there is always the option of printing out the pictures on the computer! I did save a complete set just incase!

You put non-edible paper on top of the cookie iced with royal icing and then peel the paper off to eat the cookie? That just doesn't sound right to me at all?!?!?!

The paper is stuck to the icing which you do eat (BTW). And saran wrap is food safe - the pictures are not - that is my point!

my mom used to make these also and the paper was packaged to keep it clean not card stock on a shelf.

They have been made this way for centuries but the idea of an ediable image is interesting. old fashion cookie brought to the 21st century

Wondered if you ever found a source for the cookie papers. I just discovered Maid of Scandinavia & Sweet Celebrations are gone. I've made these & the Santa cookies for years, too & I'm ready to cry.

I also would like to know if any sourse was found. I can find the old ones but this is not cost friendly the the holidays.

There is a st. Nick one at www.stnicholascenter.org. I believe they have several sizes. I got the small size about 4" . The papers are around $7.50 for 100 pieces. I still haven't found the Hansel & Gretel by the packages.

I might take parchment paper place it down on the cookie and then place my own print out from my computor on that. It should be safe that way.

To people that don't understand, this is a German custom. The children would take the pictures off and play with them or place them in a scrap book for memories. The pics are printed on FOOD SAFE paper. I haven't given up yet. I have a friend in Germany and will see if she will find a sorce there for me .

Will let you know if I find one. Lorelee

Looks like this will be a 'year without the cookies' as I have yet to find the printed pictures for the cookies! But I will keep looking.... yes, Maid of Scandinavia was the place I originally got both the cutters and the paper images! Did another search on Google for MofS and found www.shopbakersnook.com/ Have sent them an email asking about the pictures....have to wait and see.... Will let everyone know if the search ever is successful!

When you find the pictures, make sure you scan them and save the images.

You can get glossy, heavy weight paper at Staples, which takes to inks very well. You'll be able to make your own.

Theresa

I found 10 for sale on ebay & made an offer for $1 a piece for all 10, which I thought was riduculous, but offer was turned down, they're asking $3.75/ea. Maybe someone will run across some old warehouse stock. Keep us all posted. My family is German, & it's killing me to give up this tradition. Marilyn

I think you should have had copies of the original made and printed them on edible wafer paper. How pretty they are and you would be able to eat the entire cookie. F a n c y f l o u r s . c o m sells old fashioned looking designs on edible paper, I've made them for Easter and they are easy and so pretty.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Traditional-Lebkuchen-Hansel-Gretel-Pictures-Germany-/370460460188?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56412a049c

I found the exact pictures you are looking for on e-bay for $6.00 (buy it now price). The item is new.

If you buy those, scan the pictures with a high resolution scanner and each year you can print it either on chocolate transfer papers (acetate) or transparency papers.

Beside if you do not want to buy it, you can enlarge the picture from e-bay page and save it to your computer. Then photoshop it and use that picture. The quality and resolution might be a little lower than scanned one but it will be better than nothing.

If they block the site search for "Traditional Lebkuchen Hansel & Gretel Pictures Germany" and you will find it.

HTH

"YES, Virginia", there will be cookies this year ...hehehe I had spent a a bit of time yesterday scanning and cleaning up scans of the few remaining pictures I had and was planning to print them out for this year! Just couldn't imagine a year without them.

Thanks to all our CC friends, I now even have a name for the pictures... I might even bid on the ones on Ebay to save for my family along with the cutters and the story behind the cookies. Thanks to infinitsky for that link! I noticed the seller has the Santa cutter also listed. I am lucky to have all 3 in my collection! I originally purchased them when I found them probably 30 years ago. My husband had the cookies as a kid, the ones imported from Germany and sold in the German import stores in Brooklyn! So I knew they would be a family tradition even in Arizona. I make them every year for family and close friends, hanging them on the Xmas tree for everyone to choose from.

Doesnt fancy flours have vintage cookie stuff?

This is all the hansel&gretel and St nick honey cake (Lebkuchen) pictures I have. some are old ones. I tried to place on the formun. don't know what I am doing. They are under Misc cookies in the photo gallery.
You can shorten or enlarge them how ever you want. They are very nice.
If you can't download them. Let me know and I will have to figure out an other way. I am 72 and my skills on this sucks,what can I say but I try.




http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1880995.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1880996.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1880997.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1880999.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1881000.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1881001.html

These pics are called ------German die cuts, relief pictures, Dresden pictures, vintage scraps, but the vitage can be exspensive. A sheet of 4 is $1.55. If you have a large family and make 45 or 50 cookies, it is not cost friendly. You can get these at German Corner LLC Store. WWW.germanplaza.com.

In Germany the pics are called---- Reliefs, Glanzbilder, Oblaten, Albumbilder, Rosenbilder, Lackbilder, Stammbuchbilder, Kleebilder, Matritzen and Vieliebchen.
The cookies are also known as Honeycakes. I know the ones we want today by the Packages of 50 or 100, are repoductions and might not be made in Germany. These cookies or cakes as they are called are popular in other countries.

Will keep looking and maybe one of us will find them somewhere.

These are really charming. Despite my German heritage, I somehow missed out on these little treasures.

Can anyone recommend a good lebkuchen recipe? The only one I ever tasted was dry and hard and bland.
Thanks.


http://i.ebayimg.com/01/!BqyLM3!Bmk~$(KGrHqYH-EIEu,VLdC,SBLw36v1eOw~~_3.JPG

Another big thank you to lorele for the graphics as well as the information and web site! I think this year I will not only have THE cookies on the tree, but there will be some new 'old' pictures to put on them! Love the old old old graphics, and will surely make good use of them! Just WHAT did we do before all the great graphic programs and the internet! I can resize the pictures to fit my cutters in one program that I use constantly, print them out, wrap the frosted cookies, put a picture on and re-wrap to secure the picture that they take off before eating anyhow! Then I can just use regular semi gloss paper in a regular printer and not even fuss with frosting sheets or whatever! And I'll never run out of the pictures again.

I do not use a 'German' cookie recipe....I cheat and use a good gingerbread recipe that doesn't 'puff up' when baked so that the cookie retains its perfect shape, the same one I use to make gingerbread houses when they need to retain the shape to be put together.

For anyone who might like to make some of these cookies/tree decorations without the cutter......just print out some of the beautiful pictures and use that as a template to cut the dough, put a whole in the top to add a pretty string to hang with and bake, then ice with royal icing and let them rest overnight to really dry. You can wrap with saran wrap and use a heat gun to 'shrink wrap' the cookies so they hang nicely on the tree.

My Grandmother alway used Honey for some of the sugar and added really fine grated lemon peel; really very very fine, and some times even orange peel. They have to be fine so if you can hardly see them . I will have to look up a couple of different ones you might try. will try to do so in the next couple of days. My family all had their own recipes for them.