Baked from Scratch - A 140 Year Old Cookie Tradition in Southern Indiana
Tucked away at one of the oldest monasteries in the state, between beautifully bricked buildings and the rolling landscape of Southern Indiana, is a bakery dedicated to both old and new confections. The Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, Indiana have been baking cookies for over 140 years, both continuing a deeply rooted tradition and innovating new recipes to spread joy across Indiana and beyond.
THE SISTERS OF ST. BENEDICT
The Sisters of St. Benedict first settled in Ferdinand, Indiana when four sisters emigrated from Germany in 1867 to teach German at a Catholic settlement in the area. The sisters first started baking in support of Christkindlmarket, a traditional Christmas market.
Today, the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand represent one of the largest Benedictine communities of women in the United States with over 130 members. The sisters make dozens of treats perfect for holiday gifting and sharing, but three cookies enjoy the most popularity throughout the year: springerles, almerles and Hildegards.
The festive shapes imprinted on springerle cookies make them perfect for holiday sharing.
SPRINGERLE COOKIES
These German anise cookies evoke what the sisters call a taste of old-world Christmas. Rectangular in shape, the cookies bear the imprint of a festive holiday design, like a bow, tree or bird. Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, the main flavor profile in the cookies comes from anise oil, a seed that tastes similar to licorice with more herbaceously sweet and spicy notes.
St. Hildegard Crunch and St. Hildegard Cookies sell well year-round.
ALMERLE COOKIES
Another original cookie recipe by the sisters, almerles are baked with almond oil and use the same festive molds as the springerle cookies. The creation of the almerle cookie sparked a long tradition of innovating new baked goods at the Monastery Baked Goods shop.
“Headed up by Sister Jean Marie and bakery manager Kris Lasher, the bakery has really started to expand and grow in the last three years,” says Dawn Schaefer, director of Marketing and Communications for the Sisters of St. Benedict.
A delicate dark chocolate layer sweetens these minty buttermint cookies.
HILDEGARD COOKIES
One of the innovative cookies to come out of the monastery is the Hildegard cookie. With crushed almonds and warm spices, the cookies offer a holiday flavor.
“The most popular cookie year-round is the Hildegard cookie, a crisp, spicy cookie whose recipe dates back eight centuries,” says Dawn.
The cookies take their name from Hildegard herself, a Benedictine abbess from the Middle Ages.
“As a scientist and healer, she promoted natural medicine that integrated physical, psychological and spiritual healing. She proposed principles for a balanced diet and explored the medicinal uses of plants, animals and trees,” explains the Monastery Gift Shop website.
So what type of healing do these cookies do? Hildegard recommended them for slowing the aging process, creating a cheerful countenance, lightening a heavy heart and releasing intelligence, says Dawn.
It’s about time that cookies get some good press.
The Monastery Baked Goods shop even offers a crunchy snack that hits all of the sweet, spicy, salty and savory notes .
HOW TO GET A TASTE
Approximately three hours south of Indianapolis, baked treats from the Sisters of St. Benedict are available for sale on the Monastery Gift Shop website and on-site. On the grounds of the monastery, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, visitors can explore serene gardens, outdoor Stations of the Cross, a labyrinth and three shines. The sisters welcome visitors to attend weekly Mass services.
Before you leave, don’t forget to purchase a few extra cookies to share with family and friends this holiday season—after all, these cookies were baked to be shared.
Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand
802 E. 10th St.
Ferdinand, Indiana 47532
The sisters twist the traditional shortbread cookie with a hint of fresh rosemary.
