How it all began...
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I am from Germany. And I love baking. Being used to having Christmas in winter, long dark nights with mostly miserable weather outside (those really nice white winters everyone pictures are probably only existent when you are a child or on holidays: driving in snow and ice to work is not nice... besides, most of the time it is just muddy and grey in grey). But you have a different feeling in the house. It's cold. It's dark. And it starts to feel like Christmas time. Your mum is baking with you and your siblings, and when you are older, you are catching up with friends, share recipes, improve them and bake cookies (for yourself, your family, everyone you can think of, just bake!!). And then in the days after, sitting in your grey little office, you share and enjoy those little pleasures.
We arrived in Brisbane 2 weeks before Christmas. Coming from a cold climate to 35 degrees and 90% humidity, it was different (ok, it was a shock!). And the worst thing, it just didn't feel like Christmas. We went to the Koala Sanctuary, took the typical touristic beach pictures and wondered how everyone here was celebrating. And I was baking. But we didn't know anyone yet and couldn't share... We had Christmas cookies but it still didn't feel like Christmas...
The following year I invited some friends to join me for my Christmas Cookie Baking. We were three German girls and one Australian (with German ancestors). It was great. We switched the air con on, played Christmas music and as long as we stayed indoors, it was perfect!
The year after, our little daughter was born. She started crawling around the table at the time we held our next Christmas baking. Five girls this time (and already nine children...). As our daughter grew, so did our circle of friends. And each year, I sent the message out for the German Christmas Cookie Baking. The numbers were growing...
I didn't realize at that time that for many of my Australian friends those cookies were special. Because they didn't have those recipes. Because they didn't have those baking days. Because they didn't know most of those German cookies before. And of course, because the kids here are mostly outdoors around Christmas time. It's summer! They are running in and out all the time, leaving doors open and making air cons useless. It is hard to bake in the summer heat, when switching on an air con is not an option. When the dough just doesn't get to the right consistency because butter and chocolate are melting before you even started kneading...
The following year my husband was made redundant. With three kids, the youngest not even one, I was looking for an option to add some money to the household. A friend put the idea of selling my cookies into my head. I gave it a try... and here I am. And encouraged by some friends, cakes, bread and bretzels are now also on the menu.
Oh, yes, and in case you are wondering, the meaning of mbC is quite simple: made by C(arolin). So you know what you are eating and where to get it.