Berner Haselnusslebkuchen

In the 19th century, Bern’s Haselnusslebkuchen (called Berner Leckerli at the time) was a luxury and typically given as a gift, especially at Christmas. Today, it is available year round from plenty of bakeries in the city and further afield in the canton. It typically features Bern’s symbolic bear in some form, either moulded into the cookie or piped on in icing. Another option would be to do as some of the old cookbooks suggest and forgo the bear entirely, making a simple pattern with the