As readers of this column know, I like sweets. Friends gave me the nickname «Paul, the sweet tooth». It’s true that when I see something sweet, it’s hard to resist. That was the case many years ago when I met Brigitta, my wife, in the Caribbean…

My grandmother awakened my desire for sweets. For every birthday she made her grandchildren a cake – she called it «brick» – which I still rave about today. We also learned to share with this one. The first initial in the middle of the cake (in my case it was a P) belonged to the birthday child. The rest was shared. (I envied my sister Marianne because an M takes up more space than a P!)

Back to the Brätzeli, a specialty of my grandfather. I still remember him sitting behind the cookie iron in the kitchen and how delicious it smelled. That’s how it smelled in our kitchen in Kandersteg a few days ago when I was making Brätzeli. Our neighbor, a true Bernese Oberlander, gave me a big compliment when he said in the broadest dialect: «Das si di beschte Brätzeli woni je gässe ha» (These are the best cookies I have ever eaten). My grandfather would probably be proud of me if he knew…

PS: If you want to try or bake Brätzeli yourself, read here.