HOLIDAY TREATS Valley bakery taps into German traditions

Holiday treats

Valley bakery taps into German traditions

Story and photos by Cindy O. Herman

When the tree is aglow with lights and you’ve asked Alexa to play your favorite music, it’s time to dust your countertops with flour and whip up a batch of Christmas cookies. “I think it’s a togetherness thing,” said Nikki KeisterHornig, owner of Gable House Bakery, in Mifflinburg. “You think about what your mother and grandmother taught you, and you want to teach your children. There are these family recipes that there’s no better time to pass down to generations.” It’s also a time to be generous, she said. “It’s such a universal gesture of generosity and kindheartedness to give something you’ve baked yourself,” she said. At Thanksgiving, Gable House Bakery’s top seller is pie, but at Christmas, it’s all about the cookies. Gable House offers two popular assortments: the German cookie box

and the holiday cookie box, all made from scratch.

The German box includes gingerbread, Springerle, Lebkuchen, Nussecken, Linzer and lemon cardamom. The holiday box offers chocolate crinkles, cake pops, date balls, raspberry thumbprints, peanut butter delight and cut-out sugar cookies.

Acknowledging the predominantly German heritage in the Mifflinburg area, Keister-Hornig noted she sold more German cookies last year than traditional holiday cookies. Customers can follow Gable House Bakery on Facebook and Instagram to pre-order and to watch as the cookies become available.

Customers with gluten sensitivities will be happy to know Gable House offers a gluten-free pie crust, allowing people with celiac disease to enjoy most of the bakery’s pies. For almost 30 years, Keister-Hornig’s mother, Donita Keister, operated a baking business from her in-house, professional kitchen. Known for her custom wedding cakes, Donita also sold gingerbread houses and kits. Nikki has fond memories of bundling packets of candies for the kits.

“A lot of customers talk about how their mom always got the kits for them,” she said.

At Gable House she continues the tradition with gingerbread house kits, as well as kits for barns, trains and, this year, a carousel. “They’re really, really popular at Christmas,” she said.

ABOVE: NIKKI KEISTER-HORNIG ROLLS OUT GINGERBREAD DOUGH IN HER MIFFLINBURG BAKERY. LEFT: ALONG WITH CLASSIC GINGERBREAD MEN, GABLE HOUSE BAKERY, IN MIFFLINBURG, SELLS KITS TO MAKE TRAINS, HOUSES AND, THIS YEAR, CAROUSELS.

NIKKI KEISTER-HORNIG DRIZZLES DECORATIVE LINES OF WHITE ICING ACROSS A ROW OF GINGERBREAD MEN IN HER MIFFLINBURG BAKERY.

“AS SOON AS WE OPEN SPICES — GINGER, CLOVES — IT JUST BRINGS BACK A TON OF MEMORIES. THOSE SMELLS BRING BACK THAT SEASON. THEY’RE STILL SOME OF THE BEST SMELLS. IT IS THE DEEPEST NOSTALGIA FOR ME BECAUSE OF MY MOM’S GINGERBREAD, GROWING UP.”

— NIKKI KEISTER-HORNIG, OWNER OF GABLE HOUSE BAKERY

“A lot of people buy them at Thanksgiving to bring in the holidays.”

She understands the desire to continue traditions and share them with children. As much as she bakes, certain actions and aromas can still connect her to childhood memories.

“As soon as we open spices — ginger, cloves — it just brings back a ton of memories,” she said. “Those smells bring back that season. They’re still some of the best smells. It is the deepest nostalgia for me because of my mom’s gingerbread, growing up.”

Like others who enjoy baking, she cherishes memories of baking with her grandmother.

“She taught me how to make sand tarts, which are very traditional around here,” Keister-Hornig said. “She had a method to make them paper thin, and we put them in tins every year. That’s a really special memory.” Gable House Bakery is located at 441 Chestnut St., in Mifflinburg. For more information, visit “Gable House Bakery” on Facebook or Instagram, www. gablehousebakery.com or call 570-597-2118. PA

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