Like many other evergreen plants, which impressed European cultures by persisting through the winter, ivy has traditionally been imbued with a spiritual significance. It was brought into homes to drive out evil spirits.
@gijsje do you make Jan Hagel cookies at Christmas? I found a recipe that calls for making them in a sheet pan and cutting them into bars after they bake. The ones I remember from my childhood were cut outs shaped and imprinted with Dutch windmills. I wonder if the bars are the same recipe as the rolled cookies? Curious if you make them.
I donât make cookies, Lou Ann (hubby sometimes does). You remember two different kinds of cookies. Jan Hagel (first link) and the âwindmill cookiesâ (2nd link). The windmill cookies are âspeculaasjesâ.