My Roommate is a cookie stealer:
On the first of December, the first day of Advent, Ludwig went out of his way to get a Stollen, like he did every year. That delicious Christmas fruitcake, famous is Dresden—so famous in fact it has it's own festival, but Ludwig wouldn't make it for the festival.
He'd also picked up varies ingredients to make his infamous Christmas cookies for himself and Gilbert. While he was content with buying the spiced fruit roll, Ludwig preferred the taste of his own hand rolled Springele versus the store-bought ones. And if he were really honest, Ludwig would say that he took pride in his cookies and showing off to anyone who hadn't been graced with tasting them.
So, on the second of December, the second day of Advent (as marked by the calendar that An'na bought), Ludwig made two pans of Spekulatius. One was dedicated to the traditional cinnamon and nutmeg spicy flavored cookie. The other tray was an assortment of almond, butter and chocolate Spekulatius. He'd also piped out two pans of Spritzgeback cookies, one pan of cinnamon stars and placed them in the two Christmas cookie jars that he bought at the Christmas Market.
By mid afternoon (one can never wake too early for Christmas cookies), Ludwig finished dipping the remainder of his layered gingerbread, jam and marzipan cookies in chocolate and left them on the counter to cool, when An'na finally emerged from slumber.
She was also in a festive mood, dressed in reindeer covered pajama pants and a matching red tank that read 'Dashing through the snow' in bright green. She grumbled a good morning, although it was afternoon, and when straight for the drying chocolate covered treats.
Ludwig, who'd started on his spicy gingerbread cookies, immediately slapped her hand away. And for a moment, they both stood there staring at each other, An'na's hand suspended lamely over the tray. Ludwig was a bit dumbfounded, not anticipating his own reaction. He looked away quickly, certain his face was as feverishly red as it felt and started pressing the dough for a much-needed distraction. Maybe he could attribute his red cheeks to the heat in the kitchen.
Finally An'na broke the silence "I can't have one?" she mumbled, sounding and looking more like a wounded child than the adult that she was.
He didn't respond immediately and pressed out the last balls of dough until he felt composed enough to speak. It wasn't that he didn't want to her to have any, quite the opposite actually. Truthfully, he had his own little battle with pastries, but even he knew it shouldn't be the first thing one eats, no matter what Francis might say.
"You can't eat treats without having an appropriate breakfast first," the words and rolling of gingerbread made Ludwig feel more himself, the blush finally dying down. An'na was stationary for a moment or two before going to the refrigerator and getting orange juice. She lingered in the kitchen for a few more minutes before going into the living room and turning on the tv.
Ludwig went about putting the gingerbread in the oven, and separating Gilbert's cookies from the rest. When he got to the chocolate covered ones, a very noticeable rim of chocolate, and the telltale dotted trail of the sticky goodness from the pan to the counter informed him of a missing cookie. Ludwig looked up at An'na who was chewing at record speed and attempting to drink the juice at the same time.
She glanced at him and Ludwig chuckled at her expression, resembling a reindeer caught in headlights. Really, he would have been more surprised if she hadn't taken the cookie.
A/N: I admit, I know nothing of German Christmas cookies or traditions! LOL. So, if something is wrong here, please some awesome German citizen or someone of German descent, correct the errors of my ways. Even though New Orleans has a lot of German influence, this souther gal is strictly Cajun and has about as much knowledge of Germans as I do about Newtown's law of relativity! But the idea of Ludwig baking Christmas cookies was just too darn cute for me not do to! Admit it...you want Ludwig to make you cookies too...