About Us

The Springerle House opened at Lancaster Central Market in 1998. Heather´s family had been making springerle cookies for over 150 years, and, since her mother had taught her how to make them, and her mother before her, and so on, it seemed fitting that the market stand focus on this age-old tradition. At the time, we were, as far as we know, the only bakery in Lancaster County, Pa., and one of the few in the country that sold springerle cookies. This tradition dates back to approximately the 15th century in Germany, and first came to the U.S. around 1710. While there were a number of German bakeries many years ago that sold the cookies in Lancaster and Philadelphia, almost all of them had long since closed. It seemed that the tradition of springerle cookie making in our heavily German area was destined to go with them, and be lost to time. From the very beginning, we decided to offer our recipe free of charge - we want to know that we´ve done our part to encourage, educate, and share with springerle bakers everywhere! In the early days at the market stand, we sold primarily springerle cookies, our famous jumbo chocolate chunk cookies and gold-toned handpainted ornaments. Soon we added our ginger snaps, and they garnered quite a following! Through customer suggestions, we added color to our handpainted ornaments, and began to import cookie molds from Switzerland so our customers could make their own springerle at home.

In 2001, Heather´s family moved to the charming little town of Strasburg, PA. With its Memorial Day and Halloween parades, its Pearl Harbor Day commemoration on the town square, and its treasure trove of 18th century architecture, Strasburg seemed the perfect spot: a brick-and-mortar location for the Springerle House Tea & Cookie Café opened in 2003. Specializing in 60+ varieties of looseleaf tea, fresh-ground brewed coffee & espresso drinks, and of course, lots of homemade from-scratch baked goods, the café´s central focus remains the springerle cookies. We ship our springerle cookies anywhere in the world, and in the high season of November and December, make about 800 cookies (each handmade!) per day. If you´re thinking about a visit, however, don´t limit yourself to our delicious springerle (made in over 20 flavors): make sure to try our fantastic chewy-snappy Ginger Snaps, our spicy Pfeffernusse (only during the Christmas season), our tender scones, and our many varieties of biscotti. Speaking of the winter months, don´t miss our Gourmet Hot Chocolates: custom-made and mixed by us using imported Belgian Chocolate. Be sure to stop in for breakfast, made using locally-smoked bacon, fresh local eggs, and home-smoked ham. (Heather´s husband, Brad, is from Oklahoma, and taught her the wonders of home-smoked meats…yummmm!) As far as lunch, check out our winter menu: homemade soups & a nice selection of unique Panini sandwiches made with those delicious smoked meats. Our summer menu focuses on garden-fresh produce, much of it from our own organic garden: we offer three varieties of bruschetta, powerhouse veggie sandwiches, and more.

In addition to our homemade baked goods and fresh lunches, we also make our own line of springerle cookie molds, cast right here in Lancaster County from our own extensive collection of mold designs going back hundreds of years. Be sure to check out our line of imported German wares, too: spinning Christmas pyramids, candles, and handmade nutcrackers and smokers from the Erzgebirge in Germany.

A visit to the Springerle House Tea & Cookie Café in Strasburg is like stepping back in time, to a period when your shopkeepers knew your name, when a handshake was good enough, and when customer service with a smile wasn´t just a cliché, it was an everyday reality. We know that there are lots of places to buy cookies and enjoy a cup of tea or lunch: we truly value every customer that walks through our door, and it shows. Stop on in, and enjoy a taste of the past!

Heather

Owner, The Springerle House
4th Generation Springerle Baker

In August of 2003, the folks at the Springerle House decided to open a tea and cookie shop in historic Strasburg, PA.