World's Largest Saint Nicholas Cookie!
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The world's largest St. Nicholas cookie in 2013 was baked by Café Ostermann on the Eve of St. Nicholas Day. The giant cookie weighed 50 kilograms and was one meter wide by two meters high. Eighty eggs and ten kilograms of butter were used to make the spectacular St. Nicholas.
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Speculatius St. Nicholas was brought to the front of Paderborn City Hall where he was greeted by the mayor and the President of Bonifatiuswerk. High school trumpeters led the crowd in Nicholas songs. "In contrast to Santa Claus, St. Nicholas embodies the Christian values that are fundamental to our society, such as altruism, charity and selfless action," said Monsignor Georg Austen. Everyone received a piece of the speculatius along with a small surprise.
The year before, in 2012, Hinkel Bakery in Düsseldorf baked what was then the largest St. Nicholas speculatius cookie—to be measured and submitted to the Guiness Book of World Records. The cookie was intended to show children what the real original St. Nicholas looks like. The big cookie was part of the ten year anniversary celebration for Bonifatiuswerk's "Santa Claus Free Zone" campaign. Since 2002 the campaign has worked to bring the real St. Nicholas, as a friend of children and helper of those in need, back into the public eye.
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Speculatius (speculoos in Belgium and speculaas in the Netherlands) originated in the Dutch-Lower Rhine area and has been a traditional St. Nicholas biscuit for many many years. St. Nicholas always brings speculatius when he visits children at home.
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The giant cookie weighed 40 kilograms, was 2.05 meters high, 1.10 meters wide, and 1.6 centimeters thick. Lawyer Dr. John Grooterhorst measured it for the Guiness record.
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Photos from Bonifatiuswerk and Bäckerei Hinkel.