Apees Cookies

Apees cookies are spiced butter cookies with German origins, popular in Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Dutch country in the United States of America. A historical theory claims that the cookies got their name because they were a variety of Anis Platchen, or anise cookies, so they were stamped with the letters A and P on top of them in order to distinguish them from the cookie variety made with caraway seeds, known as seed cakes.

One of the most popular Philadelphia bakers was named Ann Page, so the cookies quickly became associated with her. The cookies are traditionally cut in numerous shapes such as pines, stars, and crescents, and provide a great Christmas treat, but they can also be baked throughout the year.