Spicy Holiday "Nerve" Cookies

Who doesn't love a 1000 year old recipe from a neurodivergent mystic?

The recipe I want to share with you today is not exclusively a holiday recipe, but these spice cookies will definitely warm you up and lift your spirits on a dreary winter day. And it comes with a story—a real one. Although typically I am not a fan of reading a bunch of fluffy background on a recipe before trying it out (oh how I love the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button), in this case the background info is essential if you are not already familiar with Hildegard. This is NOT just any spice cookie recipe.
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The story: Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), was a German nun and polymath. She may be best known today for work as a composer and mystic, but her contributions as an herbalist and medical writer are just as impressive. Many scholars consider her to be the founder of scientific natural history.

Some of you may be wondering how a woman of this era was able to publish books and musical compositions using her own name or why she wasn’t burned at the stake for writing about herbal remedies, but it was really all about timing. Hildegard lived BEFORE things got that bad for women, although the church did investigate her to make sure her visions weren’t coming from the devil. I’m not totally sure how they determined she was a good egg, but I’m so glad that’s how it worked out! Now we have all this wonderful music and herbal insight to benefit from.

The other thing about Hildegard is that there is a lot of speculation today about whether she was autistic. I mean, I think anyone who develops their own alphabet should get serious consideration, but folks have written dissertations on this. In general, I think the monastic life would have had a lot of appeal for autistic folks throughout the ages—highly structured routines, repetitive behaviors, sensory solitude and space from other people….what’s not to love? But Hildegard has certainly captivated the imagination of many a scholar above and beyond other historical figures of interest.

The following recipe comes from her book “Causae et Curae” (Causes & Cures). According to Hildegard: “These cookies drive away all the bitterness of your heart and calm your spirit and open your heart and your five senses.”

In today’s language, we would attribute the nervine aspects of these cookies largely to the high amount of nutmeg used, which is wonderful for anxiety and restful sleep (although PLEASE be sure to read the caution below on dosing). To heighten the effects of ‘calming your spirit,’ I am a huge fan of listening to some of her music while making the cookies! It is so beautiful and restorative, and will transport you back to a simpler era.

Flour today is very different from flour 1000 years ago, so it’s not going to be possible to get them to be an exact replica of what was made in her abbey. But this is the closest version we have, and in fact I have heard that these cookies continue to be made in this abbey today using this very recipe!

I have made some tweaks to make it accessible for those with gluten and dairy allergies or anyone just wanting an anti-inflammatory diet, and have indicated my tweaks below along with the original.

CAUTION: This recipe uses A LOT of nutmeg, which can actually cause serious problems at higher doses. No joke!!! Some people intentionally ingest high doses in order to hallucinate, but typically end up in the ER instead. For some types of anxiety and insomnia, much smaller doses can be profoundly helpful, but you really have to dose it right and it isn’t for everyone.

For this reason, I suggest limiting it to no more than ⅛ of the batch per day
(a reasonable serving size).

Hildegard von Bingen Nerve Cookies

• 2.5 cups Dinkel (spelt) or whole wheat flour (I use almond flour which blends very well since the recipe also has crushed almonds)
• 1/3 cup butter (I use ghee)
• 1/3 honey (or to your liking–they are mildly sweet at this amount)
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 3 tsp nutmeg
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 2 eggs
• 1 dash salt

Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Total Time
25 minutes
Instructions

1. Cut soft butter in pieces and combine with the flour, ground almonds and mix together by hand. Add the salt and spices and mix in well.
2. In a separate bowl combine eggs and honey (easier if you warm just enough to liquify) and stir together.
3. Stir the egg and flour mixture together and knead into a smooth dough.
4. Place the dough covered into the refrigerator for an hour.
5. Roll out the dough 1/2 cm (0.2″) thick and cut out the cookies.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!