soft gingerbread confectionery

Soft Printen confectionery from Aachen with chocolate and almonds

The soft Printen confectionery from the Klein Printen bakery is a colorful selection of soft Aachen Printen, dipped in chocolate and refined with almonds. Tender instead of hard, bite-sized – the smooth side of the Aachen Printe for snacking and sharing.

The soft Printen confectionery brings together small, soft Aachen soft Printen from the Klein Printen bakery in a small bag. Unlike the hard herb Printen, the dough here is smooth, sometimes dipped in milk chocolate, sometimes dark, sometimes white chocolate, and topped with almonds. A Printen confectionery consisting of nothing but small bites – made for snacking in between, with coffee, or as a gift during the Advent season.

Why soft Printen are so tender

Soft Printen start like any other Printe as a spicy dough. After baking, they are placed in a special humidity chamber where they rest and absorb moisture until they become supple. Only then does the coating of fine chocolate follow, which keeps them soft. If you bite into them, the dough gives way immediately without crumbling. Soft Printen are the younger, milder side of the Aachen Printe: the hard herb Printe came first; the soft version made the spicy pastry accessible even to those with more sensitive teeth.

Tender, chocolatey, spicy – every bite tastes great, with the familiar Printe spice in the background. The almonds provide a subtle crunch in the soft dough. Because it is a confectionery, a colorful selection comes in the bag – light and dark bites side by side, always bite-sized, so you can snack your way through the varieties.

Spices from three sugars and good seasonings

Under the chocolate is real Aachen Printen dough: sweetened with sugar syrup, candy sugar, and brown sugar, and seasoned with the classic Printen mixture of cinnamon, anise, cloves, and coriander. It is leavened without yeast, using only potash and soda – that is how the old Aachen recipes require it.

Aachen Printen have been a protected geographical indication (PGI) since 1997: only seven municipalities around Aachen are allowed to bake them, and Klein has belonged to the protection association since 1993. The 200 g Printen confectionery is the chocolatey entry-level variety among the soft Printen from Klein, before moving on to the individually coated varieties.

Baked by the Klein family in Aachen

In 1912, Peter Klein founded the bakery on Aachen's Franzstraße; today, his great-grandson runs the business in the fourth generation, as Andreas Klein passes on the old recipe by hand. For over 100 years, every Printe here has been made by hand, according to a recipe the family keeps to itself.

On Franzstraße, the family even runs a small Printen museum, where you can see how dough, spice, and time turn into a genuine Aachen Printe. There are guided tours for groups, where the hard and soft Printen are placed right next to each other – so you can taste the difference between the crispy herb Printe and the soft confectionery.

If you prefer the almond note under a single, thick layer of chocolate, you can find it in the Milk Chocolate Almond Soft Printen. And anyone who wants to dive deeper into the world of fine chocolate will find what they are looking for here. Because the bites are so small and handy, the 200 g bag is well-suited for sharing on an Advent plate or as a small gift when you are invited somewhere for coffee. With coffee, with tea, as a small token of appreciation – the colorful Printen confectionery always finds an occasion.