St. Hildegard von Bingen was a 12th century German nun with many talents. Among these talents, she wrote Physica around 1153 AD. In this book, there was a recipe for Joy Cookies.
Original Recipe
“Nutmeg has great heat and good moderation in its powers. If a person eats nutmeg, it will open up his heart, make his judgment free from obstruction, and give him a good disposition. Take some nutmeg and an equal weight of cinnamon and a bit of cloves, and pulverize them. Then make small cakes with this and fine whole wheat flour and water. Eat them often. It will calm all bitterness of the heart and mind, open your heart and impaired senses, and make your mind cheerful. It purities your senses and diminishes all harmful humors in you. It gives good liquid to your blood, and makes you strong.” -Hildegard von Bingen, Physica, ~1153
Modern Recipe
1 cup flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground clove
1/2 cup water (or just enough to moisten the dough)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Mix the dough together. Roll into little balls. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
It may help to flip the cookies over half way through baking. The end result will be like a cracker, since there is no fat in this recipe.
For video instructions on baking these cookies, please click here.
Other Modern Interpretations
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