Tilda's Bake Shop in Rocky Point resurrects Reinwald's beloved Christmas cookies

In the 66 years since Tilda’s Bake Shop opened in Rocky Point, its German origins have been partially obscured by cannoli, rainbow cookies, red velvet cakes and other local favorites. But this Christmas the shop is letting its roots show, thanks to a new owner whose family carried Long Island’s German bakery torch for many decades.

Dan Reinwald, scion of the Reinwald’s Bakery dynasty (New Hyde Park and, later Huntington) bought Tilda’s in 2019. He didn’t change much when he took over from former owner Eddie Maher but, since Thanksgiving, he’s been making some of Reinwald’s classic recipes — with frequent assists from his father, Andy Reinwald, and uncle, Richard Reinwald (who sold his Huntington bakery to Buttercooky in 2017).

These are the holiday favorites that generations of Long Islanders have stood in line to purchase: fruit-and-nut crammed stollen ($14.50 for a 1-pound loaf), and cookies whose recipes Richard and Andy Reinwald inherited from their father, who had apprenticed in Germany.

The family’s singular gingerbread dough — made with rye flour, molasses, aromatic spices, ground filberts and almonds and raisins and no fat — is used for lebkuchen (gingerbread men) as well as pfeffernuesse (sugar-dusted gingerbread drops) and spitzkuchen (bittersweet-chocolate-covered gingerbread heightened with fruit and rum). Then there are sleek anise drops, elegant and barely sweet, and spekulatius, spiced shortbread wafers pressed into Yuletide shapes, and Zimtsterne cinnamon star cookies. Most cookies are $8 for a half pound.

Tilda’s Bake Shop is at 640 Route 25A, Rocky Point, 631-744-3762, tildas.com.