There’s a chance that if you’ve ever visited Naegelin’s Bakery in downtown New Braunfels, you’ve left with a “Happy Face.” Sure, you’ll undoubtedly have a smile on your face after visiting the oldest bakery in Texas, but you’ll probably also have at least a couple dozen of their iconic “Happy Face” cookies tucked under your arm as well.
Places to Eat
Naegelin’s Bakery Bringing Happy Faces to the Hill Country Since 1868
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600 “Happy Faces” Sold Daily
Photo: Facebook/NaegelinsBakery
For every child who has grown up in New Braunfels, you can be sure that Naegelin’s cookies were a fixture at all bake sales, birthday parties and school parties. Naegelin’s estimates that they sell about 600 of these famous “Happy Face” cookies daily. The cookie is a simple, shortbread sugar cookie iced with brightly-colored frosting with a simple smiley face on the top. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more deliciously simple cookie in the Hill Country.
Opened in 1868
Photo: Flickr/Diann Bayes
Founder Edouard Naegelin opened the bakery in 1868 on the site of what is now City Hall, and he moved it 11 years later to this tiny building just off the main plaza. Edouard and his wife, Francisca, lived in an apartment above the bakery with their children until Edouard’s death in 1923. The business was passed down to various family members until it was sold in 1980 to entrepreneur Wilburn Granzin.
Strudel, Pastries, and Cakes! Oh, My!
Photo: Facebook/NaegelinsBakery
The “Happy Face” cookies aren’t the only popular items on the menu at Naegelin’s though. The glass cases are full of what seems like an almost endless array and rainbow of cookies and pastries. The bakery is still famous for their strudels that Naegelin perfected years ago. The Granzin’s have added terrific sausage kolaches to the menu of fruit filled ones. A popular favorite is the Lebkuchen, a thick, rectangular brown cookie covered with pink frosting. The bakery also turns out wedding cakes for many local couples.
Visit Naegelin’s in downtown New Braunfels the next time you’re passing through the Hill Country. Come for the “Happy Face” cookies and stay for the kolaches. Enjoy a bit of local history while you enjoy the atmosphere of downtown New Braunfels. Visit Naegelin’s website for more information.
