These light, crunchy, glazed, meringue-type cookies are baked in the shapes or letters. A fantastic and delectable way to play Scrabble or teach reading. This type of cookie may have originated in St. Petersburg, Russia, (known as "bukwy"). The Dresden based master baker Wilhelm Hanke adopted the recipe in the late 19th century, and sold the cookies under the name "Russisch Brot" (engl. Russian Bread). Today's best name would be alphabet cookies.