Springerle

 

We interrupt your regularly scheduled last minute card making to bring you this special announcement:

Springerle!

What is springerle? It is a German cookie, usually anise flavored, and made with either a special rolling pin or cookie molds.

This month's issue of Martha Stewart magazine features springerle, and the beautiful molds made by the company "House On The Hill". I took one look at that cover and a light bulb went off.

"Hey! I own those molds!"

I found them a few years back in a consignment shop in Batavia, Illinois, and snatched them up immediately because I knew those molds were pretty pricey. For years, I pull them out and use them as decoration, and each year I would vow to make cookies with them.

Uh huh.

And then the business of the holiday season would get the best of me, and I wouldn't get around to it.

Not this year!

My motto for this year was "2021, the year to get stuff done!"

This year, knowing the dire situation with the progression of my sister's cancer, I got a lot of holiday stuff done early. And thankfully, December has been a calmer, simpler month.

I found a recipe for the dough (will share in a sec!) and got to work today.

Here's the funny thing with this recipe. After you roll out and press the cookies, you leave them on the cookie sheet for 24 hours before baking. Apparently, this sets up a firm crust and makes the images crisper, too. These cookies are made with cake flour, making them light and fluffy. And after baking, you store them in a tin or other container, and they actually taste better if you leave them for a while They will keep for quite a long time, too. A really good cookie to pair with a "tasse kaffe". That's German for cup of coffee. 

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It was from a photo of an old spattered recipe card, typed out on a manual typewriter, and credited to Bronner's Christmas Decorations, Frankenmuth, Michigan. It doesn't get more authentic than that!

Springerle

4 eggs

1 lb. powdered sugar

1/2 t. anise extract, or 1/4 t. anise oil

1/2 t. salt

4 1/2 c. sifted cake flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. cream of tartar

Beat eggs until very light. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Continue beating for 15 minutes with stand  mixer. Add anise, salt, cake flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Mix well. Roll dough to app. 1/2 in thickness on pastry cloth. Press mold into dough (after lightly flouring mold with pastry brush). Cut apart. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (Can sprinkle with anise seed if desired). Allow to stand overnight, up to 24 hrs. Bake at 275 until cookies are very light brown on bottom. Top of cookies should not brown. Designs can be painted with food coloring if desired. Cookies may be frozen, or stored in airtight container.

Are you baking this week? What are some of your family favorites?