Springerle
List of Ingredients
Springerle
4 eggs
2 cups granulated superfine sugar
3 1/2 - 4 cups sifted flour, more if needed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
Aniseed and anise flavoring (optional - my family doesn't like it
and I skip it)
Grease a cookie sheet and sprinkle it with aniseed.
Beat eggs in electric mixer and when they are thick and light,
gradually beat in sugar. Continue to beat at medium speed 10
minutes. If you do not have an electric mixer, use a rotary beater
and beat for 30 minutes after all sugar has been added. If you
wish, add 3 drops of anise flavoring and beat this in, too. Add
and beat in melted butter.
Have flour sifted with baking powder and salt, and blend into
beaten mixture gradually. It should make a very light dough about
the consistency of baking powder biscuit dough.
Dust board very lightly with flour, turn out dough and pat or
roll it out to only slightly less than 1/2 inch thick. Have
springerle board lightly dusted with flour. Press it firmly down
on dough. Cut away any exposed edges and lift board up cleanly.
If dough has stuck in spite of having floured the board, roll
lightly to remove unevenness , sprinkle board with flour and press
board again. In this case, be sure to brush away any flour left on
dough. Carefully lift printed dough to coolie sheet with anise
seed on it. With a sharp knife, cut to separate cookie pictures.
Let stand uncovered in cool place 24 hours while design sets.
Then place in preheated 350 F. oven and watch closely. They must
not brown. When they take on a faint cream color, lower heat to
300 F. This will be after about 5 minutes. Continue to bake about
10 more minutes, until they are faintly yellow. Let cool. Then
store in tightly closed tin for 2 to 4 weeks or even more.
My notes or all you wanted to know about springerle cookies:
Beat the eggs and beat some more until they are a very pale
color and are stiff. I make sure I see the swirls from the mixer
and they don't settle flat right away again. Have patience. I
don't think it's possible to beat them too much.
Sift the baking powder and salt in with the first cup of flour
in case it doesn't take the whole amount of flour.
Letting them sit overnight before baking, hardens the outside
just a little. *Don't* cover with foil or plastic wrap.
It gets very stiff as you add the last of the flour. That was
always my son's job :-) I added what I could in the mixer and when
it got too stiff he took over.
If you don't have a board, cut them into about 2 1/2 by 1 3/4
inch rectangles with flat tops and even thickness, about 3/8 inch
thick.
These should not brown. I think some might have just slight
specks of very light brown. (It's been a while since I made
these.) You may have to play with the time. You want the inside
baked but soft. They should not be like rocks. I bake thicker ones
separately from the thinner ones. You do end up with them not all
the same thickness. If you mix them in the oven, either the thick
ones won't be done or the thinner ones will be too brown and hard.
Don't forget to keep a fresh slice of bread in the tin to keep
them soft. My grandmother always did this.
Marge GreenRecipe
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