Is their unique taste, pristine beauty, or family tradition that makes springerle so special? It’s all of those and I’d have a tough time deciding which of these factors is number one on my list of springerle qualities. In fact, please don’t ask me to decide!
And so, here we begin a journal for all who have a passion for springerle. I’ll share stories, techniques and comments about these cookies that are too pretty to eat. But eat them we must, because their dense cake-like texture and the traditional anise flavor tempt us with with taste and memories!
Welcome all who hold dear the family recipe, the grandma’s baking lessons and the holiday memories!
Connie Meisinger
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I made my first batch of springerle (making the batter yesterday and allowing the cookies to dry overnight). I love the Showstopper rolling pin by House on the Hill. The cookies are beautiful. I think I may have put too much sugar in the dough because my daughter was asking me questions and I was distracted long enough to lose count–(trust me, it doesn’t take much these days). I am surprised at how much flour I ended up putting into the dough to make it not stick. I am wondering if I may have put too much into the dough as the cookies are very dense. They are tasty (my girls happily have passed them out to the neighborhood kids who gobbled them up and wanted more), but the consistency was not was I expected. I thought more along the lines of a shortbread, but this is different. They are cakey and with much substance. They seem like they would be perfect with a good cup of coffee. I substituted lemon for anise because I wanted to hedge my bet with the kids and the husband. Also, the lemon is nice in the summer. Overall, I am pleased with the batch. For my first attempt, I shan’t complain. This recipe will definitely be put on the short list of the cookies that I make for the cookie exchange with my sisters at Christmas time. There may be no springerle in Boston, but thanks to you, there are springerle in Middletown/Newport, Rhode Island.
This is my 5th or 6th attempt at making springerle, and I am getting a bit better at it each time. It’s my very favorite cookie, and also my favorite thing to bake. This time (last week) I coated my molds with baking spray, the kind with flour and oil it it. It works SO much better than dusting with confectioner’s sugar or Pam. I spray some in a little dish and brush it on the mold with an artitst’s brush.
My designs could still be deeper and more detailed, but I can’t seem to get the dough at the right balance of wet/dry to do this. Maybe the next time! People think they’re gorgeous, though — only I seem to be the one to know that the strings on the angel’s lute should be clearer!
I , too, am surprised every year how much extra flour I wind up kneading into the dough after it’s out of the mixer bowl — about 2 cups this time. But it worked just fine.
Also, I live at 4,00 plus feet altitude, and thought I’d have to adjust my recipe, but my test bath worked fine. Thnaks to everyone for the good tips!
Hello,
I will be travelling in Switzerland this summer (Geneva, Lausanne and the general area around Lake Leman). Does anybody know of a store in this area where I can buy Springerle molds?
I know it is a tough one, but one never knows!
Thank you!
Annie
Quebec, Canada
This is in answer to Sue’s question about the deeper molds and making the details standing out. Quite by accident, when I made my last batch of dough I put too much anise flavor in, so I made a half quantity and mixed both together to dilute the flavor. As you can imagine I had a very large amount of dough and it was getting very late, so I portioned out the dough and wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight. The next day the dough rolled out perfectly and the deeper molds were well worth the extra effort.
I hope this helps you Sue, what with cookie season fast approaching.
I found the following cookie recipe on a blog post and tried it with my new Celestial Sun and Celestial Moon House on the Hill molds. I also used the small angel with lute mold. The design shows well, but my husband claims the cookies taste like pop-tart dough. Any suggestions for making them more tasty would be appreciated.
Orange Spice Cookies
1/2 cup butter – softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar – packed
1 egg (medium or large)
1 Tablespoon grated orange rind
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 Tablespoon orange liquor
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups flour – scoop measured (use your measuring cup to scoop flour from the bag, then level)
Thoroughly cream the softened butter and sugar together by hand or with a mixer. Beat in the egg (if using a mixer, use the slowest speed), the grated orange and lemon rinds, and the orange liquor. In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients, then stir them into the butter mixture. Knead for a minute. Chill the dough for 30 minutes and mold cookies as directed. (I chilled over night. After rolling and molding the cookies, I put them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before baking. This added about 2 minutes to the baking time)
Bake at 350° in the top third of your oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are nicely browned.
This will be first time ever making these cookies. I love cream cheese and I would like to know if anyone has used the cream cheese butter cookies from this site. Will the cookies be white or somewhat brown and will the images stick out as well as the springerle recipe? I might both recipes. I just want to know what the cream cheese will look like.
Elizabeth,
The cream cheese butter cookies will never hold a design as clearly as springerle. The more fat and sugar a recipe has, the more the cookie will rise and spread and the cookies will be more golden. So, know going in that you will not have the pristine beauty of springerle. Compensate by choosing a less detailed design that is more boldly carved and be sure you chill the dough before forming the cookies and again before baking the cookies.
Connie
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