Connie

What you don’t know is that Nini was the most loving and caring grandmother to me. To appreciate her care, you must understand that she was my step-grandmother; in explanation she was married briefly to my grandfather and became the primary parent of my father and his brother. She continued her care of the two brothers after her divorce from my grandfather and was my father’s major mother figure always. And so she chose us, my father, then his wife, my mother, and then me and my two brothers. I had no concept of this as a child, but only thought of her as my grandmother. Not until many years later did I ponder and wonder at the gift of being chosen. There was no legal obligation, no moral imperative, nor social accountability requiring her to continue to nurture and cherish us.  And yet she did. She loved us and we loved her in return. 

My passion for Springerle was born out of the affection I have for Nini. How could I not love a cookie shared by a doting and favorite grandmother? Her heart was so much bigger than her 4 foot 10 inch body and I received so much more from her than a cookie legacy.  

How fortunate and wondrous it is to be the beneficiary of unconditional love. 

Rest in Peace, Nini. 

With grateful love,

Connie

Modern alterations to the basic cookies have primarily been to the flavor, as anise is not as popular in the US as in Europe, and certainly is one of those “love it or hate it” tastes. Although anise is still my favorite( I grew up with these cookies, only in anise), I personally like the lemon and orange flavors very much, but why not try any flavor you like? The flavor is important, since the cookie is not very rich or sweet, so use good flavoring oils and be aware that they are much stronger than extracts or alcohol based flavorings.

Thank you lots!!!  Connie

But if you decide to try the hartshorn, here are some things you shoud know.  Firstly, it stinks!! Yes when you open the jar it smells stongly of ammonia, which makes sense since it’s ammonium carbonate. Secondly, it will readily evaporate if you do not keep it tightly sealed (also why it’s aroma is so strong). Also, you should NOT eat the raw dough as it will give you a frightful and painful case of flatulence. This is probably another reason that it  is not as commonly used anymore. Afterall, it is difficult to keep the cookie monsters at bay. The ammonia  dissipates when you bake the cookies. You can substitute hartshorn 1 for 1 for baking powder in other cookie and cracker recipes. Don’t use it in breads, cakes, or rolls, only in baked goods that are thinner and fully baked, so that you know that the ammonia is comletely gone. You might want to try it in a sugar cookie recipe, just for fun, to see the difference in texture.

Happy Baking!   Connie

Clearly, in a place where history abounds, there were few Germans that settled in this area. Although there were local beers and Sam Adams actually was a brewer of beer, the influences there are definitively English and Italian. I saw some beautiful pastry shops in the North End of Boston. They were thriving places (even at night) as were the ice cream shops; both also served liquor which is something you would be unlikely to find in the Midwest. But a dessert, coffee and /or wine after dinner, well, yes, that’s a pretty good combo. We also enjoyed a wonderful Italian dinner of seafood in marinara sauce with pasta while on our trek through the North End of Boston. Yummy! Italian pastries often include anise biscotti, a great light sweet after a meal. If you like red wine, you should try  a springerle cookie with a glass of red wine after dinner. Yes, that too is a pretty good combo.

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