A blog by House on the Hill

If you are struggling with springerle in the heat and humidity, but you don’t have a dehydrator, here are a few tips that might aid you!

1) Turn the air conditioner way down to mid 60’s to dry the cookies.

2) Break your eggs into a bowl and make sure they weigh in total no more than 9 ounces. (i.e. a large egg usually weighs about 1.5 ounces) This is using my recipe which calls for 6 eggs.

3) Dry the cookies for 36 hours, especially if they are large cookies.

4) Remember not to make the cookies when it is raining or you are really going to have to abuse your air conditioning system!

Connie

Do NOT use silicone mats for baking springerle cookies!  They are wonderful for baking many things, especially soft gooey cookies, like chocolate chip cookies or fudgy drop cookies. But the problem is that with springerle  you want the steam to escape from the bottom of the cookie while it is baking and silocone mats do not allow this to happen. If the steam does not escape from the bottom, it has to go somewhere and it will puff out the sides, or worse, the steam will break through the top of the cookie and thus impact the beautiful print on the top surface of the springerle.

It’s hard to believe that I have not yet shared Nini’s recipe on this blog! I have tried many others and tasted even more, but this is still my favorite.  I very much know that the “favorite” label has a lot to do with my family tradition and the recipe’s familiarity, but I will also tell you that many people who have said they don’t like springerle have tasted my recipe and are converts.

If you have not tried it, here is my recipe for your enjoyment! Reread my entry on hartshorn….I personally would never make this recipe with anything but hartshorn. The cookie is much harder when made with baking powder!

NINI’S PERFECTION SPRINGERLE COOKIES

 1/2 teaspoon baker’s ammonia (hartshorn) or baking powder

2 Tablespoons milk

6 large eggs, room temperature

6 cups confectioner’s sugar (1-1/2#)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but not melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon oil of anise, lemon or any other flavor

2 lb. box sifted cake flour (swansdown or Softasilk)

Grated rind of orange or lemon, optional (enhances flavor of the traditional anise or citrus flavors)

More cake flour as needed

Springerle Recipe Directions

Dissolve hartshorn in milk and set aside.  Beat eggs till thick and lemon-colored (15-20 minutes).  Slowly beat in the confectioner’s sugar, then the softened butter.  Add the hartshorn and milk, salt, preferred flavoring, and grated rind of lemon or orange, if desired.  Gradually beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, then stir in the remainder of the 2 lbs. of flour to make a stiff dough.  Turn onto floured surface and knead in enough flour to make a good print without sticking.  Follow general directions for imprinting and drying cookies.  Bake on greased or baker’s parchment-lined cookie sheets at 225 degrees to 325 degrees*** till barely golden on the bottom, 10-15 minutes or more, depending on size of cookie.  Cool completely before storing in airtight tin containers.  They keep for months, and improve with age.  Yield 3 to 12 dozen, depending on size.

You need to think about making those springerle for the holidays ! The year has slipped away and here in the Chicago area we have had our first frost, and the air is dry too! This is the scary thing…..Christmas is only 40 days away.

Get thee to the kitchen and bake!

Connie

You should treat all of your cookie molds with the care you would apply to wood-handled knives or your wooden salad bowls.

If you are fortunate to own an original hand carved wooden mold, after forming your springerle,  you should brush it gently with a soft bristled brush to remove flour and dough. If necessary, scrub gently with the same brush and mild soapy water.  Rinse briefly, pat dry with a terry towel and let dry thoroughly before storing. Never soak the mold in water! You may want to occasionally  condition the the wood press with an oil designed for cutting boards or wooden salad bowls to keep the wood from drying out.

For resin and wood composite replica cookie presses, the cleaning care is the same. You should not apply a conditioning oil to resin cookie molds.

I don’t like insulated cookie pans for baking springerle! At first I thought it was just my timer, and then maybe my oven was too hot, and then perhaps I was not paying attention. But, no, really,  I have now kept copious notes and springerle cookies really do overbake on insulated sheets. I have tested on heavy duty commercial sheet pans against insulated cookie sheets using the same time and temperature and they always overbrown on the bottoms and are too dry when I use the insulated cookie sheets.  So , while I am a fan of insulated cookie sheets for soft gooey cookies, such as classic chocolate chip cookies, I recommend that you do NOT use them for springerle baking. Stick to regular heavy duty cookie sheets for best results.

Happy Baking!

Connie

It was my great pleasure to be a guest on “Heirloom Meals” hosted by Carole Murko on Berkshire Radio.  For those of us with honored food traditions, “Heirloom Meals” offers programs sharing treasured food memories and recipes. Carole has a vision and enthusiasm for her subject matter that will entertain you and steer you down memory lane.

Thank you, Carole, for ther opportunity to be a part of  of this project!

To listen to my interview and other heirloom meals topics, use this link. There is a very long musical intro because of some technical difficulties, so keep listening to hear our conversation!    

Connie

http://heirloommeals.blogspot.com/2010/09/we-are-live-at-heirloom-meals-radio.html

Here in Chicagoland, it has been a very wet summer. Wanting to bake springerle for a photo shoot and I just cannot get a break from rain and or humidity.  If you are experiencing the same thing, I feel for you. Might have to invest in that dehydrator.

Connie

The phone rang at 6 am on Monday, June 9; I had been expecting the call. My grandmother, Nini, had died at 4 am at the age of 94. Those of you who know me, or have some familiarity with House on the Hill, will know that the Springerle recipe I share is called “Nini’s Perfection Springerle”. And, yes, this is the same Nini, short for Venita Patterson, who shared her holiday baking traditions with me.  When she stopped baking Springerle and I took over for my family, none of us had any idea that her baking influence would have such an impact on my life and its direction. She was so proud of me and so delighted that I was sharing her recipe. 

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