German Springerle Cookies Food

TRADITIONAL SPRINGERLE

Steps:

• Lightly grease 4 cookie sheets. Sprinkle with anise seeds. Set aside until needed.
• Mix the flour and baking powder together in a bowl until well blended. Place the eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat until light and frothy, 5 to 8 minutes. Slowly stir in the flour mixture until a thick dough forms.
• Working with handfuls of dough, roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Lightly sift confectioners' sugar over the dough. Place springerle molds onto the dough; press down hard and evenly until the mold's design registers in the dough. Remove the mold. Use a small knife to cut around each cookie, and place on prepared cookie sheets. Repeat, until all dough has been used. Cover the cookies with a lightweight cotton cloth, and allow to dry 8 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Bake cookies in preheated oven until tops are pale brown and set, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container.

GERMAN/SWABIAN SPRINGERLE COOKIES

Steps:

• Using a whisk and a large bowl, beat the eggs until light yellow, thickened and foamy.
• Add the confectioners' sugar a spoonful at a time and beat for 10 minutes.
• Dissolve the ammonium carbonate in the Kirschwasser. Add any clear liquid flavorings of your choice at this time.
• Mix the liquids into the confectioners' sugar mixture and beat another 10 minutes.
• Mix the flour in a spoonful at a time. The dough should be about as soft as sugar cookie dough before it is refrigerated. If it is too stiff, mix in a little more liquid.
• Knead lightly into a smooth ball, wrap in plastic foil, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• Lightly dust a wooden board or work surface with sugar or cornstarch and, using about 1/4 of the dough, roll it to just under 1/2-inch thick. Keep the rest of the dough covered so it does not dry out. Use a springerle rolling pin or various cookie molds to imprint cookies. Place the mold over the area you want to be imprinted, and bear down hard on the dough.
• Cut out the imprinted shapes using a knife, a small roller cutter, a biscuit cutter, or a cutter designed for your cookie mold.
• Lay the cookies on a baking sheet or wooden board that has been lightly dusted with sugar or cornstarch. Let dry right side up for 24 to 48 hours.
• Before baking, wet the bottom of the cookies by laying them on a clean, moist kitchen towel.
• Sprinkle anise on a parchment-lined baking pan and set the cookies on top.
• Bake at 300 F/150 C for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 280 F/140 C and bake for another 10 minutes, until the underside starts to gain color. Try not to let the tops brown.
• Remove and cool. When cool, you can paint them with food coloring. In earlier times, they even used gold leaf to decorate some of these cookies.
• Store the cookies in a covered container with a slice of apple to keep them moist, and enjoy.

OLD COUNTRY SPRINGERLE

Steps:

• Beat confectioners' sugar and eggs together in a large bowl until thick.
• Place anise seed in a bowl. Pour water over anise seed into bowl and let mixture sit to steep, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat anise mixture and lemon zest into egg mixture.
• Sift flour and measure again. Sift flour once more together with baking powder. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and beat until dough forms. Divide dough into flat rounds, wrap each in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Roll dough out on a flat surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar to 1/4-inch thickness. Roll dough with a springerle roller to shape cookies. Repeat with remaining dough rounds. Cover cut cookies with a towel and let dry for at least 6 hours or up to overnight. Transfer to baking sheets.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in batches in the preheated oven until edges are lightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

SHORTBREAD SPRINGERLE COOKIES

Steps:

• Dissolve hartshorn in the milk for 1 hour.
• Beat eggs until thick and lemon coloured, about 10 minutes with a heavy duty mixed, longer with a hand mixer.
• Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, then the softened butter, beating until the mixture is creamy.
• Beat in the hartshorn and milk, salt, flavouring oil and grated citrus peel, if using.
• Gradually beat in as much of the flour as possible with the mixer, then stir in the rest of the flour to make a stiff dough.
• Turn the dough onto floured surface and knead in more flour until stiff enough to make a good print.
• The amount of flour needed will depend on the size of the eggs and amount of humidity.
• Dust a surface with flour and roll out the dough to about 1/3 " thickness.
• With a clean dry pastry brush, brush springerle molds with cake flour and press into the dough.
• Cut out cookies with a knife, pizza cutter, pastry wheel or cutter.
• Place cookies on a kitchen towel, uncovered, to dry for 2 to 24 hours.
• Bake on a greased or baker's parchment lined cookie sheet at 225 F to 325 F until barely golden on the bottom. This will take 10 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies.
• Cool completely on rack and store in tins.
• They will keep for monthe and improve with age. They can be baked in October or November for Christmas.
• The number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size and thickness of the cookies.
• Prep time does not include the 2 to 24 hour drying time.
• VARIATIONS:.
• Chocolate Springerle - Add 1 cup cocoa and 2 tsp vanilla or chocolate extract in place of other flavorings. For a lighter colored cookie, use chocolate flavor confectioner's sugar which is available in 1 lb boxes, plus 2 tsp of vanilla or chocolate extract.
• Cocoa-Mocha - Add 2 tbsp powdered (pulverize granules if necessary) instant coffee to milk plus either of the chocolate formulas given above.
• Citrus - Use 3 to 4 tsp oil of lemon or oil of orange, or 2 tsp oil and grated rind of 3 oranges or lemons.
• Oil of cinnamon, almond or peppermint - Use 1/2 tsp
• Vanilla - Use 4 or 5 tsp extract.

SPRINGERLE COOKIES

Steps:

• In large mixer bowl, beat eggs at high speed until thick & lemon colored.
• Continue beating while adding sugar slowly; add flour, baking powder, lemon peel & anise extract- beat together completely.
• On a well-floured board, roll out some of the dough with a plain rolling pin to about 1/2" thickness; lightly flour Springerle rolling pin & roll it firmly across dough to impress patterns (try to keep dough about 1/2" thick).
• Cut cookies apart between patterns.
• Place cookies 1/2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets, and allow them to dry uncovered overnight (12 hours).
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 250-300° & place cookies 1/2" apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake 25-30 minutes until firm but still white.
• Remove to wire racks to cool.
• Store cookies in a tightly covered container with some anise seeds.
• Flavor develops fully after about 2 weeks.

SPRINGERLE VI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat eggs with sugar until thick and pale, about 10 minutes. Stir in the anise extract. Sift together the flour and baking powder; fold into the egg mixture. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Divide dough into 3 parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Flour a springerle mold or rolling pin, and press the design into the dough. Cut apart the cookies and place them 1 inch apart onto a greased cookie sheet. Cover with a towel and let stand overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Dust excess flour from cookies.
• Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

GERMAN ANISE CHRISTMAS COOKIES (SPRINGERLE)

Steps:

• Sift together the flour and baking powder, set aside. In a large bowl, whip the eggs and sugar until thick and light. Stir in the lemon zest and ground anise. Add the flour mixture, mix well. Cover and chill dough for about an hour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Traditionally, you would roll over the dough with a springerle rolling pin, but the dough can be cut into small shapes of any kind. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets, sprinkle with anise seed and leave out uncovered, overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake cookies for 25 to 30 minutes.

GERMAN SPRINGERLE COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat eggs until very light.
• Gradually add sugar and beat 15 minutes at high speed until mixture resembles a soft meringue, this is very important; don't skimp on time.
• Add anise oil and blend gently.
• SIft together flour and baking soda and add to egg mixture at low speed Cover bowl tightly for 15 minutes.
• Divide dough into thirds and roll each piece into an 8 inch square a little more than 1/4 inch thick.
• While working with one keep others covered.
• Let stand 1 minute.
• Dust springerle mold with flour and press into dough.
• Cut cookies apart.
• Place on lightly floured surface and let stand overnight.
• Grease baking sheet and sprinkle with anise seeds.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Brush excess flour from cookies, moisten lightly with water and place on baking sheets.
• Bake about 20 minutes and store tightly covered.