Perfection Springerle Cookies

Recipe from House on the Hill!

These whisked-egg holiday cookies date back to at least the 1600's and are made in Bavaria, Switzerland, and the Alsace area of France. For eating quality, ease, and quality of prints, this recipe is just perfection!

What you'll need:

• 1/2 teaspoon baker's ammonia (Hartshorn) or baking powder
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 6 cups powdered sugar (1 1/2 #)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but not melted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of anise (if substituting fruit-flavored oils, use 3 teaspoons)
• 2 lb. box sifted cake flour (Swansdown or Softasilk)
• grated rind of orange or lemon – optional (enhances the flavor of the traditional anise or the citrus flavors)
• more flour as needed

Instructions:

Dissolve hartshorn in milk and set aside. Beat eggs till thick and lemon-colored (10-20 minutes). Slowly beat in the powdered 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 stiff dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead in enough flour to make a good print without sticking. Dry printed cookies 2-24 hours at room temperature before baking (depending on your schedule, humidity, etc.) Drying preserves the image during baking.

We recommend that you bake one cookie of each size first! It saves grief! This will help you determine the correct temperature and time for your cookie size.

Bake on greased or baker's parchment-lined cookie sheets at 255° to 325° till barely golden on the bottom, 10-15 minutes or more, depending on the size of the cookie.

Store in airtight containers or in zipper bags in the freezer. They keep for months and improve with age. Yield 3 to 12 dozen.

Variations:

• Oil of Lemon or Orange: Use 3-4 tsp. of these oils or 1 tsp. of oil and the finely grated zest of 3 lemons or oranges.
• Oil of cinnamon, almond, or peppermint: Use 1/2 tsp. oil.
• Vanilla: Use 3-4 tsp. of pure vanilla extract.
• Cappuccino: Use 2 TBS. of coffee extract and 2 tsp. of ground cinnamon.
• Chocolate Springerle: Replace 1 cup of flour with 1 cup cocoa and add 2 tsp. of vanilla or chocolate extract. For cocoa-mocha, add 2 tsp. coffee extract to the Chocolate Springerle recipe.

Baking Times

Generally, the larger the cookie, the lower the temperature, the longer the baking time. The smaller the cookie, the lower the temperature. But here are some considerations and guidelines for various sizes.

Ovens vary; some run hot or cold, and others have "hot spots." As a rule, electric ovens have more even heat and are drier, but this is not always the case. Thus, electric ovens may bake the cookies more quickly. Be sure to let the oven get back to the same temperature after opening the oven door and open and close the oven door as quickly as possible. Use the middle rack in most instances - the heat tends to be more even there. Be sure to bake only the same size cookie on a single baking sheet.

The first time you bake a new size cookie, bake a single test cookie. Repeat until you get it right. Better to waste a few cookies than a whole tray. You want the top of the cookie to be very white and the bottom to be slightly golden. Break the baked test cookie in half and make sure that the cake-like texture is fully formed and that no doughiness remains; this is especially important when you use hartshorn (you want to completely bake out the ammonia.) If you roll cookies very thinly, reduce the temperatures and baking times. If you have thicker cookies, you may need to add 1 to 3 minutes to the baking times.

Examples of Baking Times

Below are some examples of some Springerle sizes and suggested temperatures and baking times. These guidelines assume a cookie thickness of 3/8 to 5/8 inches:

Basic Size

Approx 1.5 to 2 by 2 to 2.5 inches - a very common size found in multiple image presses. Examples are M7615 Cassie's Garden and M4028 Mixed Motifs. Bake at 300 to 325 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Small Size

Approx 1 x 1 to 1.5 inches. Example is M5736 Petting Zoo. Bake at 225 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes.

When baking very small Springerle, think about popcorn; you want the heat to penetrate very quickly to the center of the popcorn kernel to "pop" or burst the kernel. You do NOT want that to happen to your Springerle, so lower the temperature for slower rising.

Medium Size

Approx 2 to 3 by 2 to 3 inches - a common size of single image cookie molds. Examples are M5383 Winter Sleigh Scene and M7444 Jane's Bouquet. Bake at 300-325 degrees F for 12 to 14 minutes.

Large Size

Maybe 3 x 5 inches and larger. Bake at 290-300 degrees F for 14 to 16 minutes. Just increase time on even larger cookies. Do not go above 300 degrees as you will not be able to control the browning as well. Larger cookies-think lower and slower.