Baking Delightes: Springerl zu machen ... To Make Springerle (Anise Cookies)

(Grätz)

Original Recipe from 1688

“springerl zu machen.

NJmme ein Pfund Zucker/ ſtoß vnd faͤhe jhn/

nimb 24. Loth Mehl/ vnd miſch darunter/

nimb Zimmet/ Naͤgel/ Muſcatnuß/ vnd Lemo-

niſchaͤller/ ſchneids ſo klein als du kanſt/ miſche es

auch darunter/ machs an mit Ayrklar/ vnd Le-

moniſafft/ mach den Taig ſo dich als du kanſt/ knoͤt

jhn wol ab/ walck jhn wol auß/ am duͤnſten wie

ein Papier/ truck auff einer Seyten den Model/ laß

ein baar Stund ſtehen/ darnach bachs Semmel-

braun/ laß kuͤhl werden/ uͤberſtreichs mit einem

Eiß/ leg es wider in die Torten-Pfannen/ daß das

Eiß Blatern gibt/ laß kuͤhl werden.” (Grätz)

'To make Springerle

Take a pound of sugar, pound and sieve, take 24. Loth [one Loth is about

18 gramm] of flour, and mix it. Take cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and lemon

peels, chop it as fine as you can, and mix it among the other stuff. Add

white of eggs and lemon juice, and make the dough as firm (?) as you

can, knead it well, make it flat as thin as paper, press it into a model

from one side, allow to stand for several hours, then bake it brown like

rolls, let cool off, spread it with icing [frosting?], put it back into

the pan, so that the icing raises blisters. Let cool off.’ (Gloning)

“The cookies known today as Springerle are said to have originated at least five centuries ago in the region of Schwabia in southern Germany.” (Hudgins) Many molds for this type of cookie can be found at the Swiss National Museum, dating anywhere from 1500-1700. “The oldest-known Springerle mold, which now sits in the Swiss National Museum in Zurich, dates back to the 14th century.” (Cusick) “The earliest surviving wooden molds are flat ones dating from the sixteenth century made of fruit wood (apple, cherry, pear, plum) with intricate designs carved into them.” (Hudgins)

“Springerle are anise-flavored cookies, pale ivory or eggshell-white in color, made from a simple dough of flour, sugar, and eggs, leavened, in former times, with hartshorn salt (baker’s ammonia, ammonium carbonate) but now more commonly with standard double-acting baking powder.” (Hudgins)

“These ‘printed’ cookies…are such an important part of the culinary traditions of southern Germany, Alsace, and parts of Bohemia and Switzerland.” (Hudgins)

“'You must beat the dough with an electric mixer on slow speed for thirty minutes,' said a vendor of wooden Springerle molds at Munich’s open-air Christkindlmarkt held annually during Advent. 'In the old days, children were enlisted to do this task by hand. Then you knead the dough into a ball and leave it overnight in a cool, dry place. The next day, roll out the dough, press the designs into it, and cut it into shapes. Then let them dry overnight in a warm room. That’s what makes the tops stay white and the proper ‘foot’ form on the bottom.'” (Hudgins)

As my husband likes Springerle cookies with anise flavor in it, below is a recipe for Springerle cookies with anise seeds.

Modern Recipe (Block)

4 cups flour

3 cups white sugar

5 eggs

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. anise seed

1 Tbsp. ground anise (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients, except for the anise seed. Once mixed, place the mixing bowl in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Then, sprinkle flour on a board and roll out the dough. Cut out cookies with a cookie cutter. Spray non-sticking spray on a cookie pan and sprinkle the anise seeds on the pan. Place the cookies on top of the anise seeds.

Place a towel over the pan. Let the cookies sit for 1-2 days to dry (this helps the cookie keep the imprint when it bakes). Bake the cookies when the tops are dry. Heat oven to 275 degrees F. Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven when they have slightly browned.

To watch the dough being made, please visit this video.