

1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon of anise oil, or 1 Tablespoon of anise seed, or both
1/4 teaspoon of lemon oil, or the zest of one lemon
3 1/2 half cups flour
more anise seed

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, salt, confectioner's sugar and flavorings for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the flour to form a very stiff dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead into a smooth ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Now you are ready to shape the cookies. Tradition calls for a spingerle rolling pin but alternative directions are below. Dust the work surface lightly with flour and divide the dough into thirds, working with one third at a time. Use a regular rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 1/4 of an inch rectangle the size of your springerle pin. Roll the springerle pin over the dough, pressing down hard so you leave an impression. Cut the cookies apart at the lines.
(If you don't have a springerle pin, roll out as above with a regular pin then, using a mold, press down on the dough to create the cookies, cutting with a knife around the edges as needed.)
Sprinkle a generous amount of anise seed on the cookie sheets and transfer the cookies to them. This will give them extra flavor and help raise them off the sheet to dry. Set the unbaked cookies aside to dry at room temperature for 24 hours.
The next day:

These should be stored in an airtight container. If they become too hard to eat, put a piece of bread in the container with them to soften them up a bit.
Okay, that is a very labor intensive cookie. I'm not a big fan of anise (it's not too bad), but I wonder; do you think you could substitute vanilla or another flavor, like almond? It seems very much like a biscotti-type recipe.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if they will officially be "springerle cookies" then but I tell you what....if you try it that way, I'll add it to this blog, and start a new tradition of the German cookie that non-Germans prefer. I might even taste your version! (as opposed to the anise, which I'm not fond of) It sounds like something we should try.
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