Springerle

  If you like anise (black licorice) you will love springerle cookies.  They are traditional German Christmas cookies and I remember having them every year since I was very young.  This wasn't exactly my choice of cookies since I don't like anise, but I make them anyway because my mother loves them and it seems like the thing to do at Christmas.  People say they are good, but I'll have to take their word for it.  This is the only recipe I absolutely will not, under any circumstances, taste.  But...enjoy!

3 eggs
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


Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

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:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and bake the cookies for 35 to 40 minutes.  They should be firm, but not brown.  Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.



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.