Traditional German cookies with a delicate anise flavor, stamped with special cookie stamps (see note*) for a lovely bas-relief appearance. Real works of art, these are a very hard cookie suitable for shipping and dunking in your tea or coffee. These are set out overnight to dry before baking, which helps to preserve the fine details in the images.
Ingredients
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
4 large eggs
4-1/2 cups cake flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
crushed anise seeds
Directions
- Beat the eggs with an electric mixer for 10 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients along with the lemon zest and a 1/2 teaspoon of the anise seeds to the egg mixture. Mix well.
- Cover tightly and chill 4-5 hours. Divide the dough into fourths. Roll 1/4″ thick, dust lightly with flour and press with springerle mold or roller (see note*, below). Cut the individual cookies apart with a cutter wheel.
- Place them on a lightly floured surface, cover with a towel and let stand to dry overnight (this helps them to keep their shape).
- Pre-heat oven to 250F. Grease baking sheets and sprinkle them with anise seeds. Brush the excess flour from the cookies, place them on the sheets and bake at 250F for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove before the edges start to brown.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- * Springerle, also known as Eierzucker, are shaped with special (usually inexpensive) wooden molds used to stamp designs into the cookies (available at CookieMold.com). They can also come in the form of a rolling pin (available at Amazon.com). There is a HUGE selection of handmade, vintage and/or imported springerle molds at Etsy or Ebay. You may find them at local specialty food stores or gift shops specializing in Swiss and German keepsakes.
- If you cannot find a springerle board, roller, or mold, just cut the cookies in squares or cut them with cookie cutters, or use the other popular cookie stamps that are available.
- Springerle can be painted and hung on the Christmas tree. This is traditional in some areas.