Helen Getz's Springerles
Zesting lemons!
Grinding fennel seed because I didn't have aniseed. I substituted them one for one and that worked out well.
Whisking the eggs.
Still whisking the eggs.... and now beating in the sugar a little bit at a time. If you have someone there to pour the sugar into the bowl for you, great. If you have a mixer, all the better...
Still whisking. The eggs are about to get moussy and white.
See!
And... still whisking. See our Christmas tree?
Next, add the flour, lemon zest, and fennel.
I like to mix it by hand with a wooden spoon.
Once the dough comes together, you turn it out onto a floured work surface and lightly knead it, just until it holds together.
This is the texture you want.
I rolled it out to match the dimensions of my springerle rolling pin (you'll soon see it).
It's important to neaten the edges so you don't have much waste.
I use a springerle rolling pin, as opposed to a springerle mold, so I made sure the dough was a little narrower than the rolling pin, knowing that as I pressed down on the pin, it would spread...
Aren't the cut-outs pretty?
Then you slice between the cookies.
And lay them on parchment-lined baking sheets. You don't need to separate them by much because they don't spread, they puff.
Here's the strangest step: after cutting them, you leave them out overnight.
The next morning, you bake them, making sure they don't get brown.
I love these little buggers.
Looks like a stone tile.
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Author Notes: Springerles are typically made using either springerle molds or a springerle rolling pin (but you don’t have to have them, so don’t give up). After patting (or rolling) out the dough, you use the mold or springerle rolling pin to imprint the top of the dough with shapes and designs. You cut the dough into rectangles, set the cookies on baking sheets, and then comes the odd-ball part: you let the cookies sit out overnight to dry out the dough before baking. (Is this safe? I don’t know. I’ve eaten them my whole life and I’m still here) When you bake them, you do so at a low temperature so the cookies never brown. And after all that, you’re left with a hard, fragrant chip that’s as beautiful as a majong tile and a perfect partner to eggnog and warm milky tea. - amanda
Makes about 24 cookies
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons crushed anise seed or fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or by using good ol’ elbow grease, beat the eggs and salt until light and foamy. Gradually beat in the sugar (I do about 1/ 4 cup at a time) until thick and cream-colored. Be patient – this takes a while.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon just until a dough forms. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface. Knead it lightly for less than a minute, then pat into a rectangle 1/ 4-inch thick and just a little narrower than the springerle rolling pin (if you don’t have a springerle rolling pin, read on, I’ll get to this), sprinkling flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface. If you have a springerle rolling pin, roll it over the dough, firm enough to make in impression but not so firm as to flatten the dough. Cut into individual cookies, following the pattern. Transfer to the parchment lined baking sheets and let stand overnight. (If you don’t have the rolling pin, roll the dough a smidgen thinner and simply cut into 2-inch by 1 1/ 2-inch cookies.)
- The next day, heat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake the springerles for 20 minutes; rotating the pans back to front, halfway through baking. Do not let the springerles color. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets. Store in an airtight container.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
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8 months ago Maedl
Was hartshorn (or baking powder) omitted from the recipe? Are the eggs the only leavening?
7 months ago amanda
Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.
I checked with my family's recipe and also some other recipes, and while hartshorn or baking powder are traditional ingredients, not all recipes call for them. My grandmother's recipe doesn't call for it, so eggs are the only leavening.
7 months ago Maedl
Thanks for checking, Amanda. It's interesting that some recipes use only eggs. I wonder if those recipes are even older than the ones calling for hartshorn. Do you ever get the little feet (something on the order of a pedestal) on the Springerle you make without hartshorn?
Sorry about those additional copies of my post--looks like my finger was a little too fond of the send button!
7 months ago amanda
Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.
I don't get the feet -- darn!
7 months ago Maedl
It could be that the dough doesn't have enough oomph to give it the extra boost--or perhaps that the cookies aren't dry enough when they get baked. I've let mine sit for two or three days before I thought they had lost enough moisture.
I am a bit obsessive about Springerle (and Lebkuchen, too)! I always bake them at Christmas--and without them it just wouldn't be Christmas.
8 months ago Maedl
Was hartshorn (or baking powder) omitted from the recipe? Are the eggs the only leavening?
8 months ago Maedl
Was hartshorn (or baking powder) omitted from the recipe? Are the eggs the only leavening?
over 2 years ago Sagegreen
Love!