Springerle
My kids call these tea cookies. They are yet another family tradition. I was gifted springerle molds from my mother-in-law which means it's now my job to bake them each year. It's been a learning process which is always the case when making family recipes. Finally I found the secret to making the indentation on the cookies. My favorite molds are 2 1/2 x 2 inches. I have some larger molds which are beautiful and produce stunning cookies, but they are not practical to eat. If you decide to use several sizes of molds, put the different sizes on different baking sheets so they will cook evenly.
| Recipe makes | Active time | Total time |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients |
|---|
| 4 eggs, room temperature |
| 2 cups of sugar |
| 1 tablespoon lemon zest |
| 4 cups sifted flour |
| 1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted |
| 1/2 teaspoon salt, sifted |
| 2 - 3 tablespoons anise seeds |
| Special equipment needed |
|---|
| Zester or microplane |
| Stand mixer or hand mixer |
| Springerle molds |
| Baking sheets |
| Cooling racks |
| Variations |
|---|
| • Use orange rind instead of lemon rind. |
| • Do not use the anise seeds. |
| Storage |
|---|
| • Store in the freezer for 3 - 4 months. |
| Instructions |
|---|
| • Put the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest in mixer. Mix at medium speed for 30 minutes. Yes, 30 minutes really. |
| • Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to completely combine. |
| • In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. See photo below. |
| • Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture 1/2 cup at a time. |
| • Cover and chill overnight. Also chill the springerle molds. |
| • Lightly grease the baking sheets and sprinkle with anise seeds. See photo below. |
| • Working with 1/3 of the dough at a time, roll it out to 1/2 - 5/8-inch thick. Use a marked toothpick to measure the height of the dough at various locations. |
| • Flour the molds lightly but make sure no flour remains in the crevises of the mold otherwise you will not make the proper imprint. Put enough molds on top of the top of the dough to cover it. See photo below. |
| • Press very firmly down on the molds to make a good imprint. |
| • Cut the cookies apart and put on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough. Brush any excess flour from the tops of the cookies. See photo below. |
| • Let cookies stand at room temperature overnight. |
| • Preheat oven to 325º. |
| • Bake for 15 minutes. The cookies should be dried and the bottoms lightly browned, but the tops should remain ivory and not brown. |
| • Remove from the baking sheets and cool on racks. |
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