Springerle Cookies

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 36
• 1/2 teaspoon baker's ammonia (hartshorn) or 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 6 cups powdered sugar (1 - 1 1/2 lb)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but not melted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon anise (if substituting fruit flavored oils, use 3 teaspoons)
• 2 lbs sifted cake flour
• grated orange rind (enhances flavor of the traditional anise or the citrus flavors, optional, optional) (optional) or lemon rind (enhances flavor of the traditional anise or the citrus flavors) (optional)
• flour (more as needed)

Recipe

• 1 dissolve hartshorn in the milk for 1 hour.
• 2 beat eggs until thick and lemon coloured, about 10 minutes with a heavy duty mixed, longer with a hand mixer.
• 3 slowly beat in the powdered sugar, then the softened butter, beating until the mixture is creamy.
• 4 beat in the hartshorn and milk, salt, flavouring oil and grated citrus peel, if using.
• 5 gradually beat in as much of the flour as possible with the mixer, then stir in the rest of the flour to make a stiff dough.
• 6 turn the dough onto floured surface and knead in more flour until stiff enough to make a good print.
• 7 the amount of flour needed will depend on the size of the eggs and amount of humidity.
• 8 dust a surface with flour and roll out the dough to about 1/3 " thickness.
• 9 with a clean dry pastry brush, brush springerle molds with cake flour and press into the dough.
• 10 cut out cookies with a knife, pizza cutter, pastry wheel or cutter.
• 11 place cookies on a kitchen towel, uncovered, to dry for 2 to 24 hours.
• 12 bake on a greased or baker's parchment lined cookie sheet at 225 f to 325 f until barely golden on the bottom. this will take 10 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies.
• 13 cool completely on rack and store in tins.
• 14 they will keep for monthe and improve with age. they can be baked in october or november for christmas.
• 15 the number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size and thickness of the cookies.
• 16 prep time does not include the 2 to 24 hour drying time.
• 17 variations:.
• 18 chocolate springerle - add 1 cup cocoa and 2 tsp vanilla or chocolate extract in place of other flavorings. for a lighter colored cookie, use chocolate flavor confectioner's sugar which is available in 1 lb boxes, plus 2 tsp of vanilla or chocolate extract.
• 19 cocoa-mocha - add 2 tbsp powdered (pulverize granules if necessary) instant coffee to milk plus either of the chocolate formulas given above.
• 20 citrus - use 3 to 4 tsp oil of lemon or oil of orange, or 2 tsp oil and grated rind of 3 oranges or lemons.
• 21 oil of cinnamon, almond or peppermint - use 1/2 tsp
• 22 vanilla - use 4 or 5 tsp extract.