Amerikaner Recipes

"AMERIKANER" (GERMAN VANILLA BISCUIT)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
• In a big bowl cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Little by little add the milk and the eggs.
• In a second bowl mix flour, baking powder and starch. Add to the butter-mixture and stirr in until just blended.
• Using 2 tablespoons drop 6 heaps of dough onto each paper-lined baking sheet (you will need 2). Make sure to leave enough space in between the heaps as dough will spread during baking.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire-rack and allow to cool.
• If using the glaze stir together icing sugar and lemon juice and spread this onto the even side of the Amerikaner.
• Idea: For children you can spread the curved side of the biscuit with a chocolate icing and stick slivered almonds into them to make them appear like little hedgehogs. :).

AMERIKANER

Steps:

• Mix all dry ingredients together.
• Mix together water, milk, eggs, and extracts.
• Cream butter.
• Mix in sugar, a little at a time.
• Add liquid ingredients, mix well.
• Add dry ingredients in several steps, blend well after each.
• The dough needs to be fairly firm, not like cookie dough but drier than cake dough, if it is too runny add a little more flour.
• Put dough about two tablespoons on a greased cookie sheet, don't place too close together as this will spread.
• Bake in a preheated 300ºF to 325ºF oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
• After about 10 minutes in the oven brush the exposed side with some milk.
• Finish baking till the dough turns a golden brown, don't overbake.
• Light Glaze:.
• Mix powdered sugar with enough water to make a spreadable mass, you can't mess this one up, too thin- more sugar, too thick- more water.
• Dark Glaze:.
• Mix powdered sugar and cocoa and proceed as for light glaze.
• Glaza the underside of the Amerikaner with either or both glazes.