Drop Springerle Cookies Recipes

TRADITIONAL SPRINGERLE

Steps:

• Lightly grease 4 cookie sheets. Sprinkle with anise seeds. Set aside until needed.
• Mix the flour and baking powder together in a bowl until well blended. Place the eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat until light and frothy, 5 to 8 minutes. Slowly stir in the flour mixture until a thick dough forms.
• Working with handfuls of dough, roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Lightly sift confectioners' sugar over the dough. Place springerle molds onto the dough; press down hard and evenly until the mold's design registers in the dough. Remove the mold. Use a small knife to cut around each cookie, and place on prepared cookie sheets. Repeat, until all dough has been used. Cover the cookies with a lightweight cotton cloth, and allow to dry 8 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Bake cookies in preheated oven until tops are pale brown and set, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container.

SPRINGERLE COOKIES

Steps:

• Dissolve baking powder in milk in a small bowl. Whisk eggs with a mixer on high speed until very thick and pale, about 10 minutes. With machine running, slowly add sugar, beating until smooth and creamy. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in milk mixture, salt, anise extract, and lemon zest until just combined.
• Reduce speed to medium-low. Add 6 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Remove bowl from mixer, and stir in remaining 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, until flour is incorporated and dough is stiff.
• Transfer dough to a floured surface, and knead until dough is smooth and not sticky, adding more flour if necessary. Divide dough into 4 pieces, and wrap in plastic wrap.
• Dust surface and springerle mold with confectioners' sugar. Roll out 1 disk of dough at a time to a 1/4- to 3/8-inch thickness (deeper molds will need thicker dough). Cut a piece of dough about the size of the mold. Press mold firmly into dough, flip over, and gently roll over dough with rolling pin. Flip over, and press onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a knife, trim excess dough from sides of mold. Gently coax dough out of mold with fingertips and onto baking sheet. Repeat, spacing cookies 1 inch apart, and placing same-size cookies on same sheet. Let stand, uncovered, for 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until completely dry, about 1 hour. (They should not color; reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees if cookies start to color.) Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies will keep, unglazed and covered, for up to 2 to 3 weeks.
• Make the glaze: Mix lemon extract and a pinch of luster or petal dust in a small bowl, adding more dust as needed to get desired color. (You will need only a little dust; the mixture should remain runny). Using a very fine paintbrush, brush the tinted extract onto the flat portion of each cookie around the relief. Using a clean, damp paintbrush, remove smudges. Mix additional extract and luster or petal dust in 1/2 teaspoon increments as needed.

SPRINGERLE (MOLDED CHRISTMAS COOKIES)

Steps:

• Beat eggs until very light and fluffy.
• Gradually add sugar; beat for 15 minutes.
• DO NOT under beat.
• Fold in anise extract and flour.
• Roll dough 3/8-inch thick.
• Thoroughly flour springerle mold or rolling pin.
• Press molds firmly to dough.
• Cut cookies apart and place on greased and floured cookie sheet.
• Let dry overnight at room temperature, covered with paper towels, or uncovered.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Place cookies in oven and immediately reduce temperature to 300°F.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Cookies should not brown.
• Store cookies 2 to 3 weeks to mellow flavor.
• These cookies are very hard and may be used for dunking in coffee, tea or cocoa.
• For Christmas, paint designs with egg yolk colored with food coloring.

SPRINGERLE COOKIES

Steps:

• In large mixer bowl, beat eggs at high speed until thick & lemon colored.
• Continue beating while adding sugar slowly; add flour, baking powder, lemon peel & anise extract- beat together completely.
• On a well-floured board, roll out some of the dough with a plain rolling pin to about 1/2" thickness; lightly flour Springerle rolling pin & roll it firmly across dough to impress patterns (try to keep dough about 1/2" thick).
• Cut cookies apart between patterns.
• Place cookies 1/2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets, and allow them to dry uncovered overnight (12 hours).
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 250-300° & place cookies 1/2" apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake 25-30 minutes until firm but still white.
• Remove to wire racks to cool.
• Store cookies in a tightly covered container with some anise seeds.
• Flavor develops fully after about 2 weeks.

SPRINGERLE

Steps:

• Dissolve baking powder in milk in a small bowl. Put the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat eggs on high speed until very thick and lemon colored, about 10 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar until creamy and smooth.
• Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed, until creamy. Add baking powder and milk, salt, anise extract, and lemon zest; beat to combine.
• Add 6 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing on medium-low speed after each addition. Remove from mixer and stir in 3 more cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough is stiff and well combined.
• Transfer dough to a floured surface; knead by hand until dough is smooth and not sticky, adding more flour if necessary. Divide dough into 4 pieces; wrap well in plastic wrap.
• Dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar; roll out 1 piece of dough 3/8 inch thick. Using a pastry brush, coat a springerle mold with confectioners' sugar. Press mold into the dough; lift off. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut out cookie and slide it onto parchment-lined baking sheets; repeat, arranging cookies by size, about 1 inch apart. Let stand uncovered for 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 220°F. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until completely dry, about 1 hour. They will not take on any color. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 weeks.
• HOW TO FORM SPRINGERLE
• To make springerle, dough is rolled out on a work surface dusted with confectioners' sugar, a mold is pressed into the dough, and the excess is trimmed away.