4 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 ½ cups cake flour, or more if
needed
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
Aniseed
Beat
eggs in electric mixer, add sugar
gradually and continue beating
about 10 minutes. Blend in sifted
flour, salt and baking powder with
the melted butter. Roll out
lightly and press out design from
a Springerle board; then place on
buttered sheet that has been
sprinkled with aniseed. Allow to
stand 12 to 24 hours to set the
design. Then start to bake in a
350 oven. These cookies must be
watched carefully so that they do
not darken. Just a hint of yellow
is all the browning that should be
allowed and the oven temperature
should be lowered to 300 after the
first 5 minutes of baking. Baking
time is about 15 minutes.
Notes: The less flour you can get
by with the better- 3½ to 4 cups
of pastry flour.
If bread flour is used, cut the
amount down. Plain sugar can be
used but, powdered sugar is
better. Confectioners’ sugar can
be used also but in that case 2½
cups will be needed and the flour
should be cut down slightly. Do
not roll too thin one third of an
inch is about right, but a half
inch may prove not to be too thick
if the board can be pressed down
hard. If the dough is difficult to
handle and the Springerle board
sticks in spite of having been
well floured, sift extra flour
over the top of the dough before
pressing. You will then have to
blow the extra flour off after
removing the Springerle board. But
your second rolling of cookies
will not be tough and all your
cookies will stay softer inside.
Springerle boards may be obtained
at most big department stores
either in squares or oblongs with
from four to twelve designs on
each board. Or you may be able to
get a Springerle embossed rolling
pin. My sister Mabel liked to use
one of these but the rest of us
found that they often slipped and
we prefer the flat boards which
used to be imported from Germany
and Switzerland but are now made
here.
Traditionalists say that
Springerle should never be soft
inside since they were meant to be
dunked. If you feel that way, you
will have an easier time rolling
them out but we like them soft and
Mother liked them best freshly
baked as well, so she always baked
another batch right before
Christmas.
About the Author - unknown
Source: out of a book printed in
1949
Published:
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