Springerle are German anise-flavored cookies that go back at least 700 years in their rich tradition as special gifts during the holidays and other celebrations. Delicately crispy-crunchy and a slightly chewy center, they’re made with simple ingredients and are easy to make but absolutely require that you follow some key steps to achieving the right look, texture and flavor. This authentic Springerle recipe goes back to the Swabia region of Germany where these famous cookies originated.
What Are Springlere?
Springerle are traditional German cookies with a very long, very rich history and tradition and come from the Swabia region of southern Germany where I’m from. They’re delicately flavored with anise and are embossed with a variety of designs. Historically made for religious holidays and other special occasions, today they are most commonly made during the Christmas season and for New Year’s though Springerle with flowers, landscapes and other everyday designs remain popular throughout the year. The name “Springerle” translates from German as “little jumpers” because of their behavior of rising or “jumping up” while they’re baking.
Authentic Springerle are made with eggs, sugar, flour, baker’s ammonia, salt and anise. They’re a very low-moisture cookie that are made without any fat. Springerle are very hard cookies that are stored long-term to undergo a period of “ripening” for several weeks as their flavor and texture develops. Over time they develop a delicately crispy-crunchy, shattering exterior and a slightly chewy center. They are traditionally eaten with and dunked in a hot beverage.
The hallmark of Springerle lies in the beauty of their presentation created by special molds used to emboss designs on their surface. Springerle were traditionally made as gifts, as charms for happiness, to give to friends and loved ones on special occasions such as births, weddings, betrothals, during the Christmas season and on New Year’s.
A Brief History of Springerle
These renowned cookies can be traced back to at least the 1300’s to the Swabia region of southern Germany where they were regarded as charms for good luck, happiness and religious observance. Historically Springerle molds were a German baker’s opportunity to show off his woodcarving skills. At that time baking apprentices in Swabia Germany not only had to demonstrate their ability to bake, they also had to carve their own Springerle molds as a kind of rite of passage to becoming a full-fledged, bona fide baker. The more intricate and detailed the mold, the more heralded the baker. These molds were passed down from generation to generation as treasured family heirlooms.
In fact, so prized were these family heirlooms that Germans immigrating to the United States in the 17th and 18th centuries would make space in their luggage just for their Springerle molds.
The themes of the Springerle molds changed throughout the centuries, transitioning from the earlier religious symbols in the 15th century to scenes of gallantry with knights on horseback, then on to the more romantic and highly detailed images of the 19th century with flowers, landscapes, and symbols of love, marriage and friendship. In the 20th century designs included things like Santa Claus, reindeer, and Christmas trees.
You can still buy both simple and elaborate wood-carved Springerle molds in Germany and you can also find antique ones that usually command a hefty price, especially the very detailed ones.
Special Equipment for Making Springerle: Springerle Molds
Trying to find Springerle molds outside of Germany and other European countries that make cookies using molds (eg, Belgium and the Netherlands’ well-known speculoos/speculaas cookies), is very challenging. You can buy antique molds on eBay at a premium price or you can just use whatever you have that’s available. For example, you can use cookie stamps. There are a number of inexpensive ones on the market as well as high quality ones like these cookie stamps from Nordic Ware that are built to last and whose designs are cut deep enough to make a good impression on the cookie (Nordic Ware has multiple designs to choose from). I have three different sets of Nordic Ware cookie stamps.
Pictured below is my Springerle rolling pin that I brought with me from Stuttgart, Germany before I moved to the U.S.. This is the mold that I used in the pictures for this recipe. A Springerle rolling pin is easy to use and you can crank out a ton of Springerle very quickly.
Amazon has a hand-carved Springerle rolling pin that looks similar to mine.
Next we’re going to cover the key aspects to creating truly authentic German Springerle.
Key #1 to Making Authentic Springerle: Baker’s Ammonia
Ammonium bicarbonate, known as baker’s ammonia, is an old-fashioned leavening agent that was commonly used until the 19th century when baking soda and baking powder came onto the scene. If you look through very old cookbooks you’ll find baker’s ammonia in the list of ingredients for specific kinds of baked goods. And while baking powder and baking soda largely replaced and perform a similar function to baker’s ammonia, they are not one and the same. In Europe and the Middle East, for example, some recipes for low-moisture things like crackers and crispy cookies still call for baker’s ammonia because of its unique qualities that baking powder or baking soda cannot replicate. It’s also used (either that or potash) for other types of “flat” baked goods such as German Lebkuchen, Honigkuchen and a German pastry known as Amerikaner, to “loosen” the texture of their crumb.
Springerle are the perfect example of a baked good that really requires the use of baker’s ammonia to get the right results and that’s traditionally what they were always made with.
It doesn’t matter which brand you use, but select one that’s food grade. I’ve been using organic food grade Baker’s Ammonia from Pure Organics.
*Just a note of warning: Baker’s ammonia smells BAD. Really bad. But don’t worry, the smell dissipates during baking.
What is the Difference Between Baker’s Ammonia and Baking Powder/Soda?
Besides having different chemical compositions, they perform differently. While all three are leavening agents, baker’s ammonia creates an effect that baking powder and soda cannot replicate. As the cracker or cookie is baking, the tiny crystals in the ammonium bicarbonate break down and leave tiny air pockets behind in the crumb. The best way to describe the effect is that baker’s ammonia creates a unique honey-combed, porous crumb so that hard baked goods like crackers and cookies/biscuits have a more delicate, crispier, crunchier texture. Baker’s ammonia also contributes to a more even spread of the cookies.
Baker’s ammonia does have a very strong, very unpleasant odor but don’t be put off by that – the odor and taste will dissipate during baking.
In contrast what you normally get with a baked good that has virtually no moisture in it is something you could break your tooth on or could serve as a door stopper. (Think military hard tack from generations ago. Soldiers had to dip it in their coffee in order to make it edible.)
THAT is what you get if you make Springerle without baker’s ammonia: Rock hard, tooth-breaking, door-stopping cookies.
But let’s also be clear on something: Springerle are meant to be hard. And they’re traditionally eaten with a hot beverage for dipping. But the difference is that the baker’s ammonia creates that honey-combing effect that makes them less dense and gives them a more delicate and crunchy crumb.
In addition to the texture advantage of using baker’s ammonia for low-moisture, crispy goods, it also doesn’t leave behind the characteristic soapy flavor that baking powder or soda does.
Cook’s Illustrated’s verdict: “[Baker’s ammonia] works so well, we’d be tempted to use it for crisp baked goods all the time if it were more readily available.” The good news is that it’s readily available online.
Key #2: Authentic Springerle DO NOT Use Butter or Fat of Any Kind. ZERO.
What about the fact that most of the recipes out there on the web don’t call for baker’s ammonia? How do they try to get around the hard-as-a-rock, tooth-breaking factor? They add butter. They add fat in their workaround to soften it up a bit. The result? Shortbread, not Springerle. Different flavor, different texture.
So use the butter to make Scottish Shortbread. But if you want Springerle leave the butter in the fridge. There is no place for butter in traditional Springerle.
Next let’s talk about the flavor of traditional Springerle.
Being made with nothing but eggs, flour and sugar they really have very little flavor. That’s where the anise comes in. There’s also the addition of the lemon zest which is optional but which we recommend because it contributes a lovely bright contrast and balance to the anise.
Key #3: Fresh Anise Seeds and Quality Pure Anise Oil
Traditionally whole anise seeds are always used. They’re dry roasted in a pan to release their oils and maximize flavor, then they’re strewn across the baking sheet before the Springerle are set on top of them. In addition to the anise seeds many German bakers will also add a few drops of pure anise oil for an added boost in flavor. We also recommend it.
The quality of your anise oil matters. It needs to taste real and it needs to be potent enough so that you only need to add a tiny bit of the oily liquid to achieve the flavor effect. So be sure to use quality 100% pure anise oil.
I use and recommend Lorann’s 100% Pure Anise Oil. It’s very potent and a few drops go a long way.
Key #4: Let the Springerle Air Dry For 24 Hours Before Baking Them
The whole purpose of Springerle are to be able to showcase their beautiful embossed designs and if you bake them right away the designs will not hold their shape or form.
In order for the embossed designs to stay in place during baking you need a dough that is super low-moisture to start and then the cookies need to be left to further dry out and develop a hardened crust on the exterior. This way the designs remain stable and unaltered during baking.
Key #5: Moisten the Bottom of Each Air-Dried Springerle Before Baking Them
The purpose of this step hearkens back to the meaning of their name, Springerle, which means “little jumpers.” Springerle rise in a particular way, creating their characteristic platform on the bottom or “feet” as they call it in Germany. In other words, they “spring up” on their “feet” while baking.
There is an important functional purpose for lightly moistening the bottom of the cookies. Once the cookies have dried for 24 hours they can have uneven moisture spots throughout. This can result in the Springerle rising more quickly on one side than the other, resulting in slanted or lop-sided cookies. To prevent that we lightly and evenly moisten the bottoms by gently pressing the cookie down on a damp cloth. That’s the key for enabling an even-leveled rise.
Authentic Springerle Recipe
Let’s get started!
Place the eggs in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place. Beat the eggs until foamy. Add the powdered sugar, a little at a time along with the vanilla sugar (or extract), anise oil and lemon zest (if using).
Once all the powdered sugar has been added continue to beat the mixture for 10 minutes. Yes, that’s 10 full minutes. The batter needs to be very loose and airy. Note: Follow the instructions on your stand mixer to give your machine a rest after the suggested amount of time so as not to overwork your mixer.
Combine the flour, baker’s ammonia and salt in a bowl. Add HALF of the flour mixture to the wet mixture along with the and beat it for a full 15 minutes.
Attach the paddle attachment now. Add the remaining flour and beat for another 5 minutes.
The dough should be very soft but not wet and sticky.
Form the dough into a ball, flatten it to an inch-thick disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
The next day roll out the cold dough to about 1/3 inch thick (1 cm) on a floured work surface.
Use your molds or rolling pin to make the shapes and cut them out with sharp knife or pastry cutter. If you’re using molds lightly dust them with flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
Toast the whole anise seeds in a dry pan over medium-high heat until aromatic, being careful not to let them scorch. Place the anise seeds on a lined cookie sheet, spreading them out evenly.
Lay the Springerle on top of the anise seeds on the baking sheet. Let them dry at room temperature for a full 24 hours, longer if you’re in a place with high humidity. The outside of the Springerle should be dry.
Lay a damp towel on the counter and gently press the Springerle down onto it to very lightly and evenly moisten the bottoms. Return the Springerle back to the cookie sheet.
In an oven preheated to 300 degrees F with the rack positioned in the middle, bake the cookies for 20-30 minutes. Do not let the cookies turn golden, they’re supposed to stay very pale, basically the same color as when you put them in the oven.
The Springerle should have risen evenly to create their characteristic “feet” or platform underneath. Let the cookies cool off completely. They will become very hard as they cool.
Springerle are traditionally stored in airtight containers with half of an apple next to them inside the container to create a little bit of moisture to gradually soften the cookies over time. Periodically change out the apple. Once the Springerle have slightly softened up you can remove the apple and then continue storing them in the airtight container waiting for the flavor to develop.
One of the nice things about Springerle is that they’re supposed to be made far in advance. So you can make them weeks before Christmas, set them aside and forget about them, and continue on with your other Christmas preparations.
Most Springerle bakers agree that waiting 3-4 weeks before eating them is best to allow the flavor and texture to develop.
Enjoy these Springerle on their own or, as is tradition, enjoy them with a hot beverage and dip them.
Enjoy!
To put your molds and mold rolling pins to further use, be sure to try our traditional Speculoos cookies!
For more incredible German Christmas goodies, be sure to try our:
- Stollen
- Zimtsterne
- Pfeffernüsse
- Lebkuchen
- Marzipan
- Bethmännchen
- Heidesand
- Magenbrot
- Kokosmakronen
- Marzipankartoffeln
- Haselnussmakronen
- Kinderpunsch
as well as our Austrian Vanillekipferl and Linserkekse!
Authentic German Springerle
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs , room temperature (the eggs must be large; if you are using medium add an additional egg)
- 3 cups powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar) (if using cups start with slightly less flour, 2-3 tablespoons, and add the rest as needed)
- 1 teaspoon quality pure vanilla extract (or 2 packets of vanilla sugar)
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon quality 100% pure anise oil (not extract), how much you use depends on how strong of an anise flavor you want.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (if measuring in cups start with slightly less flour and add the rest as needed if the dough is too soft/sticky)
- 1/4 teaspoon baker's ammonia *slightly less than 1/4 teaspoon (see blog post for explanation about baker's ammonia)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- zest of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons whole anise seeds
Instructions
- Place the eggs in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place. Beat the eggs until foamy. Add the powdered sugar, a little at a time along with the vanilla extract and anise oil.Once all the powdered sugar has been added continue to beat the mixture for 10 minutes. Yes, that's 10 full minutes, do not reduce the time. The batter needs to be very loose and airy. Note: Follow the instructions on your stand mixer to give your machine a rest after the suggested amount of time so as not to overwork your mixer.
- Combine the flour, baker's ammonia and salt in a bowl. Add HALF of the flour mixture to the wet mixture along with the lemon zest and beat it for a full 15 minutes, do not reduce the time (if the mixture is too dry for your whisk attachment, use the paddle attachment).Attach the paddle attachment, add the remaining flour and beat for another 5 minutes.The dough should be very soft but not wet and sticky. If the dough is too dry or stiff mix in a little more lightly beaten egg.Form the dough into a ball, flatten it to an inch-thick disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
- The next day roll out the cold dough to about 1/3 inch thick (1 cm) on a floured work surface (if the dough chilled for several hours and is very firm, let it sit at room temperature until soft enough to work with). Use your molds or rolling pin to make the shapes and cut them out with sharp knife or pastry cutter. If you're using molds lightly dust them with flour to prevent the dough from sticking.Toast the whole anise seeds in a dry pan over medium-high heat until aromatic, being careful not to let them scorch. Place the anise seeds on a lined cookie sheet, spreading them out evenly.Lay the Springerle on top of the anise seeds on the baking sheet. Let them dry at room temperature for a full 24 hours, longer if you're in a place with high humidity. The outside of the Springerle should be dry.
- After the cookies have dried for at least 24 hours, lay a damp towel on the counter and gently press the Springerle down onto it to very lightly and evenly moisten the bottoms. Return the Springerle back to the cookie sheet.In an oven preheated to 300 degrees F with the rack positioned in the middle, bake the cookies for 20-30 minutes. Do not let the cookies turn golden, they're supposed to stay very pale, basically the same color as when you put them in the oven.
- The Springerle should have risen evenly to create their characteristic "feet" or platform underneath. Let the cookies cool off completely. They will become very hard as they cool. Springerle are traditionally stored in airtight containers with half of an apple next to them inside the container to create a little bit of moisture to gradually soften the cookies over time. Periodically change out the apple. Once the Springerle have slightly softened you can remove the apple and then continue storing them in the airtight container waiting for the flavor to develop.
Most Springerle bakers agree that waiting 3-4 weeks before eating them is best to allow the texture and flavor to develop.Enjoy these Springerle on their own or, as is tradition, enjoy them with a hot beverage and dip them.Makes about 34 Springerle depending on their size.
Christina says
Hi Kimberly thanks for this post, the recipe, and all your informative replies to questions! I appreciate that you offer weighted ingredients and also love your genius tip of moistening the Springerle bottoms before baking. Here are my two questions:
1. I’ve been making Springerle ever since I inherited my Swabian Grandma’s mold 20 years ago. She never used a recipe so I’ve been searching off and on and usually fall back to the Joy of Cooking’s recipe (with a tweak of anise oil – or lemon oil for those who do not like the anise flavor). It’s similar to your recipe but with with biggest difference of calling for superfine sugar vs confectioner’s. Have you ever tried the recipe with superfine sugar? If not, do you think it would be an acceptable substitute or should I just go out and buy some?
2. Will my Kitchenaid mixer handle doubling the recipe?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Christina, I don’t recommend using superfine sugar, no. Doubling the recipe – that’s a great question. I actually haven’t tried that so I’m not sure how well the Kitchenaid will handle it!
Victoria Soodak says
x2 fits in my kitchen aid. I tried them with superfine white rice flour and bakers sugar and they were excellent. I also don’t beat them a long time at all, just whip the whites, add the yolks, etc, sugar, they come out great. I’m not sure what the beating accomplishes, just whipping the whites stiff at first does the trick. I think maybe and old time custom. I did it that way the first time and didn’t notice any benefit except it developed the gluten in my AP flour ones and they were terrible, but I was missing one egg.
Also, beware too much baker’s ammmonia, as stated above. The damping of the bottoms right before baking is crucial to even rising.
Ashley says
Hi Christina! I tried doubling this recipe in my KitchenAid and my machine started smoking due to resistance 😬. I’m currently on attempt (and KitchenAid) #2 and just did one batch- it worked significantly better.
PJ says
Hi Ashley and Christina,
I tried just a single batch and at the 4:30 minute point of the last mix my Kitchen Aid gave up. Granted it was 40+ years old, but I was rather sad to see it go.
My dough seemed right per the recipe soft and pliable, so I wrapped it up and refrigerated it 24 hours. The next day when I went to roll it to the 1 cm thickness, it was incredibly hard and almost impossible to do. I got a work out for sure!!! When I finally got it thin enough, my decorative rolling pins really had to press down to get an imprint, plus the excess edge dough would not roll again so I wasted a bunch. How should the dough be after refrigerating? Any hints on what to do if dough won’t stick enough after to cut more?
Thanks so much!
L says
I had the exact same experience. I could barely press the cookie. I have a similar but not the same recipe from my German grandmother and have never experienced this level of stiffness or difficulty. I simply do not have the strength to use this recipe.
Bill B. says
I am glad I found this site. It was interesting to read the history of the Springerle cookies. Up until a couple years ago I only knew these as Anise cookies as that is what my mamaw called them. I’ve also learned from your recipe that either my great grandma or mamaw altered the recipe at some time. I have 3 handwritten recipes from them and they were all different. When I ate these as a kid, they were hard & I loved them that way. I made these with my mamaw after my papaw’s passing in ’02 as she didn’t have a large mixer and needed me to mix the ingredients for her. She passed in ’13 and I have carried on the tradition of making them the way she taught me, but….that recipe had butter in it. I even asked for a kitchenaid mixer for Christmas one year just so I could make these cookies. I will be making them this year without the butter. Her recipe also called for 1 pound of sugar (1/2 lb granulated, 1/2 lb powdered). So this year I will do it with powdered only, which is how one of the recipes have it. My mamaw gave me her Springerle rolling pin which was my great grandma’s on my papaw’s side.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Bill, thanks so much for sharing. What a priceless treasure that rolling pin is and how wonderful that your mamaw passed it down to you. Happy baking and Merry Christmas!
Jenna says
Hi there! I’m excited to make these for the first time. Two questions: can I use silicone baking mats (siplats) instead of the parchment on the pan? And is anise extract instead of anise oil okay? Thank you!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jenna, yes to both questions. Happy baking!
Careen Hawkins says
Followed recipe exactly. Dough is slightly sticky. Should I add more flour? Am in process now.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Careen, it should be very soft but not sticky. Go ahead and add a little more flour.
Elle says
This is very close to my great great grandfather’s recipe (a baker in the Netherlands) but my copy doesn’t have any baking powder/soda/ammonia/Hartshorn, I assume Hartshorn just got omitted over the generations when no one could find it in the stores.
My question is about the apple/softening process: my cookies keep getting wet spots. I’ve tried wrapping the apple slices in parchment paper or wax paper and that helped a little but the wet spots keep cropping up and ruining my cookies. Any ideas how to stop it?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Elle, the spots aren’t completely preventable I’m afraid. They’re perfectly safe, just aesthetically imperfect.
MARK E. HUGHES says
Thank You, good job. Even better Anise oil is available from my favorite health food supplier All Star Health for $3.95 oz vs, 10.99 oz for LorAnn.
Barbara says
Hi Kimberly, thanks for this recipe and your lovely history and thorough explanation. I bake Christmas pastries and biscuits regularly but this is my first go at Springerle. Our family is intolerant to modern wheat so I’ve used spelt flour. I would presume, since the recipe dates back so many centuries, that they would have used something similar to spelt as well, but the ratio given didn’t work for me – I had to add a whole extra cup of flour in the end. The dough was so incredibly wet and sticky that there was no way to roll it or press any shapes into it (will add that I live in Southampton, England, and it’s rather damp here this time of the year. I have adjusted the baker’s ammonia amount by one eight of a teaspoon, an educated guess. They seem to have baked ok but I have yet to taste them. Have you ever tried spelt flour, and if so, have you had to change the recipe as much as I have?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Barbara, spelt (being whole grain) has the bran and germ still intact whereas the regular white flour has had those removed. I would imagine that would impact how much water is absorbed. I haven’t made these with spelt or any other whole grains so I can’t give you input as to how to alter the ratios, but it definitely sounds like you either need to cut back on the water or add a little more flour.
Amanda says
Thank you for sharing your recipe. My great grandparents were from Hungary and passed down our family recipe, which has the same ratios as yours. Regarding many of the people with issues of the dough cracking, they are probably in a very low humidity environment and need to decrease the flour. I’ve made these in Florida (usually need extra flour), California (usually right on the nose), and Maryland (highly variable depending on weather). We didn’t have a KitchenAid mixer until late, so my dad would take over mixing when the motor on our first one would start to smoke. He broke more than one wooden spoon finishing the dough.
My family recipe calls for baking powder, which I always used until a couple years ago when I found about the Hartshorn (bakers ammonia). My oven is very tightly sealed compared to any one I’ve used previously, and I always have to adjust temperature and cooking time down, especially baking. Well, the ammonia smell was overwhelming. Also, the bottom of the cookies melted into a puddle across the pan. After it cooled, I tasted it, and the cookies tasted strongly of ammonia. I let them air out overnight on baking racks which helped slightly, but the taste was still bad. Do you have any idea what went wrong?
Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Amanda, thanks for the info about humidity, I’m sure that will be helpful for some of our readers who may need to make adjustments. Regarding the baker’s ammonia; that is very strange. You said you started using baker’s ammonia a couple of years ago….so this is the first time this has happened?
David says
Adding the last half of the flour mixture made my kitchen-aid mixer bowl come off the base. Dough was so thick and dry, had a hard time adding the other half of the flour mix. I placed in fridge overnight, the next day dough was rock hard and i couldn’t roll it. I finally managed to warm it to room temp, added some water and could hardly roll it without the dough cracking. Managed to roll with my springrle rolling pin. No images were made in the dough. I did bake them another day later, smelled great, rose well, but sat hand became a brick. I hope i did something wrong or the recipe needs adjusting. Thoughts?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi David, something was definitely very off. Did you use large eggs? Did you beat the eggs until foamy and then beat the eggs and powdered sugar for a full 10 minutes? Did you beat the mixture (only HALF of the flour) in step 2 for a full 15 minutes before adding the remaining flour? It’s imperative to follow those steps and not cut corners, either on the ingredients themselves or the mixing time. Did you make any other alterations to either the ingredients or the process?
The ratio of wet to dry ingredients in this recipe is standard and you’ll see the same ratio reflected in other authentic recipes. We’ve had many readers email us with their success stories using this recipe, I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.
David says
Well it was obvious that I did something wrong the first time. I repeated the recipe and this time it turned out exceptional. I’m a really please with this recipe. It has the best texture for dunking in my coffee in the mornings. Thanks for replying and I’m glad I tried again.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s great news, David, thank you!
Elizabeth says
I grew up on these cookies and still make them every year. My kids cannot stand the flavor of Anise. Has anyone made them with Almond extract instead?
Anonymous says
Hi Elizabeth: I haven’t made this recipe exactly but a very similar German springerle recipe. I subbed 50/50 vanilla and almond extract and they were delicious!
Ruthie Williams says
My Grandmother made these. I had 2 favorite Christmas Cookies she made… Springerle and a Date/raisin filled soft cookie. She was Swiss and French but lots of German foods…Maiden name: Luchsinger. I also remember Potato Pancakes…I have my grandmother’s recipe for Springerle cookies but it is only ingredients with no amounts or directions. I am anxious to try your recipe. My Aunt sold my Grandmother’s Springerle board….I do remember one design was like a Chess Knight.
JL says
Where did you buy this rolling pin? Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi JL, I bought it in Germany.
Laura Petchul says
Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic Springerle recipe! I had never heard of these before, and now I’m a bit obsessed… I see so many incredible molds that I want now!
I have looked at several other recipes and yours is by far the best- I loved learning a bit of history about this German treat as well as your detailed instructions. I have a feeling if I attempted many of the other recipes out there, I would not have been successful.
I made the traditional Springerle cookie using anise oil and the seeds and have another week or so before they’re fully “aged” and ready to eat. I did try one and loved it! I just finished my second batch using almond extract and a bit of amaretto- can’t wait to try them as well.
Thank you again for sharing this and your other recipes I am going to check out. I’m so excited at how beautifully they came out!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so excited too that they turned out so beautifully, Laura, that’s wonderful! I know exactly how you feel, I love “window shopping” for Springerle molds and wish I could just buy them all, lol! :) Thanks again for the feedback and I hope you enjoy our other recipes!
A. Marina Fournier says
Warning: if you don’t have a stand mixer, such as a KitchenAid (mine’s still packed, location unknown), borrow one to make this. My hand mixer had the odor of burning oil/motor on the second mix of 15 min—it was one hard slog, even at the lowest speed. My belle-mère suggested a hand beater, which would burn *my muscles* out.
I don’t know if using GF flour had anything to do with it, as this is my first attempt at springerle. We use Jumbo eggs. No double yolks with the ones I used.
Current learning experiences: if you’re going to put your limpa bread in a ceramic pan, instead of on a baking pan lined with parchment paper, either grease the pan for the final rising, or line the bottom with parchment paper.
Pay better attention to the flour volume in the stollen dough: too much and you’ll have baked rocks. Had to toss the first dough, blast it.
Yes, I had to wait for my hartshorn, which came a week later than the last minute order of a pastry cutter, but I used the volume-measured ingredients. I live in the SF Bay Area, moderate humidity. I have a lovely downright frigid garage for the air drying of the cookies, atop the washer, lightly covered.
The dough certainly looked like a smooth cookie batter. I am about to take it from the fridge, where it has chilled for two days (don’t ask), to roll out and cut.
I still have to make a double batch with wheat flour, so borrow I must a stand mixer. I may use 5, instead of 6, jumbo eggs, given the size, depending on results of this batch.
Cindy Sandelin says
My family has been making these for hundreds of years and I am proudly the current home to a mold that my great great great grandfather made for my ggg grandmother! My great grandmother (from the Black Forest region) had a recipe card that included a choice between making them with brown sugar or with confectioners sugar. My mother can’t ever remember anyone in the family making them with brown sugar though. I really enjoyed your post! My family recipes (Great Grandmother and Grandma’s) both call for the anise seed to be mixed into the dough (1-2 t.). I’m looking forward to trying the roasting/pan method! Also, I’ve never placed them on a damp towel but they rarely have trouble being crispy on top and chewy on the bottom. Maybe because I use baking stones? Grandma and Mom used metal pans and often had rock hard cookies. Another difference is we use 4 of the eggs,flour…as opposed to 3 and we bake at 325 degrees.