Authentic Aachener Printen
The world famous Aachener Printen - richly spiced with deep caramel-like flavor notes!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Graftschafter Sugar Beet Syrup *strongly recommended but see blog post for info about suitable substitute
- 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons wate
- 3 1/2 ounces German or Belgian brown rock sugar , pounded and crushed into tiny crystals
- 1 1/2 ounces homemade candied orange peel , very finely chopped (homemade STRONGLY recommended, it's easy and it makes ALL the difference! Click blue link for recipe)
- 2 cups pastry flour or all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoons homemade Lebkuchengewürz
- OR storebought Lebkuchengewürz (we STRONGLY recommend homemade for the best flavor results, click blue link above for recipe)
- 1/2 teaspoon baker's ammonia *see blog post for explanation
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground aniseed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, lebkuchengewürz, ground anise, baker's ammonia, baking soda and salt. Set aside until ready to use.
- In a small saucepan heat the sugar beet syrup and brown sugar until the brown sugar is completely dissolved. Let it cool down a bit.
- Pour the syrup mixture into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the candied orange peel.Add the flour mixture and the crushed brown rock sugar. Stir until it starts to come together or if using a stand mixer use the paddle attachment.Use your hands to knead the mixture together until fully combined, or if using a stand mixer use the paddle attachment. The dough will be soft and pliable and some stickiness is normal (this will subside as the dough rests). If the dough is extremely sticky add a little more flour. If the dough is too dry, add a tiny bit of water.Form the dough into a flattened 1-inch thick disk, wrap really well in plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a cool place (NOT IN THE FRIDGE) for at least 5 days, preferably longer. Traditionally in Germany the dough would be left to rest for several weeks to develop flavor and to improve the texture. If you find the dough is too hard to roll out, let it rest longer. Even so, prepare to use some muscle to roll it out.
- Roll the dough out onto a non-stick surface (I use plastic wrap) to about
1/4 inch or 5mm thickness. If the dough is too sticky knead in a little
more flour.At this point you can either press the dough into lightly floured wooden
molds, invert the molds and cut out the designs (using the scraps to make more
Printen), or you can cut the dough into small rectangles.Place the Printen on a lined cookie sheet and place a whole blanched almond
on top (or however you'd like to design them).At this point you can either bake them immediately or you can glaze
them. For the glaze you can either brush the cookies with a little milk
before baking them to create a sheen OR you can bake the cookies first and
brush them while they're still hot with a glaze made from half sugar beet
syrup/half water and let them sit to dry, then store them in an airtight
container (they may still be a little sticky).Another option is to coat or dip them in chocolate after they're baked and
fully cooled. You can add one or more whole blanched almonds while the
chocolate is still wet or cover them in sliced or slivered almonds. - In an oven preheated to 350 F bake the Printen for 12-18 minutes until
lightly browned. - Once cooled completely, store them in an airtight container. Properly stored in an airtight container in a cool place, Aachener Printen will keep for several months and their flavor only gets better with time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 138kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 67mgPotassium: 20mgFiber: 1gSugar: 20gCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!