Authentic German Springerle
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cup 350g powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla or 2 packets vanilla sugar
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp anise oil guality 100% pure, (not extract), how much you use depends on how strong of an anise flavor you want.
- 3 cups 350g all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp bakers ammonia *slightly less than 1/4 teaspoon (see blog post for explanation about baker's ammonia)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- lemon zest from one lemon
- 2 tbs anise seeds whole
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. The batter needs to be very loose and airy.
- 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 (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.
- 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 a 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 has 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.
Notes
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. Over time they develop a delicately crispy-crunchy, shattering exterior and a slightly chewy center.
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.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.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. Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!