Springerle, but you have to make them about a week or at least a few days ahead of time--if you make them this weekend or even Monday, they'll be delicious on the 25th. A beautiful cookie with an old-world flavor. (They are traditionally stamped with specially-carved molds, but if you don't have the mold, you can still make delicious cookies!)
Ingredients:
4 large eggs, room temp.
1 lb powdered sugar
20 drops (about 1/4 tsp) oil of anise (Bartells carries this in the aisle with antiseptics, believe it or not!)
4 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. bakers' ammonia, otherwise known as hartshorn (Husky deli sometimes has it; otherwise try Hans' German Sausage & Deli in Burien)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup butter, melted
You'll want the KitchenAid or another heavy-duty stand mixer for this one. Beat the eggs until light, then add the powdered sugar and keep beating for 15 or 20 minutes until very thick and light yellow. Add the oil of anise and melted butter. On a low speed, add 3 cups of flour until well-blended. Add as much of the last cup of flour as it takes to make the dough stiff enough to roll. Let the dough sit, covered with a cloth, for 15 minutes. Dust your rolling surface and rolling pin with flour, and roll the dough (it's pretty sticky, and you'll likely need to keep flouring the surface and the rolling pin) to about 1/3-1/4 inch thick. Flour your mold and press designs in to the dough. Cut the cookies apart (if you don't have a mold, just cut them in squares, rectangles, or any shape you fancy. Set the cookies on cookie sheets (the ones with an air sandwich really help with this cookie). I like to sprinkle my sheets first with crushed anise seeds. Let the cookies dry overnight. You want the tops to be dry before you bake them. Bake in a 300 degree oven for about 20 minutes. The cookies should be very slightly pale gold, and set, but not browned. Put them in ziplock bags or other airtight containers for several days. I add anise seed to the bags. I've heard of adding apple slices, as well, to help soften the cookies, but the apple slices always mold for me, and don't seem necessary.
And brandy snaps are wonderful too--but those can be made shortly before eating them!
westseattleblog
West Seattle Blog
West Seattle Blog
