Authentic German Springerle Cookies with Anise
German Springerle cookies are traditionally flavored with anise oil or anise extract and embossed with intricate designs from wooden molds. They're crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and perfect for dunking into cocoa or tea!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
- ½ teaspoon anise oil (or substitute 1 to 2 teaspoons anise extract)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3½ cups confectioners' sugar
- 3½ cups cake flour
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest, optional (from one large orange)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (use table salt or fine sea salt, not kosher salt)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add all three room temperature eggs. Whisk the eggs until they double in size, become bubbly and airy, and turn a yellowish-white color. Start on low speed for the first minute, then increase the speed to high. (This can take anywhere from 5 to 10+ minutes, depending on how humid your kitchen is.)
- Add the anise oil or anise extract and vanilla extract. Whisk again for one minute to combine.
- While whisking on low speed, add the confectioners' sugar one spoonful at a time. Continue whisking at high speed for 5 minutes after all the confectioners' sugar has been added, to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the cake flour, optional orange zest, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Switch your stand mixer to a paddle attachment. While whisking on low speed, add the flour mixture one spoonful at a time. Once all the flour mixture is added, increase the speed and continue mixing until the dough is soft and smooth. If the dough is too wet or loose, add a quarter cup more of cake flour. If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add in one whisked egg white. The dough is done being mixed once it’s dry and light enough that your paddle attachment pulls the dough away from the side of your mixing bowl and the dough gathers on the paddle. The cookie dough should feel a little sticky, but not wet. If you press a dry finger into the dough, it should feel pretty dense like play-doh.
- Divide the dough in half. On a clean surface, roll the dough into two smooth balls and wrap them individually in plastic wrap.Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour, or overnight.
- On a clean work surface, roll out one ball of the dough until it’s ½ inch thick. (If your dough was chilled overnight and is really stiff, allow it to warm up and soften a little at room temperature for about 20 minutes).
- Dust an embossed springerle rolling pin or a cookie mold with a little cornstarch and a pastry brush. Use the rolling pin or mold to imprint a design on the cookie dough and cut out the cookies with cookie cutters or the mold.
- Transfer the cookies with a spatula or bench scraper to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread out the cookies by at least two inches from each other. (You'll either need to bake the cookies in batches, or bake them on two separate large baking sheets.)Continue rolling out, imprinting, and cutting out the remaining cookie dough.
- Allow the cookies to dry out at room temperature until the top feels fully dry and the bottom is dry on the outer edge. (This can take anywhere from 24 hours to 48 hours, depending on how humid your kitchen is.)
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Position your oven rack on the bottom third, so the cookies can bake from the bottom and not get colored on the top.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cookies have risen and have their characteristic “feet” on the bottom.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet. Don’t try to remove them while they’re still warm, as they could stick to the parchment paper and crack.
- Enjoy right away, or store your cookies in an airtight container for a couple weeks to allow the cookies to soften a bit and deepen their flavor. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Brush your cookie mold with cornstarch. Powdered sugar doesn't stick as well to the mold, and flour absorbs more moisture so it's harder to brush off.
- For more anise flavor, sprinkle anise seeds on your counter or a baking sheet, then place the cut-out Springerle dough on top of the seeds. The anise seeds will get stuck to the bottom of the dough, adding even more anise flavor.
- You can substitute all purpose flour for the cake flour, but your Springerle cookies may end up a little harder.
- You can add orange oil or orange extract instead of orange zest, if you don't want a slight orange tint to your Springerle cookies.
- Allow your baked cookies to cool completely, then store them in an airtight container or metal tin for up to several weeks.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 193kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 4gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gTrans Fat: 0.004gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 53mgPotassium: 39mgFiber: 1gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 55IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 0.4mg
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below - I love hearing from you!