Springerle

Adapted from Gourmet Cookbook (1956)

Makes 45 to 50 cookies
Active time: about an hour to 90 minutes with bake time; dough needs to set overnight before baking

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 cups fine granulated sugar
3 ½ cups sifted flour (plus more for rolling out dough)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted (plus more for buttering baking sheets)
4 to 5 tablespoons anise seeds for sprinkling on the buttered baking sheets

Preparation:

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside. Beat the eggs in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Continue beating for about 6 or 7 minutes more, while gradually adding the sugar.  Add the dry ingredients to the mixture alternatively with the melted butter. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky to roll out.

Gather the dough into a ball and place on a floured work surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough lightly to ¼ to ½ inch thick. Use a Springerle board or Springerle-embossed rolling pin to press shapes onto the dough. Cut the cookies apart following the designs, trim the edges, and re-roll the excess scraps.

Sprinkle the buttered baking pans with the anise seeds. Place the cookies on the pans and let them sit out at room temperature overnight to set the designs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place one sheet of cookies at a time in the middle to lower third of the oven.  Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for about 10 minutes more.  Do not allow the cookies to take on color, only the bottoms should turn a light golden color.  Transfer the cookies to cooling racks; allow cookies to cool and dry completely before storing.  Use airtight containers or tins, layering the cookies between wax paper.  Add the extra anise seeds to the tins for added flavor.