After my first attempt at making springerle last month turned out to be a success, I made another batch with some smaller (and more practical) molds I bought from House on the Hill, an "Oval Lilly of the Valley" mold (I also bought a custom oval cutter so that I wouldn't have to cut out ovals freehand!), and a rectangular elephant mold. I painted the elephants with some gold luster dust, and was quite pleased with the way that both turned out.
Tom and I also just tried the lemon springerle I baked over six weeks ago and had stashed away so I could see how they would taste after they aged a bit. Springerle are supposed to improve with age, and in fact, many recipes specify that an aging period is required before the springerle are edible. Right after baking, I thought that the springerle were delicious -- firm, but not overly dry, and I loved the strong lemon flavor. After six weeks, I didn't like the cookies at all. They were much, much drier (it took considerable effort to break off a piece of cookie to taste, which was not a problem I had when they were freshly baked), and the bright lemon flavor had faded considerably. Tom, on the other hand, said that he really liked the aged cookies and preferred their drier texture.
Recipe: "Nini's Perfection Springerle Cookies" from House on the Hill.
Previous Post: "The Wait Is Just Beginning: Springerle," November 13, 2011.
I'm just going to have to disagree with Tom on this one. I think I will stick to serving these springerle freshly made, or at least within a week or two of baking.
Recipe: "Nini's Perfection Springerle Cookies" from House on the Hill.
Previous Post: "The Wait Is Just Beginning: Springerle," November 13, 2011.
Comments
My friend and belly dancing teacher, Simone, posted her cookies http://simplehealthyhomemade.com/2011/12/13/anisbrotli/ These are like my great uncle used to make and it reminds me that it's the baking powder that caused the last ones I made to be rock hard for months. Before I make another batch of Perfection Springerle, I want to try a Carole Walter recipe, aniseplatzchen, from "Great Cookies". They aren't springerle, but anise. She says they have a meringue-like crust and a somewhat chewy center. They are curious as the batter gets beaten 20 minutes or so, the dough gets dropped onto the baking sheets and must stand at least 8 hours before being baked. The photo looks pretty.