Sunday Cookies!

Today I tried something I've never tried before.  I attempted to make Larry's Grandma Grace's springerle cookies.  Or "springlies" as she called them and he loved them.

A springerle is a type of German biscuit with embossed designs that you put on with a rolling pin made especially for them.

The rolling pin looks like this and I want one so bad.  They are beautiful!!  I don't want a new one either.  I want one that a little German lady used to make her family Christmas cookies with.  Nothing else will do.

But since I don't have one, I improvised and made Grandma Grace's springlies and we cut the dough out with our Christmas cookie cutters.  

Here's what you need!

4 eggs

4 cups confectioners sugar (1 pound)
4 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons ground anise (all I could find around here was anise seed so I poured the entire jar into my coffee bean grinder and ground them all up)

 

Mix together the cake flour and baking powder and set aside. 
In another bowl, whip eggs and sugar until the mixture is thick and light.
Stir in ground anise.
Add flour, mix well.
Roll into a ball and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
Lightly dust your rolling space (ours was a sheet of wax paper) with flour, roll out the dough and cut your cookies.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. (This wasn't part of the recipe but the first batch stuck to the cookie sheet so I sprayed cooking spray on the cookie sheet for the rest of them.  Worked beautifully!)

They do look a little biscuit-y.  Best part?  Larry said they were just as he remembered! 

We cut a few bunny rabbits and ducks, too, 'cause we're counterculture like that.  :)  Oh!!  VERY important note here.  The recipe instructed to bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  And my high-tech oven took that very seriously.  The first batch was a little browner than I liked.  The other batches baked for 15 minutes and they were perfect.  I guess you just have to know your oven.  Me and mine are getting there. 

So there you have it.  German Christmas cookies!  I hope I made Grandma Grace proud.

I also made two dozen snickerdoodles using this easy recipe.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream together the butter and 1 cup sugar.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
Combine flour and cream of tartar.
Add gradually to creamed mixture.
Combine cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar.
Roll into one-inch balls and roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. 

While I baked cookies, Larry worked on some Christmas presents he's making.

 And when all our work was done, we relaxed in the hot tub!  She's a beaut!!

We tried to enjoy ourselves.  You know, tough job and all that.  (I was terrified Larry was gonna drop his iPhone OMGGGG)