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springerle love

springerle

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun plural Hard, anise-flavored cookies of German origin that are embossed with a design prior to baking, traditionally eaten at Christmas.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a white, anise-flavored German cookie with an embossed design

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[German Springerle, from German dialectal (southern Germany, Austria, and Alsace), from diminutive of Springer, jumper, jumping horse, knight (from the figures of knights and leaping horses often embossed on the cookies or from the traditional use of ammonium carbonate to leaven the dough so that the designs spring up ), from springen, to jump; akin to Old English springan, to spring.]

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Examples

  • The name springerle means "little knights," and their origin can be traced back to the 14th century.

    unknown title 2008

  • Sarah Karnasiewicz on Lunch Break has a baker's guide to classic molded holiday cookies - springerle, gingerbread and frankfurter brenten - that are drop-dead gorgeous and deceptively easy to make.

    Wunderbar Cookies Sarah Karnasiewicz 2011

  • Martin Ramin for The Wall Street Journal Styling by Anne Cardenas Food Styling by Sarah Karnasiewicz Springerle cookies In the past, I'd encountered springerle molds in antique stores and fancy cookware shops, but they always seemed more like art pieces than part of a practical kitchen arsenal.

    Wunderbar Cookies Sarah Karnasiewicz 2011

  • Martin Ramin for The Wall Street Journal, Prop Styling by Anne Cardenas THE BAKER'S TOOLBOX | For recipe booklets, hartshorn baker's ammonia, pure anise oil and the widest and finest selection of reproduction springerle molds and cutters, go to House on the Hill (houseonthehill.net) and Springerle Joy (springerlejoy.com).

    Wunderbar Cookies Sarah Karnasiewicz 2011

  • A northern cousin to biscotti, springerle are as impressive looking as they are simple to make.

    Wunderbar Cookies Sarah Karnasiewicz 2011

  • Eggshell white, perfumed with anise and intricately printed using carved molds, crisp springerle have been a holiday sweet in Bavaria and across central Europe since at least the Middle Ages, when, during mid-winter festivals, the poor offered animal-shaped biscuits to the gods in place of actual livestock.

    Wunderbar Cookies Sarah Karnasiewicz 2011

  • So, this year, I decided to finally tackle what I've long considered the crown jewel of all holiday cookies: springerle.

    Wunderbar Cookies Sarah Karnasiewicz 2011

  • Following the same basic technique used for springerle, I've found the molds to be easily adaptable to other holiday doughs, like a peppery gingerbread boosted by a surprising pop of chocolate and chili, and another German classic, a chewy marzipan confection known as Frankfurter Brenten.

    Wunderbar Cookies Sarah Karnasiewicz 2011

  • It turns out that picture-perfect springerle are a cinch to make Joy to the World!

    Wunderbar Cookies Sarah Karnasiewicz 2011

  • For the cleanest results, springerle should sit out overnight, uncovered, to dry or "cure" before seeing the inside of the oven.

    Wunderbar Cookies Sarah Karnasiewicz 2011

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