The Food Maven Diary
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Springerle
A week or so ago, a listener called to ask about anise oil – what it was, where to buy it. She wanted to make Italian anise drop cookies, and her recipe not only called for this unusual ingredient, anise oil, it said to beat the egg whites and sugar together for 30 minutes, and it said to let the dough dry out for 12 hours. She questioned those instructions.
They didn't sound right to me either, but what do I know? Baking, as I have said thousands of times on the radio, is not my area of expertise. I love such questions, however. I even love not knowing the answer, because one of the great things about being a food professional is that there is always something new to learn.
This question about the anise drops lead to a couple of revelations. For one thing, you can buy anise oil at some pharmacies. You can also find it at New York Cake and Baking at 56 West 22nd Street in Manhattan - phone: (212) 675-2253. Michael Rogak at JoMart Chocolates at 2917 Avenue R in Brooklyn also carries it. His phone number is: (718) 375-1277. Or, if you aren't close to the city (or even if you are), you can mail-order anise oil from The Baker's Catalogue (a truly fabulous source). Their address is P.O. Box 876, in Norwich Vermont. You can reach them by phone at (800) 827-6836 or online at www.bakerscatalogue.com. Another revelation is that Springerle, the famous, embossed German cookies for which I see attractive molds all the time – in cookware shops as well as antique shops – are closely related to Italian anise drops.
Indeed, the egg whites and sugar for both these cookies are beaten together until, as the recipe following instructs, they are "creamy." The anise drop cookie I was called on the radio about had less flour than this recipe, and no anise seeds, just the anise oil for flavoring, but I thought I would share this recipe because I know it works. How? It is from the ever-reliable original Joy of Cooking, and I have actually eaten the cookies.
My neighbor, Ann Ellis, heard the program that started this anise ball rolling, and she whipped up a batch for me and delivered a tin of them to my door. She says her father loved these cookies, but he preferred them when they got very hard. In the tin, the batch that Ann made is still tender and delicious a week after she baked them You have to leave them out exposed to the air if you want them as teeth-shattering as she describes her father preferring them.
Springerle
Makes about 5 dozen cookies
4 eggs
2 cups sifted sugar (see Arthur's Two Cents)
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
Butter, for greasing cookie sheet
2 tablespoons crushed anise seeds
Beat the eggs until light. Gradually add the sugar and beat until creamy.
Sift together 3 cups of the flour and all of the baking powder and add to the egg-sugar mixture.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the flour on a pastry cloth. Turn the dough onto the cloth and knead in enough flour – about 1/2 cup more – to stiffen the dough. Roll to the dimensions of your mold, 1/3 inch thick. Use the floured springerle board and press it hard upon the dough to get a good imprint. If the dough is too soft, pick it up and add more flour. Separate the squares, place them on a board and let dry 12 hours, uncovered, in a cool dry place.
Grease a cookie sheet and sprinkle with the anise seeds. Place the squares of dough on the pan and bake about 15 minutes or until the lower part is light yellow.
Arthur's Two Cents: Whenever I see "sifted" sugar I think of confectioners' sugar, but that would not be correct here. I don't know why the recipe calls for "sifted" sugar. Granulated sugar doesn't generally require sifting. Still, I consulted with Ann Ellis, and we agree that superfine granulated sugar, also called "instant dissolving" or "bar" sugar is best. I don't buy superfine sugar anymore. Instead, whenever I am filling my sugar canister, I process regular granulated sugar in the food processor, making it "superfine." It is perfect for all purposes. Indeed, it is better for baking than the regular granulation because it blends more easily.
Note: Springerle molds should not be hard to find. If you can't get them at your local cookware shop, try these places. They'd be happy to ship orders to you.
Broadway Panhandler
477 Broome Street (between Greene & Wooster Streets)
(212) 966-3434
-Offers a springerle rolling pin for $13.95
The-House-On-The-Hill
P.O. Box 7003 Villa Park, IL 60181
(630) 969-2624
www.houseonthehill.net
-Offers working replicas of historic cookie molds, including over 300 springerle molds for $20 to $100
Bridge Kitchenware
214 East 52nd Street (between Second & Third Avenues)
New York, NY 10022
(212) 688-4220
www.bridgekitchenware.com
-Offers several springerle molds for $5 (for a single) to $40
