Right now my twin sister is obsessed with DW her current beau. So, to fill my time I have also developed an obsession. It's not work related, although it is work-intensive.
It is a cookie, but not just any cookie. Most people have never heard of this type of cookie, but growing up we would buy them each year around Christmas time and they became one of our traditions. That is, until the store bakery started having them outsourced and the new ones they made tasted like cardboard and cost a bundle.
So, this year after eating eight-dollar cardboard, I decided to make it myself. After the Christmas holiday I ordered a mold and tried to make my own. Make my own what? Springerle. They are an anise-flavored cookie that is light-brown to almost-white in color with patterns molded into them. They take a lot of time to mix, roll-out, mold, and cut-out, but they are most certainly worth it. The traditional recipe is made with hartshorn (a.k.a. baker's ammonia) and despite the scarily-named leavening agent, they have an amazing consistency and flavor. I just made my second batch and I ran out of hartshorn, so I had to make them with baking powder and I have now idea how they'll turn out, but I'm still excited. (Whew! Try to say that sentence without taking a breath!)
They really turned out pretty this time, although, I still have to let them sit overnight so that their patterns will stay better. I don't have any pictures of my own, but here is one from a monestary website selling these little cookies at Christmas time.
So, although I can't actually give you any to eat, feast your eyes upon these beautiful cookies.
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