Springerle & Russian Teacakes
Dec 24th, 2009 by heidi
My family doesn’t have many traditions, per se, but one of my favorite parts of Christmas is our annual cookie bake. We do sugar cookies, Springerle, almond thumbprints (courtesy of the Joy of Cooking), Russian Teacakes, divinity, and Mennonite-style Pfeffernusse (Peppernuts). Sometimes we throw in fudge or other recipes, but those are the traditional ones that seem to pop up every year.
Our Springerle tradition comes from my father’s mother, who bakes them every year. When I moved out on my own, I asked her especially for a Springerle roller and her recipe. This is it:
Springerle
- Beat for 10 minutes by mixer, or 30 minutes by hand:
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
- Add, and stir well:
1 tsp anise oil (you can substitute a couple of teaspoons of anise extract, if you can’t get pure anise oil – that’s what I did this year)
- Mix in (you may need to add the last cup by hand):
4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
- Chill dough for two hours.
- Divide dough into four sections and roll each out to 1/2 inch thick with a regular rolling pin – dust your board with powdered/icing sugar, NOT flour. (I divided it into two – my roller is big!).
- Roll on design (dust roller liberally with powdered sugar).
- Cut into rectangles with a pizza cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
- Dry for 6-8 hours, uncovered.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes at 300F.
- Cool and store in airtight container.
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And, from the “First Mennonite Church Cookbook – Paso Robles, Calif.” (hint: traditional church cookbooks hide some remarkable recipe treasures – if you have the chance to pick one up in a garage sale, etc., they’re cheap and worthwhile!)
Russian Teacakes
1 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. powdered/icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2-1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. finely chopped nuts (I usually use pecans or almonds)
Extra powdered/icing sugar for rolling
Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla thoroughly. Blend flour and salt; stir into sugar/butter mixture. Mix in nuts and chill dough for 2 hours or overnight. Heat oven to 400F (200C). Roll dough into 1? balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are slightly browned but tops are still pale. While still warm, roll in powdered sugar. Cool. Roll in powdered sugar again. makes about 2 dozen 1? cookies.
