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Springerle Cookies I'm still on the German kick with some delightful Springerle cookies. These anise flavored shortbread cookies are a German staple for holidays. They have a wonderful simplicity that actually takes a good bit of time to achieve.

The key to Springerle is the Springerle Rolling Pin or molds. The designs on the cookies are imprinted using these devices. For my cookies I used a fairly inexpensive rolling pin available at Amazon. Obviously, it's not the best out there but it gave me a good idea of what can be done with this traditional baking method. I'll be investing in some more intricate and pricey versions in the future!

The biggest difference between Springerle and regular shortbread is the drying process. The cookies must dry on the pans for 12-24 hours before being baked at a low temperature. This drying and low temp baking preserve the designs in the cookies. I used a pizza cutter to cut apart my cookies, but for a really nice edge you can choose to use a pastry wheel and get a beautiful scalloped edge.

Anise is the preferred traditional flavoring but you can substitute just about anything. I think vanilla or lemon would be wonderful too! Grab yourself a Springerle rolling pin or mold and give these guys a try!


A traditional German cookie with beautiful designs and a light anise flavor. Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes 

Butterkuchen (Butter Cake) Ich koche eine Butterkuchen in meiner Küche.

Yes, that's German. It means: I am cooking a butter cake in my kitchen. A few months ago Michael and I started using a little online app for learning German. That's his heritage (Koch means Cook) and he also loves singing German lieder. So, it was natural for him to learn. I decided to join in so we could share learning the language.

For Christmas I got him Rosetta Stone German and we've been having fun really working our way through. Since we've been doing so much German lately, I figured I would try some German sweets. So far, I've done two. The first is the Butter Cake which is traditionally served with morning coffee or afternoon tea. It's sweet, but not too sweet and uses yeast for its lift. When I do this again, I will probably depart from tradition and utilize a large springform pan to give it something to cling to when rising. The traditional method, given here, uses a simple jelly roll pan which doesn't provide anything for the dough to grab onto when rising.

Regardless, this is a delicious sweet! 
Prep time: 75 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 100 minutes
Yield: 20 pieces