Merry Christmas, the German way - Springerle!

One of the best Christmas gifts ever was the Martha Stewart Cookie cookbook (Thanks Jim and Erin!) that I received maybe 2 or 3 years ago. Flipping through the pages when I first got it, I came across a beautiful molded cookie: springerle, a German holiday cookie. I had never heard of them before, but they were stunning. When we were in Germany this fall, Josh and I stumbled into a store which happened to sell these special molds.

So this is my first year making springerle! Their key flavoring is anise extract, so they have a slight hint of a black licorice taste. My mom would love these.

Also, making them takes place over a period of two days. Day one is making the dough and shaping the cookies. The cookies sit on a baking sheet for 24 hours (uncovered, unrefrigerated) so that they dry out. They are then baked the second day at an extremely low temperature, something like 220 degrees. Amazing!

The pictures are a little out of order, but you'll get the idea! These will certainly be a Christensen family tradition for the ages.