Traditional German Springerle Recipe

Springerle biscuits are traditional aniseed and lemon flavoured German Christmas biscuits. To learn more about the biscuits' history, read "Do you know your springerle from your speculaas?"

The recipe at the base of this page is the most traditional we've come across, adapted from the 1969 Time Life book, The Cooking of Germany

The biscuits are made from a simple flour, sugar and egg dough, flavoured with lemon zest. Whole aniseeds are scattered on the baking sheet and the cookies are placed on top of these for flavour whilst they bake. The German bakery video below is worth watching -- it gives you a good insight to how the dough will look, and how to use different types of springerle biscuit moulds.


Ingredients Serves: 10

  • Softened butter for greasing
  • 75g aniseeds
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 285g caster sugar
  • 340g plain flour

Equipment


Method

  1. Grease two large baking sheets with butter, and sprinkle each with half the aniseeds.
  2. Beat the eggs in a stand mixer until thick and pale. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
  3. Gradually add the sugar with the whisk running until it forms a ribbon when the whisk is lifted away. Beat in the flour, adding a quarter at a time.
  4. Tip out onto a floured surface and shape the dough into a ball. It will dry out very quickly at this stage, so wrap half in clingfilm whilst you work with the other half. If this is your first time making springerle biscuits, maybe just start with 1/4 of the dough as you get practised working with the moulds.
  5. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle around 3/4cm thick.
  6. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of flour over your springerle rolling pin, and tap it out again. Press firmly and roll the pattern across the dough.
  7. Cut between the biscuits with a sharp knife or fluted pastry wheel and - using a palette knife - lift onto the greased baking sheets. Leave to dry for 24 hours.
  8. Heat your oven to 120C / 100 C Fan. Before baking, gently moisten the bottom of each biscuit with a little water, using your fingertips. Bake the biscuits for 20-30 minutes until firm but not brown. Lift off onto a rack to cool.
  9. Leave the biscuits out for a day to soften, and then place in a sealed container to keep for 1-2 weeks.
© Speciality Cooking Supplies Limited 2024

Browse our selection springerle biscuits moulds here.



5 comments

  • My great aunt was German and made these every year at Christmas time. When I was a teenager in the 60s she taught me to make these. After she passed away I always make these at Christmas. I have her original wooden springerle rolling pin. We like them when they get hard.

    Carol Cash on

  • Thank you Mari, that is very helpful. I’ve added this into the recipe.

    Holly at Sous Chef on

  • A BIG DETAIL is missing the next day, just before baking the cookies, take the cookies one by one and, pass through its base your finger moistened in water. This so that when baking they grow from the base and do not bloom the dough and damage the design

    Mari on

  • Hi Sylvia, how exciting, do let us know how you get on! The biscuits can be decorated, but the pattern will get hidden under any icing. Enjoy

    Ellie @ Sous Chef on

  • Going to try and make these Biscuits.
    Will be my First time so hoping they come out OK.
    Wishing myself Good Luck.
    Can you decorate these Biscuits.

    Sylvia Hudson on

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