In this holiday season, I'm exploring traditional cooking from the different ethnic groups that settled Wisconsin. Last week I baked Swedish Pepparkakor and now Swiss Krabeli. I chose the Swiss Krabeli recipe because 1) it is flavored with anise (licorice), 2) it's flavored with lemon, and 3) the recipe looked easy. Only as I sit down to write and turn to the web to learn about Swiss krabeli do I learn that these cookies have been baked since medieval times. Also known as springerle, these cookies might be considered the 'original' Christmas gifts.
Springerle originated in the area which today is a combination of southern Germany, the Alsace region of France, and parts of Switzerland. The cookies were first baked in crescent shapes and later the dough was pressed into and baked in wooden molds into which scenes of holidays and special occasions had been carved. These specially-molded cookies were given as gifts.
Molded springerle cookies look so beautiful that this sweet treat can resist being eaten. Because they harden and do not spoil as ordinary foods do, springerle cookies can be enjoyed for years as special keepsakes. Today there is a resurgence of giving springerle cookies as gifts of ornaments for the Christmas tree. Click on "continue reading..." for a springerle recipe.
This springerle recipe comes from The Flavor of Wisconsin: An informal history of food and eating in the Badger state. This cookbook refers to the cookies by their other name, Swiss krabeli.
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon anise seed
- 3/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
"Beat eggs until foamy; add sugar and beat until light. Add anise seed and lemon peel. Thoroughly blend together flour and baking powder and stir into egg mixture. Chill thoroughly.
"On lightly floured surface, roll out a sixth of the dough at a time into a rope 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut into 3-inch pieces. Place on a well-greased baking sheet, curving to form crescents. Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a rack immediately. When cool, store in tightly covered containers. Makes 3 dozen."
The flavor of these springerle cookies is very light and delicate. It is highly similar in flavor to the springerle cookies made by sisters Beth Grbich and Janet Melson of Brookfield, WI, however mine don't begin to compare with theirs in beauty. (Why making a simple crescent shape is so difficult remains a holiday mystery for me. But I like horses, so for now I'm content with my horseshoe cookies.) The sisters decided to turn their holiday hobby into a business and named their art, Embossed Edibles. Now Wisconsinmade.com is sending these decorative cookies around the country as holiday gifts.
As I investigated the history of springerle (aka Swiss krabeli) I found other recipes for these cookies. Some of them intensified the flavor by doubling the portions of anise seed and lemon peel. Do this if you enjoy stronger-flavored cookies, but I suspect that the milder flavor is more in keeping with tradition.
If you can recommend a recipe for a traditional holiday cookie, post a comment and leave a link. I'm getting a kick out of discovering old cookie recipes. Cheers!
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