Description

Springerle Cookies are a Zehnder’s holiday tradition. A traditional German cookie with a mild anise flavor. The cookie dough has been rolled out with a Springerle Rolling pin so that each individual cookie has a picture on it. One dozen cookies.

If You’re Really German, You Know All About Springerle and Lebkuchen
There are two traditional German cookies that are a “must” for every German holiday cookie tray. Both Springerle and Lebkuchen have been enjoyed by holiday revelers since the Middle Ages. Lebkuchen originated back in the 15th century of Nuremberg.

Located at the trading crossroads of Europe, Arab traders regularly sold their treasures of exotic spices from the Orient in Nuremberg markets. Fragrant aromas of cinnamon, cloves, anise and fennel permeated the Nuremberg outdoor Christmas market each season. Almonds from Spain were readily available as was Black Forest Honey, the primary sweetener of the Middle Ages. All one needed was a little flour and you had all the fixings for Lebkuchen. Local monks were the first to bake Lebkuchen, but soon bakers’ guilds began making these special Christmas treats. To this day, the Nuremberg Lebkuchen is the standard by which all Lebkuchen are judged.

Springerle, that white cookie with the intricate design, also has medieval origins, Springerle means “little knights” and can be traced back to the times of Martin Luther and the Renaissance. Pure white as snow, these cookies with their distinctive embossed designs are a staple of any real German Christmas celebration.

Springerle get their unique taste from anise seeds embedded into the unbaked cookie dough. To this day, these cookies are lovingly embossed with a traditional figure. For centuries, these figures were hand carved in wood blocks or rolling pins and pressed into dough. Most modern bakers prefer to use metal plates with designs in them. The impressions just hold up better during the baking process.

You can purchase the recipe for Springerle cookies from Zehnder’s Most Iconic Recipes cookbook here.

What Our Guests Are Saying…
A trip to Frankenmuth has always included a yummy stop in the Zehnder’s bakery. Almond cookies! Springerle! Stollen bread. In recent years, my trips to Frankenmuth have
included taking classes from the super talented pastry chefs. I have learned techniques and delish recipes to take home to my kitchen and to share the Zehnder’s love! Cindy N., Midland, MI