Springerle
A satisfying vegetarian built around eggs, powdered sugar and plain flour — roughly 60 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for oven and mixer. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (1)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer on high speed until pale and thick, about 3 minutes, then gradually add the powdered sugar and beat for a further 10 minutes until very light.
- Beat in the softened butter, then sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and fold them in to form a stiff, smooth dough.
- Wrap the dough and chill it for at least 1 hour so it firms up enough to take a clean impression.
- Lightly flour the work surface, roll the dough to about 1 cm thick, then press a floured springerle mould or carved rolling pin firmly into it to emboss the designs and cut the cookies apart.
- Scatter the anise seeds over a greased baking tray and set the cookies on top, then leave them uncovered at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours so the surface dries and sets the pattern.
- Preheat the oven to 150C and bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, until firm and barely coloured on top with pale golden bases.
- Cool completely on a rack, then store in an airtight tin for a few days to soften, as the flavour and texture improve with age.
You'll use: Oven · Mixer · Baking tray
Ingredient substitutions
- Eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) · 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
Tips & common questions
How long does Springerle take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 7 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of eggs?
Try ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Springerle vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Springerle is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Springerle 1 (fcm).jpg by Photograph: Frank C. Müller, Baden-Baden, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.