I've been running around doing a few things this weekend - I've finally almost finished the second sleeve on my jumper, walked mum's dog several times, started candying orange slices, and tried a couple of biscuit recipes from 'Advent'.
It's hard to overstate how much I love this book, and how much fun I'm having with it, although the stains the cover of my copy is accumulating are a significant clue. I made Almond and Marzipan crescents and Springerle. I'm fairly sure both recipes are also in Luisa Weiss's 'Classic German Baking - the Springerle certainly are because I've wanted to make them since seeing them in there.
It took a s
econd book to give me the push to buy the baker's ammonia though - cheaply available via Scandikitchen, it wasn't difficult to get, just needed some planning. The internet provided the aniseeds as well which turned out to be harder to source locally than I expected.
This has been fun baking. The Springerle dough was unlike anything I've ever made before (always interesting) and the almond crescents will be a useful recipe for using up left over marzipan from Christmas cake decorating - there always is some and it always passes it's best before date sometime in May when I have no use for it.
The main thing for me though is that this sort of making helps me hold onto December as it flies by, and the sense of this being a time to celebrate and enjoy.
Springerlie cookies were one of my favorites but I have not made them for a long time. It looks like you are letting them dry a bit before baking, which really helps set the design. Yum. Today I made some Pfeffernuesse cookies, which may be in your German cookbook. Instead of making them in rounded balls, I made a log and cut them. Baked quickly, and will taste really good in a few days. Have a lovely time baking! I enjoy hearing about the things you try.
ReplyDeleteI did air dry them (as instructed) I think I over baked a bit, but the flavour is great and I'll make them again for sure. I can, and do, but Pfeffernuesse so haven't made them, though I do have recipes, but am hoping to get a few more biscuits done before advent is over.
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