Springerle (Advent — German Anise Cookies)

Springerle — the embossed anise cookies of the German Advent tradition — are among the oldest surviving European Christmas baked goods, with recipes documented from the 14th century. They are made with a stiff egg-and-flour dough flavoured with anise seed, which is rolled and pressed with special carved wooden or ceramic moulds to create raised bas-relief images (originally religious scenes, animals, and symbols now extended to include almost anything). The cookies are then dried at room temperature for 24 hours before baking — the drying allows the embossed surface to set hard, preserving the image perfectly during baking. Springerle have a firm, dry texture (quite different from most cookies) and a strong anise flavour that is an acquired taste but deeply traditional. They are better after several weeks of storage — the texture mellows and the anise integrates.