It just doesn't pay to work in the kitchen. I stirred up my usual batch of Chocolate Crackles today and after chilling them, I thought they seemed rather soft when rolling in the powdered sugar before baking. Yup, they ran all over the pan and hardly rose at all. Baked the rest of the batter in a pan like brownies, but it still isn't very good. Threw out the old baking powder, used smaller eggs and am now awaiting to see how the next batch acts. Also made Grandma's anise cookies. Sort of. Except I put in lemon extract instead of anise...they were sitting together on the shelf!!!!! Crap! DH only gets this cookie once a year......so tried to hide the lemon with anise....opened a new bottle...but not a newly purchased bottle.....smelled like straight rubbing alcohol!!!! Since these cookie sit out overnight before baking, I won't know until tomorrow just how bad they are!!! Our family Christmas is at our house this Sunday. We have graduation events on Friday and Saturday.....my time is getting short and my baking talents are disappearing!!! Calgon take me away!!!! KJ
KJ, when the holidays are over, and you've had a chance to catch your breath - would you share your recipe for Anise Cookies with me? Anise is my absolute favorite!
Thanks Tina! This is a German recipe my mother-in-law taught me before I was married. At least I "think" it's German. There are some here who might be able to correct me due to the spelling. I'm not standing in the kitchen any more today, so I'll write the recipe here now: ____________________________________________________
Anisplatzchen....(the double dots over the second "A"...is that an umlat?)
3 eggs room temperature (Agnes always warned me about that!)
1 C. plus 2 T. sugar
1 3/4 C flour
1/2 t. baking powder } sift these three together
1/2 t. salt
Beat eggs in electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Then add the sugar very gradually while beating constantly. Continue for 20 minutes more. (Yes you read that right....20 minutes!) Reduce speed of mixer and add flour mixture. Beat another 3 minutes, add anise.
Drop by heaping teaspoonsful onto a well greased and floured cookie sheet(s), swirling to form a perfectly round cookie.
Let stand for at least 8 hours to dry (overnight). Bake at 325 degrees F for about 10 minutes or until a creamy golden color (not brown) on the bottom. Store in air tight tins. ______________________________________________________________________________
These cookies get a dried "cap" on the top that stays a bit hard while the rest of it rises and has a somewhat chewy inside. Don't make them big, about the size of a silver dollar is about right. It's a bit of a fussy recipe, so I only make them once a year and really hate it when I screw them up!!!! Dear departed MIL must be busy playing bridge with her fellow angels....she was a good cook and certainly hasn't been keeping a watchful eye on my escapades in the kitchen!!!! It's funny how there are those who like anise cookies, and those who run screaming from them!!! Seems to be no middle ground. When I was a kid, there was a neighbor who brought us anise cookies at Christmas that were as hard as a rock and they looked like little pillows with pictures on them. She would never give out the recipe and it went to the great beyond with her. In later years, I figured out they must have been "Springerle" cookies that are rolled out with a decorative rolling pin and also left out over night before baking. I bought the rolling pin and tried them a couple times, but DH preferred his mother's recipe so I didn't bother with making them anymore. I'm sure I still have the rolling pin somewhere!
Let me know if you have any questions...I'd love to hear if and when you try making them! KJ
Thanks for the recipe! Yes, there ought to be 2 dots (umlaut) over the "a" in plätzchen. I need to get a few cookies made and might try these for a change. But I'll wait to hear how the lemon flavoring worked out! I prefer lemon to anise any day! Roberta in D
"KJ" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:oK4of.404368$084.67736@attbi_s22...
Howdy! You started it, Roberta! There's a German grocery store/outlet in Colleyville/Southlake, northwest of DFW airport. All this talk of cookies and baking and eating compelled me to head up there this beautiful, sunny day to "stock up." The Nürnberger lebkuchen (see, I remember what you told me) was there along w/ a few other types; we must sample them all. A few chocolates insisted on hopping into the bags, along w/ the spätzle, some sweet mustard, saurkraut and bratwurst. And lebkuchen. Cruised right by the 2 quilt shops on the way to/from; this was a Lebkuchen mission and that's what came home with me. Mission accomplished! ;-D
I don't want to hear about beautiful, sunny days! It's ugly here! Foggy, grey, smoggy - just plain ugly! We can't even see the Owyhees that are maybe 5 miles from our house.
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