December 4, 2008 – The Springerle House

In Strassburg, an historical town south of Lancaster, there is a delightful bakery called The Springerle House. In the window at this time of year, there is a pyramid tree, the kind whose blades are set in motion by the heat of candles (although this one was powered by electricity).




When you opened the door, the smells of fresh baked springerle greeted you or the licorice scent of anise.

Springerles are cookies made by pressing dough with carved molds, leaving intricate designs.

Historical note: The European tradition of these “picture cookies” are over a thousand years old. Springerle molds first came to Lancaster County around 1710 among the most treasured possessions of the Pennsylvania German immigrants.

I bought some molds – a very hard choice to make from the large selection.

Molds







And here are pictures of some of the cookies. They may look like they’re too pretty to eat BUT…they were delicious with a cup of tea.

Cookies