Can you hear them...? The birds...they're chirping? The clouds have parted, the sun is shining and I can hear the quiet whispering of angels cheering and saying, "we knew she could do it!"

Yes friends, I have accomplished. I found another springerle recipe that didn't make me want to cry and through dough into the trash. 

By nature I'm not a dilly-dallier. I like to get in, get things done and then relax. Springerle cookies are the type of cookie you need to plan for, think about and do it all over again. Unlike a traditional cookie where you mix everything together and it goes mixing bowl to oven...these suckers are different and you need to dedicate time to these springerles! 

I spent an entire weekend watching YouTube videos on how to make springerle cookies and I would encourage you to watch one or two as it will give you a real appreciation for these little masterpieces.

Here is the link I found with the recipe:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/Springerle.htm

• 4 large eggs 

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

• 1 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon anise oil or 1 teaspoon anise extract

• 4 cups all-purpose flour 

Preparation:

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or use the Silicone Baking Mats to prevent the cookies from sticking. Avoid insulated cookie sheets as they will cause the Springerle cookies to brown during baking.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs on high speed of your electric mixer until light and fluffy. (Stacy's note: I mixed the eggs alone for 15 minutes) Add sugar, butter, and baking powder; beat at high speed for 15 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in anise oil or extract. Gradually beat in flour until well mixed.(Stacy's note: I had my eggs at room temperature and I did not use anise of any kind. I substituted 1 tsp of lemon extract)

Lightly flour your springerle rolling pin; set aside.

On a lightly floured board, knead the dough a few times (the dough will be sticky at first, so knead in just enough flour to make it manageable. Using a standard Rolling Pin, roll into a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick (be carful not to roll the dough too thin).

Using your floured Springerle Rolling Pin, roll slowly and firmly over the previously rolled dough to make a clear design. Use your desired cookie cutter to cut out the cookies and place on prepared cookie sheets.

Roll out scraps of dough and repeat. NOTE: Be sure to flour the rolling pin and board before each pressing. This will insure the dough will not stick.

Place cookies on your prepared cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Let cookies stand, uncovered, overnight to dry. NOTE: Drying preserves the image during baking.

When ready to bake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place oven rack in middle of oven.

Bake one (1) baking sheet at a time only. Bake approximately 10 minutes until slightly golden on bottoms, but white on top. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to wire cooling rack to cool (let cookies stand overnight to completely dry before storing).

Storage: Keep cookies in a tight container for 2 or 3 weeks before using to achieve the best flavor.

Yields: The number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size and thickness of your Springerle cookies.

Ugh. What to do when a rolling pin comes off our machine and isn't perfect?  Simple, we donate!

It's true and happens more than you think. The error might be small, large or even unrecognizable to anyone other that ourselves but if it's not as perfect as can be...we donate it. Sometimes it's as silly as gluing the handle on backwards (which is a huge irritation)!  

Luckily for us we have an amazing art teacher at our elementary school who joyfully accepts our unusable pins and uses them for her pottery classes. As the cat rolling pin is our number one seller, she needless to say has an over abundance of cats! Luckily she knows other artists in various schools who are benefiting as well. We even donated a few to a day care center to see if they can make fun creations in Play Dough! 

Another side note and I shouldn't probably even write this but when we accidentally ship the wrong order out, (which yes...it happens in our excitement in fulfilling so many orders) we have a "pay it forward" policy. We were calling it the "no return policy" but that sounds to harsh doesn't it? Cut to the chase, we don't want to see any returned rolling pins at our studio!

You know that feeling of having ordered something online only to open the box with the wrong item in it. Hearts sink and irritation rises. 

We don't want to impose the frustration on our clients having to return the wrong pin so instead, we ask that they re-home it. So while we ship them the correct rolling pin, they can give the mistaken pin away as a "just because" gift to a friend, donate it to a school or a fellow baker. Now instead of feeling frustrated, they feel happy and uplifted knowing their new pin is en route and THEY paid it forward. 

Life is good, even when mistakes happen. :) 

I'm sure this is the case with you but if you have a kiddo in school,there are endless ways of raising money for your school. The trip to Washington D.C., new tablets for the first graders or smart boards for all classes. 

Our amazing elementary school in Morrison, Colorado was having a huge silent auction and crazy to say they raised about $30,000 in one night! Filled with fellow parents donating their crafts, wares and services and it was so fun to learn what other moms and dads do. Might I add to that moms and dads were quite unrecognizable from their daily sweat pants and ponytails to fancy, schmanzy real people!

So with great joy and a skip in our step we decided to donate a baking party for any fellow 3rd grader at our daughters school. Included in the package was a personalized apron as well as their choice of rolling pin. It could be one already in our inventory or they could have us customize one as well. 

I think for this party we had a panda bear, cats, turtles kissing cats, horses and a "made by" pin. It was so fun to see such an assortment and get an insight into what the little sweet girlies liked! 

Lasted about 2-3 hours and was certainly filled with lots of sugar and flour! Together we all prepared our trusted peanut butter roll out dough and took turns rolling out the dough with our new rolling pins. The girls found such pleasure in not only seeing the final product but were mesmerized with how the dough looked!  I love 9 year olds...while they're growing into mature little beings I still saw a few glimpses of sweet, little girls who giggled with such delight!

If this is something you would find fun for a birthday party or special event, we'd love to add some fun with our pins. Let us know and we'd be happy to give you a great price to ensure you have a fun and memorable event!