Holiday Cookies; #1 Springerle, German Christmas Cookie
Well, the holidays are just around the corner and we all need to think about gifts, cookies giveaway circles, parties, and just general having something on hand for those drop in guests; I will be posting Christmas Cookie Recipes in the weeks leading up to December. Mostly because when I started saving recipes for a single post on holiday cookies; I didn’t realize there were Sooooooo Many! So many more than I can do in just one post, I thought it would be a good ongoing category in this blog.
I am going to start with cookies that need a bit of seasoning, or taste better after a few days. Most of these types of cookies actually improve with age. Let them sit in airtight container for a week or so and the flavor develops. They will often last for months or a year, as long as they are in an airtight container. A lot of them are basically sugar cookies that are thin and crispy. The Hartshorn/ammonia does not do good with a thick or chewy cookie.
I Love Springerle Molds/Cookies boards, and between my Roommate and myself, we have a large collection of them. They take a bit of work, commitment and time to let them set, (usually overnight) But they are worth it! You do not need to have the cookie molds, just use a cutter or a cookie stamp that you can get at most specialty food stores; or there are lots of places to get the special molds.
If you have ever had a German springerle, they are made with baking ammonia, also known as hartshorn. It is a type of leavening that takes a bit of getting used to, and using with caution! Do not open the oven door and inhale, it releases a gas when hot that is bad for you, but is ok once it has cooled. Ammonium carbonate is actually the alkaline chemical leavening agent that is extensively used in the baking industry. Usually, it is used in place of baking powder and baking soda. Ammonium carbonate is usually used to add light texture and crispiness to baked goods. If you look for that in a specialty food store or online you may find it easier to look for hartshorn than as the ammonia. Make sure it is BAKING ammonia, and not just regular ammonia!
Early 1900’s Bonfield IL, a small cook book file book
Interesting on these, they do not have the traditional flavoring of anis seed (which I happen to dislike very much) I like lemon as a flavoring in my springerle; vanilla seeds is very good too. This recipe uses hartshorn, but the spelling of it is harshorn.
Baraboo Wisconsin; from the early 1900’s. (pics in 2021 march)
This book has a lot of traditional German cookies in it; springerle, leb kuchen and cinnamon stars are very old traditions.
Webster New York between 1903 and 1918, a scrap book of paper cuttings mostly from the delineator magazine.
Pearlash – (pearl ash, pearlashe, also salts of tarter) Dates to the 1780’s or so. It is a refined, purified potassium carbonate, the primary component of potash. It was the subject of the first patent in the U.S. issued July 31st, 1790, and signed by George Washington. The preparation is time consuming, but could be accomplished by any cook with a cast-iron pot; which involved soaking fireplace ashes in water which creates lye, then boiling it to remove the water and result in “salts”. The salts could be further refined, but when used with acidic ingredients like lemon juice or sour milk, created a chemical reaction of carbon dioxide which in turn gives you the raised light airy texture of baked goods, without yeast and shortened the length of time involved in making baked goods.
(Just as a side note, lye is also a primary ingredient in making soap and gunpowder)
A U.S. patent was granted in 1790 for an improved method of making potash and pearl ash as an ingredient for fertilizer, not as a baking ingredient. It is traditionally used in German Gingerbread recipes in combination with Hartshorn. (Be sure you follow recipes and directions for its use, it can be very harmful if used in the wrong quantities)
American Cookery (1792) the first American cookbook by Amelia Simmons, she gives three leavening products to use; baker’s yeast, brewer’s yeast and pearlash. It is the first book to call for its use and with its introduction became a preferred way to make baked goods and opened up the creation of whole new types of cakes, cookies and biscuits; that were faster and easier to make.
In 1828 a Dutchman first developed a processed cocoa powder, called “Dutching”, as the resulting product is called Dutch-processed chocolate. Adding potash reduces the acidity of cocoa beans by balancing the pH, and it improves the aroma.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_carbonate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baking_powder
Ann Arbor, MI 1899 Church Cookbook
Saleratus – From the Latin sal aerates, meaning “aerated salt”. A precursor to baking soda, it hit the market in 1840 and was a chalky powder used for the chemical leavening needed to produce carbon dioxide gas that gives the rise in your baked goods. It was made by adding carbonic acid to pearlash, changing the potassium carbonate into potassium bicarbonate.
It had replaced pearlash as the choice of leavening by 1850 but was soon replaced by baking soda in 1860; although baking soda was also called saleratus for a while; I have found recipes into the early 1900’s using the word saleratus instead of baking soda.
To substitute; per 1 teaspoon of saleratus, 1 ¼ teaspoons of baking soda.
https://www.cooksinfo.com/saleratus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate
Hartshorn – Ammonium carbonate is made by dry distillation of oil of hartshorn, which is made by the destructive distillation of male red deer horns. (Can be used as smelling salts) Also known as Baker’s ammonia, it is still used in baking some old-world cookies such as Springerle, a favorite Holiday treat that can be kept for long periods of time without hardening and retains the intricate molded designs. It can be used for thin, dry cookies and crackers as it releases ammonia and carbon dioxide, but not water.
It was mainly used in the 17th and 18th centuries, before baking powder. It can be very pungent with the smell of ammonia when baking, and thinner cookies will allow the smell to dissipate.
As a safety concern; use with care! The amino acids in some fruits, nuts and whole grains (asparagine) react with the ammonia released while baking to form acrylamide, which is a carcinogen. Do Not breathe in the fumes of the baked goods using baker’s ammonia when removing from the oven!
Substitute 1 teaspoon of baking powder for ½ teaspoon of hartshorn.
INGREDIENT REFERENCES and MEASUREMENTS
I have found several references that explains the equivalents to our modern measurements. Just a few examples are;
Gill – Pronounced Jill; equal to a quarter of a pint; or four fluid ounces which equals ½ cup.
Lump of (something) the size of a Turkey’s egg – equals 4 ounces
Lump of (something) the size of a chicken’s egg – equals 2 ounces.
Lump of Butter the size of a walnut – equals 1 ounce. (can also be 1 rounded tablespoon)
A Victorian measurement of a wine glassful, will not be the wine glass we think of today. They were much smaller, about ¼ cup to ½ cup. So, when using a recipe that askes for a wine glass full be sure to use a lot less than you would think about using from today’s size of glass.
Quite a few of these recipes call for; a coffee cupful. A teacup full, and a wineglass full.
A coffee cupful = 1 cup.
A tea cupful = 1/3 cup, I have also found it to be ¾ cup.
A wine glassful = ¼ cup, ½ gill or 4 T.
A Tumbler = ½ pint or 1 cup
Basic measurements
The measurements may sometimes call for a “pinch” or a “dash” of something, they have never really been defined other than a pinch or a dash are both less than 1/8 of a teaspoon. I have actually seen a measuring spoon set that has them measured out; I am sure you could find them if you really want a set. I usually define them as; a pinch, equals what you can “pinch” between your thumb and forefinger. A dash equals one “shake” of a container with holes in the lid, such as a salt shaker.
Teaspoons are often listed with just a small letter “t”; also tsp. And many other versions all starting with a small t.
Tablespoons are often listed with just a capitol “T”; also Tbsp. And many other versions starting with a capitol T.
A cup is often listed as a “C” or a “c”.
An ounce is often listed as “oz.”
A pound is often listed as “lb.”, lbs. and sometimes as “#”.
3 teaspoons equal 1 Tablespoon.
4 Tablespoons equal ¼ of a cup.
5 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon equals 1/3 cup.
8 Tablespoons equal ½ cup, and 16 Tablespoons equal 1 cup.
2 Tablespoons make one fluid ounce.
1 half pint equals 1 cup.
2 cups make a pint
4 cups, or 2 pints, equal a quart.
4 quarts make a gallon.
It takes 8 quarts to make a peck and 4 pecks to make a bushel.
4 Tablespoons or ½ a gill equal one wine glass
2 wine glasses or ½ cup equals 1 gill
2 gills equal a coffee cup full
2 coffee cups full equal 1 pint
2 pints equal 1 quart
2 Tablespoonsful liquid equals 1 ounce
1 Tablespoon of salt equals 1 ounce
16 ounces equal 1 pound, or a pint of liquid
1 rounded Tablespoon of flour equals ½ ounce
3 cupful’s of corn meal equals 1 pound
4 coffee cupful’s sifted flour equals 1 pound
1 quart unsifted flour equals 1 pound
1 pint granulated sugar equals 1 pound
2 coffee cupful powdered sugar equals 1 pound
1 pint brown sugar equals 13 ounces
2 ½ cupful’s of powdered sugar equals 1 pound
There are no baking temperatures listed in these recipes; during this time, it was assumed you would know how to put together a recipe without directions and what temperature to cook or bake them at. You gauged your oven temps through experience of working in the kitchen next to your mother and other relatives throughout your childhood and youth. You learned methods, techniques and timing so you never needed to have it written down in the cook books or diaries passed through each generation of the family
Oven temperatures are seldom given in the old books and recipes; most times the only say something like a slow oven or quick oven. These are the equlivent to today’s oven temperatures;
A very slow oven equals 250 to 275 degrees.
A slow oven equals 300 to 325 degrees.
A moderate oven equals 350 to 375 degrees.
A hot or quick oven equals 375 to 400 degrees.
A very hot oven equals 400 to 450 degrees.
This is a good reference for cooking information.
