They are bee-utiful, @MBalaska!

Thanks, little white fluffy 'hamster'.  This cookie is really unique as there are a dozen completely different types of recipes that make a dough that will give a good impression.  The  main three are:

• whole eggs - sugar, flour, flavoring
• egg whites only - sugar, flour, flavoring
• hartshorn & butter - whole eggs, sugar, flour, flavoring

I'm just going to have to test all three types of recipes to find one that I like best. I'm sending for lemon & orange oil via snail mail as I've been using lemon extract and it's just not strong enough.

I know that a good shortbread would take a decent impression, but probably not that detailed. I may try it anyhow as a good shorbread dipped in chocolate is superb.  the world will not come to a stop If I don't get these working great, but my goal would be to learn to make them taste & texture wise, as nice as they look.  this is quite a challenge.

AI feel like I'm getting such an education on CC :) I didn't know what Springerle cookies or hartshorn were. MB your cookies are so delicate looking, beautiful job! I had to look up hartshorn:

"Hartshorn helps molded cookies such as Springerle to retain their intricate designs during baking. Cookies made with hartshorn can be kept for a long time without hardening. Use of hartshorn may turn some ingredients, such as sunflower seeds, green."

Sounds like good stuff ;-D

Thanks @Pastrybaglady.  I'm waiting for the Hartshorn (bakers ammonia) to arrive in the mail.  I've used it before in a simple cookie recipe that was really good, although I can't seem to find that recipe. "dream cookies" or some such name.  It made a plain cookie that I dipped in chocolate.  It was a lot like the Pepperidge Farms Milano cookies.

I've also discovered a recipe called Carolina Stamped Shortbread cookie recipe that is for cookie stamps, so that will make 4 recipes to test.  Yes I'm starting to sound like a crazy cookie woman

AWell if you're going to be crazy, cookie sounds like the way to go!

tried the third recipe with the baking ammonia, it made a light soft cookie that was almost a cake.  I used orange oil & vanilla for a creamsicle flavor & tinted them orange color.  It was not  sweet, crunchy, & chewey like the meringue ones.  Interesting experiment.  Sure stinks the place up for a bit.   

forth & final recipe: the traditional Scottish shortbread.  The details are not sharp, and actually not visual.  You'd need simpler cookie stamps with the larger bolder markings.   They certainly taste the best.

so my choices are  Meringue Springerle recipe for highly detailed cookies & I'll have to buy a couple of simpler - less detailed cookie stamps for the nice Scottish shortbread cookies.

MB - Were any of your Springerle recipes the one from House on the Hill?  I think it is called Nini's Perfection Springerle.  It is an excellent recipe - I use baker's ammonia and orange oil, and I get a lot of requests for them.

On your shortbread topic, I just got a beautiful carved rolling pin and used it on these shortbreads.

Liz

@liz at sugar that is the prettiest shortbread I've ever seen!!  I love the design.  most people just use a small shaped cutter, then dip them in chocolate, but your rolling pin makes them adorable. For shortbread cookies I sent for some of the 2" cookie stamps from Rycraft.  /www.cookiestamp.com/ 

Yes, the recipe from 'House on the Hill' is exactly the same recipe as I used, for the third recipe experiment.  It just wasn't quite to my sweet tooth taste, although they came out so very pretty.

ps:  I clicked on your facebook page.......you've really put together a great assortment of goodies, and they all look lovely.  If I lived near your shop, I'd be your regular customer 

AThanks MB! Do you use powdered sugar to roll out your Springerle and dust your mold? I think that helps with the sweetness.

I got that rolling pin from Etsy from a seller from Poland. She had a lot of neat choices.

Liz

Yes I did use powdered sugar, both to roll out & to sprinkle the molds with.

I'm going to have to make the meringue recipe again and try some flavors other than vanilla.  maybe almond would work well also.  I liked the sweetness of this cookie.

It seems that this is an old and forgotten type of cookie that has been lost and replaced by the Keebler elves sugar bombs and O-reo assortments.

If anyone is looking for a Fat-Free cookie, then the Meringue Springerle cookie recipe is the ticket.

Made another batch of these with half vanilla extract and half almond extract and the flavor was much nicer. Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, pretty design on the top.  So the only question left is...........if you eat ten of these and there is no fat in them will you get skinny?  

AOh yes, by the process of osmosis, all the fat in your body will migrate to the fat-free cookie....hmmmm.....wouldn't it be lovely if it really worked like that!