I seem to have a tradition, at this point in cookie season – or actually on Nov. 30th, which is sometimes earlier and sometimes later in cookie season – of writing a post with “wimpy” in the title. See 2011 and 2010. In 2009, I didn’t post on Nov. 30th, although on Dec. 1 I complained of cookie depression, and on Dec. 2, I broke my thumb.
This year, I am feeling especially wimpy, although not depressed. I am doing over a small batch of springerle, because some of the first batch didn’t puff very well at first, and then got too brown when I baked them longer in the hopes of puff. I might’ve left out the baking powder in half the dough … I was feeling pretty good about the do-over – I beat the eggs longer, and used unbleached flour on the theory that it has more gluten = structure = puff. I’ve got three different recipes and am cobbling them together; Joy of Cooking, who doesn’t say to beat the eggs at all; the little slip that came with one of my molds, that says to beat 30 minutes; and Rose Levy Berenbaum, who I am kind of disregarding, because she paints her springerle with gold leaf. I mixed them up this morning and left them to air dry, and will bake them tonight. It wasn’t until I was eating one of the rejects for lunch that I realized that this time I’m sure I added the baking powder, but I forgot the grated lemon rind. Sigh.
I also don’t have too many kinds done, yet – and I fear the order’s not right this year – I am already making the ginger creams, and the Zimtsterne – nut cimmy stars – and Moravian ginger thins that keep longer, are coming after. The weather is being a bit more cooperative – it’s 42 now, but in the 50s all weekend, and 60 on Monday. Not good for cookies.
