I was terrified of making springerle until I used this recipe. Three successful batches and counting! Both my dad and my aunt have said these are just like their grandma used to make. I place the cookies on a cookie sheet with parchment paper sprinkled with anise seeds...saves tea towels. These have not hardened on me yet. Success! Am passing this recipe on to my daughter-in-law.

Don't say yuck until you've made these correctly. This recipe requires shortening- 1/3 c as another reviewer noted. And it must be shortening, not margarine or butter. Also the dough must be chilled for 2 hours (or more- I've made the dough 1 day in advance. I've made these since I was a kid and they are my sons' favorite Christmas cookie. I watch these cookies in the oven- 10-12 minutes is usual depending on your oven-know your oven! I do not frost the cookies, but will put colored sugar on some of them. I agree that the dough is tricky- however, if you chill the dough and have a cold rolling pin and a cold surface (granite/ solid surface), the cookies come out fine- you may also want to roll the dough a little less than 1/4". Do not add too much flour in the rolling process- that makes them hard, too. If you want a more honey-lemony cookie, don't be afraid to increase the honey and/or lemon just a little bit.