German Tradition
Made in the USA
The Cookies
Springerle is a type of South German biscuit or cookie with an embossed design made by pressing a mold onto rolled dough and allowing the impression to dry before baking. This preserves the detail of the surface pattern. While historical molds show that springerle were baked for religious holidays and secular occasions throughout the year, they are now most commonly associated with the Christmas season.
The name springerle translates literally as "little jumper" or "little knight", but its exact origin is unknown. It may refer the popular motif of a jumping horse in the mold, or just to the rising or "springing up" of the dough as it bakes. The origin of the cookie can be traced back to at least the 14th century in southwestern Germany and surrounding areas, mostly in Swabia.
The Molds
Decorating baked goods first began with the ancient cultures of India, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. Finds from ancient archeological sites show us that stone and clay molds were first used for decorating flatbread. Clay vases and other household goods were also decorated using molds. The oldest known springerle mold from Switzerland was carved from wood in the 14th century. This round shaped mold pictures the Easter lamb, and originates from the St. Katharine monastery in Will St. Gallen. It is now in the collection of the Swiss national museum in Zurich, Switzerland.
The Company
Connie Meisinger became the Springerle baker in her family when her grandmother, Nini, was no longer able to make the cookies that they all anticipated eagerly every holiday season.
It was difficult to locate a rolling pin or press and supplies. An extensive search finally yielded a machine carved rolling pin, made in China. A local independently owned drug store could supply the key ingredients, hartshorn and anise oil. A Springerle baker blossomed! He parents, brothers, aunts and cousins clamored for Springerle every year and she happily obliged them.
In 1993 she submitted Nini’s Springerle recipe to the Chicago Tribune’s annual cookie baking contest and was one of the winning contestants that year. After reading the article, Caroline Kallas, the owner of House on the Hill, contacted her to let her know about the company. She was hooked! She became an avid customer and soon came to love the molds as much as the cookies.
With her husband, Steve, she bought House on the Hill in 2002 and continues the tradition of molded cookie baking. The company has always been the manufacturer of our molds and proudly produce them in the United States. Initially, House on the Hill was primarily a phone/mail order business but over the years had transitioned into an online retail business. Now it has become a wholesale supplier to other retailers, both brick/mortar and online.
Nothing pleased her more than sharing my knowledge and information about molded cookies and how to bake them. In addition to the information on this web site, she writes a blog and teach molded cooking baking classes at many of the retailers that sell House on the Hill cookie molds.
In July 2021, Letha Misener, a life long baker and lover of Springerle cookies became the company’s third owner. While Letha was an accomplished healthcare professional, she would bake hundreds of Springerle cookies each week and sell them at local events. Letha loves the sheer joy that the cookies bring to those that enjoy them, and equally to those that bake them.
As history would let us know, the company is in fine hands once again.