Pfeffernusse German Cookies Recipe

This is a traditional recipe for Pfeffernusse cookies which are often made in Germany during the Christmas holiday season. They are spicy, crisp, peppery cookies which are wonderful for dunking in milk or coffee. Their taste even improves with age when kept in a sealed air-tight container at room temperature. Baked cookies can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Ingredients:

Cookie Recipes

1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground anise seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

Grease cookie sheets and set aside.

Melt butter or margarine over medium-low heat in a saucepan. Stir in the molasses and honey and continue to heat and stir until mixture is creamy and well blended. Remove the saucepan from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature. Stir eggs into the cooled mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, ginger, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, anise seeds and salt until well blended. Stir in the molasses mixture and mix well until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate dough for 1 to 2 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Roll dough into small balls about 3/4 inch in diameter. Place dough balls 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake in preheated oven 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Use a spatula to move cookies to a cooling rack.

Place powdered sugar in a plastic bag. Adding a small amount of cookies at a time, shake gently to coat completely with powdered sugar.

Recipe yields about 5 1/2 dozen cookies.

Pfeffernusse German Cookies Recipe

K. Hupp enjoys cooking, gardening and unique collectibles. Visit a German Collectibles Haus to see the newest Steinbach Nutcrackers and Smokers for the holiday season.