Pfeffernusse Spice Cookies

Last three posts of the day! I hope you’ve enjoyed them. Have a good week people!

Pfeffernusse Spice Cookies

Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 22 mins
Baking Time 11 mins
Total Time 63 mins
Servings 40 cookies

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (70g) dark molasses (not blackstrap)

1/4 cup (70g) honey

6 tablespoons (75g) white granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons whole milk, cold from the refrigerator

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg, cold from the refrigerator

2 1/2 cups (350g) all-purpose flour

For the glaze:

1 cup (115g) powdered sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

Directions:

Preheat your oven:

Set your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
Make the cookie dough:

Warm the molasses, honey, and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, white pepper, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Let cool until just warm to the touch.

Stir in the milk, baking soda, and egg. Add the flour and stir until most of the flour is absorbed. Using your hands, knead the dough until the remaining flour is incorporated.

Shape the cookies:

Pinch off about a teaspoon of dough and roll a 1-inch ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls of dough 1 inch apart from each other.

Bake the cookies:

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are just starting to brown.
Make the glaze:

In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and water to make the glaze.
Glaze the cookies:

Once the cookies are done, pull the pan out of the oven and brush the hot cookies with the glaze, making sure to cover as much of the tops and sides as possible. Don’t worry if some of the glaze drips onto the baking sheet.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet until the glaze is dry to the touch. Then, move them to a rack to cool completely.

The cookies improve (the spices mellow and the texture softens) after a day or two in a sealed airtight container.

Nutritional Facts:

64 Calories
0g Fat
14g Carbs
1g Protein

Recipe courtesy of Simply Recipes.com

6 Likes

What a name! I was curious what it was/what it meant, so I did a quick search and found a little fun fact:

In Germany, Pfeffernüsse are associated with Christmas. The cookie has been part of yuletide celebrations since the 1850s.[12]

The name literally means ‘peppernuts’, and does not mean it contains nuts. The cookies are roughly the size of nuts and can be eaten by the handful, which may account for the name. They are named for the pinch of pepper added to the dough before baking.

From Wikipedia: Pfeffernüsse

Learned a new recipe and something new today - thank you, @Amethyst! :grin: :heart: :cookie:

5 Likes

Neat! I came across these cookies in a story I read once and they sounded delicious! I bet they’re a great treat with tea!

Glad you liked the recipe!

4 Likes

Saved this one! My mother’s father was German so our Christmas was very German with all the wonderful baked goods. This was one of my favorites! Thank you!

4 Likes

I hope you make it next year and enjoy it!!

4 Likes