Welcome to the realm of pfefferneusse, a timeless holiday treat originating from Germany that will tantalize your taste buds and transport you to a realm of festive cheer. These bite-sized morsels of joy, often adorned with powdered sugar, boast a symphony of flavors that will leave you craving more. With their crispy exteriors and soft, chewy interiors, pfefferneusse embody the spirit of the season, making them a cherished tradition in many households. Whether you prefer them as a sweet addition to your holiday gatherings or as a thoughtful gift for loved ones, this guide will lead you on a culinary adventure to discover the secrets behind crafting the perfect pfefferneusse.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
TRADITIONAL PFEFFERNUESSE
Tiny anise-flavored spice nuggets are a Christmas tradition in many families of German heritage.
Provided by Land O'Lakes
Yield 36 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, and molasses in bowl; beat at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until creamy.
- Combine water and coffee granules in another bowl; stir until dissolved. Add coffee mixture and all remaining ingredients except flour; continue beating until well mixed. Add flour; beat at low speed until well mixed. Cover; refrigerate at least 30 minutes until firm.
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Divide dough into 10 portions (about 1/4 cup dough each). Roll 1 portion at a time into 18x1/2-inch rope on lightly floured surface. Cut each rope into 1/2-inch pieces with sharp knife. Place pieces 1/2 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookies are set.
- Place waxed paper on top of cooling racks. Loosen cookies with spatula; spread onto waxed paper. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar or sugar, if desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 80 calories, Fat 3 grams, SaturatedFat grams, Transfat grams, Cholesterol 15 milligrams, Sodium 60 milligrams, Carbohydrate 11 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Sugar grams, Protein 1 grams
TRADITIONAL PFEFFERNEUSSE
Family recipe for German peppernuts. Small, dense spice cookies that are tantalizing when dipped in coffee, or great on their own. This is the traditional version with molasses.
Provided by DANICASB
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European German
Time 27m
Yield 48
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in molasses, anise oil, and egg. Dissolve baking soda in hot water, and stir into the mixture. Combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger and white pepper; blend into the molasses mixture until uniform. Knead for a minute until easy to work with. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, and place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until slightly browned on the bottom. Do not over bake, or they will be very hard. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 77.2 calories, Carbohydrate 12.9 g, Cholesterol 3.9 mg, Fat 2.4 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 1.1 g, SaturatedFat 0.6 g, Sodium 29.1 mg, Sugar 5.3 g
GERMAN SPICE COOKIES (PFEFFERNUSSE)
German for "pepper nut," pfeffernusse cookies are named for the pinch of pepper added to the dough before baking. It joins a quartet of warm spices -- cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes
Yield Makes about 60
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, brown sugar, and molasses on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture; beat until just combined. Pinch off a heaping teaspoon of dough, roll into a ball, and place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining dough, spacing balls 1 1/2 inches apart. (Dough can be frozen at this point, covered tightly with plastic wrap, up to 1 month.)
- Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are golden and firm to the touch with slight cracking, about 15 minutes. Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Glaze: Fit a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack. In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, milk, and kirsch, if desired. Using a fork, dip each cookie in glaze to coat. Tap to remove excess glaze and place on wire rack to dry. Repeat with remaining cookies.
- To decorate: While the glaze is still wet, top cookies with a small pinch of peppercorns, if desired. Alternatively, let glaze dry completely before mixing together luster dust and kirsch with a small paintbrush. Lightly brush tops of cookies with luster dust mixture, if desired. Let dry before serving. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.
PFEFFERNUSSE
These nut-sized cookies are spiced with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and pepper. They are called Pepperkaker, in Norway.
Provided by Kristi
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European German
Yield 96
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Stir in dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time. Add almonds, if desired.
- Roll into one inch balls and arrange 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 11 to 14 minutes.
- Cool and store in airtight containers for 3 days to mellow flavors.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 50.7 calories, Carbohydrate 7.1 g, Cholesterol 7.7 mg, Fat 2.2 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 0.9 g, SaturatedFat 1 g, Sodium 42.4 mg, Sugar 2.9 g
PFEFFERNUSSE (GERMAN PEPPER NUT COOKIES )
This is from Williams Sonoma and it has been a family favorite for years. It is a great twist on Gingerbread cookies.
Provided by Zookeenee
Categories Dessert
Time 59m
Yield 24 cookies
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, pepper, aniseeds, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg and cloves.
- In a large bowl, using an electic mixer set on medium speed, beat together the butter, brown sugar and molasses until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Beat in the egg.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture.
- Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
- Position a rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
- Butter 2 baking sheets, scoop up pieces of dough and roll between your palms into balls 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
- Place the balls on the cookie sheets spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and firm to the touch, about 14 minutes.
- Transfer the baking sheets to racks and let the cookies cool slightly on the sheets.
- Place the confectioners' sugar in a sturdy paper bag, drop a few cookies into the bag, close the top securely, and shake gently to coat the warm cookies with the sugar.
- Transfer to racks and let cool completely.
- Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
PFEFFERNUSSE
How to make authentic Pfeffernusse! These traditional German iced gingerbread cookies are made with white pepper, cinnamon, and are a classic Holiday treat.
Provided by Julia Foerster
Categories Cookie
Time P1DT32m
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a measuring jug, combine flour and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine butter, honey, brown sugar, cloves, all-spice, cinnamon, and finely ground white pepper. Bring to a boil, then take off the heat and quickly stir flour into the mixture.
- Let the dough cool to room temperature, then form into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Let sit in a cool space for at least overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Divide dough into four parts and roll each into a 1/2-inch thick log. Cut each log into 8 pieces and roll them into a small ball. Place balls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the lover half of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Let cookies cool to room temperature.
- To make the glaze: In a medium bowl, beat egg white with 1 tablespoon of honey. Gradually sift in 1 cup powdered sugar, mixing until smooth. Dip cookies in the glaze then place on a rack set up over a baking sheet until coating hardens.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 86 kcal, Carbohydrate 16 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 2 g, SaturatedFat 1 g, Cholesterol 6 mg, Sodium 20 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 10 g, ServingSize 1 serving
GERMAN PFEFFERNUESSE
I remember having friends at school bring these fun, marble-sized cookies in their lunchboxes. They're of German origin and taste very good.-N.R. Urie, Pueblo, California
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 25m
Yield 5-1/2 dozen.
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, cream, corn syrup, honey and extracts. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight., Roll dough into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 145 calories, Fat 4g fat (3g saturated fat), Cholesterol 19mg cholesterol, Sodium 93mg sodium, Carbohydrate 25g carbohydrate (12g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 2g protein.
PFEFFERNUESSE
These mild spice cookies, perfect for dunking, come from an old family recipe. The dough sits overnight to let the spices blend. The extraordinary flavors make these a holiday classic. —Betty Hawkshaw, Alexandria, Virginia
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 35m
Yield 8 dozen.
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In a bowl, combine corn syrup, molasses and water; set aside. Combine the flour, aniseed, baking soda and spices; add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. , Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 11 minutes or until golden brown. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 69 calories, Fat 2g fat (1g saturated fat), Cholesterol 9mg cholesterol, Sodium 32mg sodium, Carbohydrate 12g carbohydrate (5g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 1g protein.
Tips:
- Follow the recipe carefully: Pfefferneusse are a delicate cookie, and it's important to follow the recipe carefully to ensure they turn out perfectly.
- Use fresh ingredients: The fresher your ingredients, the better your pfefferneusse will taste. This is especially true for the spices, which should be ground fresh for the best flavor.
- Don't overmix the dough: Overmixing the dough will make the cookies tough. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
- Chill the dough before baking: Chilling the dough will help the cookies hold their shape and prevent them from spreading too much in the oven.
- Bake the cookies until they are just set: The cookies should be slightly soft in the center when they come out of the oven. If they are overbaked, they will be dry and crumbly.
- Let the cookies cool completely before storing them: The cookies will continue to harden as they cool. If you store them before they are completely cooled, they may break.
Conclusion:
Pfefferneusse are a delicious and festive cookie that is perfect for the holiday season. They are easy to make and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. With a little planning and effort, you can make your own pfefferneusse at home and enjoy this traditional German treat.
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