These recipes for pfeffernusse cookies are excerpted from a small Gloria Dei Lutheran Church cookbook titled From Our German Ancestors that I inherited from my grandmother. I mentioned the recipes in the 12 Beers of Christmas tasting notes video for Pfuffernusse Winter Warmer at Arbeiter Brewing Company. You can also try your hand at brewing your own homebrew version with this recipe.
Pfeffernusse (Pepper Nuts)
Ingredients
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 cups dark syrup
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup butter
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 lb almonds
- 1 tsp cloves
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 anise oil
- 3 tsp soda
Directions
Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and mix well. Add syrup and honey and flavoring. Sift spices and soda with 4 cups flour. Mix into cream mixture. Then add enough flour to make a very stiff dough. Make small balls (size of a small marble) and place on a cookie sheet and bake in 350F oven for 10-12 minutes. Must be very hard when cold to be good. Better with age. Put in teaspoon and dunk in coffee.
Helle Pfeffernusse (White Pepper Nuts)
Ingredients
- 1 lb (2 1/4 cups) sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 cups flour
- 2 Tbsp chopped citron
Directions
Preheat oven to 325F. Beat sugar and eggs together at medium speed for 15 minutes. Stir nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, salt and flour together to blend well. Add to egg and sugar mixture along with the citron. Mix well. Knead on a lightly floured working surface. Roll out finger thick. Cut in little round forms and bake slowly until lightly browned.