Tradition
Christmas and the holidays are filled with tradition. Every year around this time our home overflows with smells of Scottish shortbread and French butter cookies. This year we changed it up a bit and added a few others to our regular mix, Middle Eastern date & almond triangles and German pfeffernüsse.
Pfeffernüsse
There are so many amazing cookies out there it would be impossible to share them all here but you can find the pfeffernüsse recipe below.
A typical Christmas time cookie spiced with pepper, the pfeffernüsse is good year round. I first found this recipe in 2001 in Martha Stewart’s Holiday Cookie issue but had not made it until now.
And like most recipes I (Nat) try, I didn’t read through the whole thing before making a list and heading to the store so when it came time to start baking, I didn’t have all the ingredients, but I had other ingredients that work as well.
I’ve since looked at other pfeffernüsse recipes and they all seem to differ a bit, one from the other, so the version below is my version.
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 stick butter (room temp)
- 1 3/4 cup buckwheat honey
- 2 large eggs
- 6 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp speculaas spice
- confectioner's sugar
- Beat together sugar, butter, honey
- Add eggs and beat until combined
- Add flour, baking soda and spices (find speculaas spice mix here (http://www.acooknotmad.com/2011/11/dont-speculate-before-you-taste-the-speculaas.html) to butter mixture, mix until soft dough forms
- Cover and refrigerate about 1/2 hour
- Butter cookie sheets or use parchment paper or silpat
- Using 1 tbsp of batter, shape into balls
- Place balls 2 inches apart, chill in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes
- Place in preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes or until golden
- Coat with confectioner's sugar and let cool
For more cookie recipes check out Masala Herb for an awesome Holiday Cookie roundup that could keep you busy for days.
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Perfect timing!! Our granddaughter’s birthday is tomorrow and we will be celebrating together with our family. Your recipe for pfeffernüsse cookies sounds great to share with the family! Thank you for sharing your recipe and Happy Holidays!
That’s great, happy birthday to your grand daughter!
Seeing these reminded me of how my mother always used to make vanillekipferl cookies for Christmas. Oh how I miss celebrating Christmas abroad!
If I ever am living somewhere with an oven again, I’d love to try this recipe.
Glad we could help you reminisce 🙂
these look great and have a very merry christmas hugs
Thanks Rebecca!
Oh you are so evil to tempt with those sweets – I love it!
This looks delish! It looks fun to make, to eat, and to pronounce 🙂
I hope you’ll try it!