Description
These Pfeffernusse Cookies are delightful spiced treats featuring a blend of warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper, combined with molasses and honey for a rich, chewy texture. Perfectly dusted with confectioners’ sugar, these traditional German cookies offer a unique balance of sweet and spicy flavors, ideal for holiday celebrations or any cozy occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup molasses
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup shortening
- ¼ cup margarine
- 2 large eggs
Dry Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons anise extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
For Dusting
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Heat wet ingredients: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine molasses, honey, shortening, and margarine. Cook and stir until the mixture is creamy. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Beat in the eggs thoroughly to combine.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, white sugar, brown sugar, anise extract, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, baking soda, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground black pepper, and salt until evenly mixed.
- Combine wet and dry: Add the cooled molasses mixture to the flour mixture and stir until a uniform dough forms. Cover and refrigerate the dough for about 2 hours to chill, which makes handling easier and helps flavors meld.
- Preheat oven and shape cookies: Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Once chilled, roll the dough into small balls roughly the size of acorns and place them 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets to allow room for spreading.
- Bake cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are firm and show slight cracking on the tops. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets.
- Cool and dust: Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, generously dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar before serving to add a sweet finishing touch.
Notes
- Chilling the dough helps in rolling the cookies easily and prevents spreading during baking.
- Make sure not to overbake; the cookies should be firm but still soft inside.
- You can store these cookies in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze them for longer storage.
- The combination of spices can be adjusted to taste, but the black pepper gives a unique signature flavor that is traditional to Pfeffernusse.
