Best Pfeffernuesse Recipes

PFEFFERNUESSE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine molasses, honey, butter and shortening. Cook and stir over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. Stir in eggs and extract., Combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, pepper and salt. Gradually add molasses mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 325°. Roll dough into 1-in. balls. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove cookies to wire racks. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

GLAZED PFEFFERNUESSE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses, water and extract. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. , Roll dough into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. , Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla. Place additional confectioners' sugar in another shallow bowl. Remove cookies to wire racks; cool 5 minutes. Dip tops of warm cookies in glaze and allow excess to drip off; dip in confectioners' sugar. Cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

GERMAN PFEFFERNUESSE

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine sugar, butter, buttermilk and molasses; beat well. Add flour and all remaining ingredients except powdered sugar; mix until well blended. Cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours for easier handling.
• Heat oven to 350°F. On floured surface, shape dough into 4 long rolls, 15 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. With serrated knife, cut rolls into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place 1/4 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 350°F. for 8 to 9 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets; place on wire racks. Cool 5 minutes or until completely cooled. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

PFEFFERNUESSE

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.

PFEFFERNUESSE COOKIE MIX

Steps:

• Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, spices, and dash black pepper.
• In large saucepan, combine molasses and butter; heat and stir until butter melts. Cool to room temperature.
• Stir in eggs. Add dry ingredients to molasses mixture; mix well. Cover. Chill several hours or overnight.
• Shape into 1" balls. Place on greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 12 to 14 minutes or until cookies are done. Remove. Cool. Roll in powdered sugar.

PFEFFERNUESSE IV

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine molasses and butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. When the mixture has cooled, beat in the eggs. Blend the molasses mixture into the dry ingredients until evenly mixed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm. While cookies are still warm, toss them in a bag with confectioners' sugar and toss to coat. When cool, toss with sugar again.

PFEFFERNUESSE (PEPPERY GINGERBREAD)

Steps:

• Mix flour and baking soda and set aside.
• Bring butter, dark molasses, sugar, and spices in a pot to a boil and remove from heat.
• Add flour at once and stir in quickly.
• Let dough cool down. Then wrap into cling film and put into the fridge. Leave it there overnight.
• On the next day: The dough should be very firm. Halve it with a knife. Set one half aside for the moment. Divide the halved dough into 8 pieces. Each of the 8 pieces divide into 3 little pieces (they should have almost the size of nuts).
• First knead the little pieces of dough, so that they get a little waxier. Then roll them between your hands to form a little ball. Place them on a plate and put in the fridge. Do the same with the second half of the dough.
• Let the dough balls rest in the fridge for one hour.
• Meanwhile preheat oven (360 F, 180 C). Line out two baking trays with baking paper. Take the dough balls out of the fridge and put them on the baking tray.
• Put baking tray into the lower third of the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cookies will flatten a bit and should be golden. They are still soft.
• Put them on a cooling rack and let the them cool completely.
• While the first batch is baking do the same as described above with the second half of dough.
• Mix powdered sugar with as little lime juice as possible to form a glaze. The glaze should be pasty, so use as much lime juice you need to get this consistency. Decorate the Pfeffernüsse with the glaze. I use an icing bag with a very small opening to decorate the Pfeffernüsse with the pasty glaze.
• Store the Pfeffernüsse between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container. You can store them in a dry and not too warm place for about 4 weeks.
• NOTE: I use anise seeds and ground them freshly. The anise flavour will be more intense.
• Cooking time does not include time for cooling (overnight and additional 1 hour). Passive work (baking) time is for 1 baking tray.

PFEFFERNUESSE COOKIES WITH POWDERED SUGAR

Steps:

• In saucepan, combine molasses and butter. Cook until butter melts. Cool (very important; eggs will cook if not cool to the touch). Stir in eggs. Sift flour, sugar, soda and spices. Add dash of Anise oil if desired. Add to molasses mixture. Mix well. Chill for several hours or overnight.
• Shape chilled dough into 1" round balls. If you have a cookie scoop the balls will be more uniform. Bake on greased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 375 degrees. When done, while still warm, but not hot, place in a paper bag filled with powdered sugar and shake until cookie is coated.
• If stored properly the cookies are good for a couple of weeks.

GERMAN PFEFFERNUESSE

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.

PFEFFERNUESSE COOKIES

Steps:

• In mixer bowl, beat eggs until light.
• Add sugar, butter and water and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and spices.
• Stir into the egg and sugar mixture.
• Mix in raisins, if desired. I also sometimes add nuts.
• Shape into 1 inch balls.
• Bake on greased baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes or until light golden brown.
• Cool on wire racks.
• Toss cookies, a few at a time, in icing to coat.
• Place on waxed paper until the icing hardens.
• Or if you prefer you can skip the icing and just dust with powdered sugar.
• Store in a covered container up to 1 month.
• Icing:.
• Whisk together all ingredients until smooth.

PFEFFERNUESSE COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine molasses, sugar and butter in a saucepan. Cook until just melted, then set aside to cool.
• Stir in eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add half of flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. When completely combined, stir in remaining flour. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• After dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375°F.
• Shape into 1-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 7 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar to decorate.

PFEFFERNUESSE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine molasses and butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. When the mixture has cooled, beat in the eggs. Blend the molasses mixture into the dry ingredients until evenly mixed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm. While cookies are still warm, toss them in a bag with confectioners' sugar and toss to coat. When cool, toss with sugar again.

PFEFFERNUESSE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan combine molasses and butter. Cook and stir constantly until butter melts. Transfer to large bowl. Put aside and cool to room temperature.
• Stir in 2 beaten eggs.
• In separate bowl mix together flour,granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and pepper.
• Add flour mix to molasses mix in stages and mix until well incorporated with wooden spoon.
• Wrap in wax paper and chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Bake on greased cookie sheet for 12 minutes and cool.
• Once cool roll each cookie in confectioner's sugar being sure to coat well.