Pfeffernusse Pepper Nuts The German Christmas Cookie Food

PFEFFERNUSSE (PEPPER NUTS) "THE GERMAN CHRISTMAS COOKIE"

Steps:

• 1. This cookie seems difficult but if you prep everything a head then all you have to do is throw it in the bowl. So, candy the orange peel, zest and juice the lemon, measure the spices, and use a food processor or nut grinder to get the nuts to a coarse grind.
• 2. Cream the butter, sugar and egg.
• 3. Add molasses and vanilla, stir to combine.
• 4. Add candied orage peel, lemon zest, juice, and spices, stir to combine.
• 5. Slowly add flour and nuts.
• 6. Cover and refrigerate over night.
• 7. Shape into 3/4 in. balls (or scoop with sml cookie dough scoop) onto greased or parchment lined cookie sheet.
• 8. Bake at 325 F for 15-18 mins. until cookies are set and bottoms are LIGHT golden brown. They will firm as they cool. Over baking will result in a hard cookie. Let cool on cookie sheet for a minute then place on cooling rack that is over a sheet of foil.
• 9. TIME TO GLAZE: Mix lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth with the consistancy of warm honey. Hold cookie by bottom and dip the top portion in the glaze, replace on cooling rack. Glaze the cookies while still warm.
• 10. CANDIED ORANGE PEEL: Cut top and bottoms off oranges so they can sit flat. With a knife or vegtable peeler cut the skin off the orange so that it has a little of the pith as possible. Pulse in the food processor until coarsely ground.
• 11. To make the peel less bitter add to a pot of boiling water. Boil 1 minute, let stand 10 mins. Strain through sieve.
• 12. Bring sugar and water to a low boil. add the peel and simmer 3 mins. strain through sieve and spread out on waxed paper. Let dry.

PFEFFERNUSSE COOKIES

Steps:

• Stir together the molasses, honey, shortening, and margarine in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until creamy. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in the eggs.
• Combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, anise, cinnamon, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Add the molasses mixture and stir until thoroughly combines. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Roll the dough into acorn-sized balls. Arrange on baking sheets, spacing at least 1 inch apart.
• Bake in preheated oven 10 to 15 minutes. Move to a rack to cool. Dust cooled cookies with confectioners' sugar.

GERMAN PFEFFERNUSSE WITH FROSTING (PEPPER NUTS)

Steps:

• FOR THE COOKIES: Heat honey (do not boil) in a 4 quart sauce pan. Add shortening and cool. Beat in egg.
• Sift dry ingredients together; gradually stir into the honey mixture. Knead dough slightly in bowl or on a board. Let dough stand 30 to 40 minutes.
• Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 13 to 15 minutes. Yield: 96 to 108 cookies.
• FOR THE FROSTING: Combine egg whites, honey and spices in a 1 quart bowl. Gradually beat in icing sugar, using a beater or mixer.
• Place 12 to 14 Pfeffernusse in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of frosting. Stir gently to coat all sides. Place on a wire rack for frosting to harden. Store in a tightly closed container.
• Wheatland Bounty.

GERMAN SPICE COOKIES (PFEFFERNUSSE)

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 (GERMAN PEPPER NUT COOKIES )

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.

GERMAN PEPPERNUTS (PFEFFERNUSSE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Beat sugar with eggs for 15 minutes.
• Sift dry ingredients together, and stir into egg-sugar mixture.
• Mix in butter and honey and knead briefly.
• Roll dough into 1/2-inch-diameter snakes. Cut into 1/2-inch segments with floured paring knife. Arrange 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet.
• Bake 10-15 minutes.
• Cool and store in airtight container in cool place.

PFEFFERNüSSE (GERMAN "PEPPER-NUT" CHRISTMAS COOKIES)

Steps:

• Combine white and brown sugars in a saucepan with honey, water, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and cayenne pepper. Place over medium heat and whisk until the sugars dissolve and it just starts to simmer, 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and let cool for 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add salt, baking soda, heavy cream, and egg and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add flour and stir together with a wooden spoon until everything comes together as a dough.
• Transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap. Press into a ball and wrap tightly. Place in the refrigerator and let rest for 1 to 2 days.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove dough from the refrigerator and scoop into rounded teaspoons. Roll each one into a smooth ball if desired, and place on a prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until cookies are perfectly dome-shaped with light golden brown bottoms, 9 to 10 minutes; don't overbake. Let cool on the pan all the way down to room temperature, 20 to 30 minutes.
• While the cookies are cooling, repeat Steps 5 and 6 to shape and bake the remaining cookies.
• Make icing by placing powdered sugar in a bowl. Stir in lemon juice, a few teaspoons at a time, until icing is very thick, but still slightly runny.
• Dip the top of each cooled cookie into the icing. Let it drip, then flip it over and place on a wire rack set over a piece of parchment paper and let harden.