Pfeffernüsse (also known as peppernuts) are a popular traditional Christmas cookie with different iterations found throughout Germany, The Netherlands, and Denmark. They’re spicy, bite-size cookies that soften and develop flavor as they age. But we’re no good at waiting when it comes to cookies; we wanted to tenderize this traditionally very lean dough by incorporating a little butter so that we could enjoy Pfeffernüsse when we made them. Despite their name, peppernuts don’t call for nuts, but we found that adding a small amount of ground almonds helped tenderize the dough further without adding too much richness. Blooming the spices in the hot butter boosted both their flavor and their heat, making the cookies live up to their peppernut name. Candied orange peel perfumed the cookies, and its tang complemented the spices. Instead of the more traditional and time-consuming method of rolling each individual cookie into small balls, we rolled the dough into logs and cut them into pieces before baking and tossing in confectioners’ sugar.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅓ cup molasses
- ¼ cup packed (1¾ ounces) light brown sugar
- 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup blanched, slivered almonds
- ¼ cup candied orange peel
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Melt butter in small skillet over medium-low heat. Add cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, and pepper and cook for 15 seconds, stirring constantly; transfer to bowl and whisk in molasses and brown sugar to combine. Let butter mixture cool completely.
- Process flour, almonds, orange peel, baking soda, and salt in food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute. Whisk egg into cooled butter mixture to combine. Stir in flour mixture until just incorporated. Transfer dough to counter. Form dough into disk, wrap disk tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
- Divide dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece into ½-inch-thick rope. Using bench scraper or sharp knife, cut ropes into 1-inch lengths and space them 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake until just set and edges are lightly browned, 10 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then slide parchment onto wire rack and let cool completely. Toss in confectioners’ sugar to coat before serving.