We have a holiday season kick-off tradition in our home that involves a nut-free, nut-like cookie… the pfeffernusse. This German cookie’s name means “pepper nut” which describes it’s spicy flavor and nutty texture and it makes the perfect holiday cookie. We like to dip these cookies in hot cider during the fall, then preserve a few in the freezer for dipping in hot chocolate during the month of December.
When the spicy smell fills our kitchen in early October, it’s an invitation for our Switch Witch, Pepper, who was named after the pepper nut cookie, to come visit our home and prepare for the first food-centered event of the holiday season: trick-or-treating. We love it when Pepper comes to visit and we love sharing these special cookies with her, too!
Now we get to share these cookies with you! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 c. powdered sugar
- 1 t. ground cinnamon
- 1 t. ground ginger
- 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 t. ground allspice
- 3 c. safe all-purpose flour
- 1 t. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. ground ginger
- 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/4 t. ground allspice
- 1/4 t. black pepper
- 1/2 c. safe butter alternative
- 2 t. packed finely grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
- 2 t. packed finely grated orange zest (1 orange)
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1 T. pectin
- 3 T. water
- 3/4 c. honey
Directions
- Sift together ingredients for spiced sugar and set aside.
- Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, salt, allspice, fruit pectin, and pepper in large bowl and set aside.
- Place butter alternative, lemon zest, and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until fluffy and combined, about 1 minute.
- Add the brown sugar and beat until incorporated and lightened in color about 1 minute.
- Add the honey & water and beat until just incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined (do not overmix).
- Cover and refrigerate dough until firm, at least 1 hour.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange racks to divide the oven into thirds.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roll the chilled dough into 24 (3/4-inch) balls and space them 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 8 minutes, then rotate from front to back and top to bottom.
- Continue baking until the cookies are very lightly browned around the edges, about 5 to 6 minutes more (the tops will be soft but will firm up as the cookies stand).
- Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies sit until cool enough to handle but still warm, about 3 minutes.
- Drop the warm cookies into the spiced sugar, making sure toe coat them all over, then shake off any excess sugar and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat baking and sugarcoating the remaining dough.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container, layered between pieces of waxed paper, for up to 3 weeks.
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