Pfeffernusse Cookies

A wonderful German Christmas cookie, better than gingerbread! Packed with spices, the flavors are well-balanced. Although there are a lot of ingredients, it’s an easy recipe. The consistency is lovely, especially when warm it’s a bit crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. My twist is an almond glaze followed by powdered sugar.

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Time

Prep: 15 minutes + 2 hours to chill

Cook: 11 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup molasses

• ¼ cup honey

• ½ cup butter

• 2 large eggs

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup white sugar

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom

• 1 ½ tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp ground cloves

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

• Almond extract

• Pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Add molasses, honey and butter into a saucepan over medium heat; stir and cook for several minutes until creamy.

2. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Whisk in eggs.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, black pepper and salt.

4. Add molasses mixture; stir until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate dough until well chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

6. Roll dough into 1-inch sized balls and place 1 inch apart on baking sheets on parchment or silicon mats.

7. Bake 11 minutes until you see slight cracking. Cool on baking sheets briefly before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Mix 1/2 cup confectioner sugar with 1-2 tbsp milk and 3-5 drops of almond extract and 1/8 tsp vanilla extract until smooth. Dip tops of cookies in the glaze, let dry and dust with confectioners' sugar.