Mennonite Black Pepper Cookies Recipes

PEPPERNUTS RECIPE {PFEFFERNüSSE/PäPANäT}

Steps:

• Cream together the butter and brown sugar with a mixer. Add eggs and continue beating. Slowly add the corn syrup and the milk mixture.
• In a separate bowl mix together remaining ingredients (dry). Then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until a dough ball is formed. Put dough mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. (Works best if you can leave the dough in the fridge overnight or even up to 2 days)
• Roll dough into long snake like rolls till they are between the width of dime and a nickle. I do this on parchment paper to make it easy to transfer the rolls onto a greased cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer till firm. Then slice the rolls in about 1 cm pieces and place flat on pans. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes.

PEPPERNUTS (PFEFFERNUSSE COOKIES)

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes.
• Add the eggs, anise extract, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, white pepper, and clove or cardamom into the bowl and mix until everything is incorporated.
• Add the flour into the dough and mix just until it is incorporated. You do not want to mix for a long time, just until the flour is incorporated in.
• Press the dough out to about 1" thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.
• Preheat the oven to 350F (177C). Divide your dough into 16 pieces. Press 1 piece of dough into a ball and roll it out between your hands and a clean work surface to form a thin rope, about 1/4" thick. Use a sharp knife (or I like to use a bench scraper) to cut out tiny nut size pieces of dough. Place on a baking sheet. You can completely fill your sheet in a single layer, but you will need to bake these in several batches to get them all baked. It typically works out to be cutting out the next sheet pan of cookies while the one before it bakes.
• Bake at 350F (177C) for 10-14 minutes, until a dark golden brown. Check the cookies at 10 minutes and bake longer if needed. The cookies will be slightly soft when they first come out of the oven but will become very crispy as the cool. Store the completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

MENNONITE BLACK PEPPER COOKIES

Steps:

• Melt butter or margarine in medium saucepan.
• Add sugar, syrup, and vinegar.
• Bring mixture just to boiling.
• Immediately remove pan from heat; cool to room temperature.
• Stir in egg.
• Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, cloves, pepper and anise seed in a medium bowl: (note if using anise extract instead of seed add it to the cooled butter/sugar mixture from the first step instead) Stir into egg mixture; mix well to form dough.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight for flavors to blend and so that dough is firm enough to roll.
• Divide dough into four portions.
• Keep portions chilled until ready to roll.
• On lightly floured surface roll one portion very thin (less than 1/8 inch thick).
• Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
• Place on a greased cookie sheet.
• Sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
• Bake in a 375ºF oven for 4 to 5 minutes or until barely brown around the edges.
• Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.
• Repeat with remaining portions of dough.
• Store in covered tins.

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.

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.