Moms Fabulous Pfeffernuesse Recipes

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.

PFEFFERNUESSE

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In a bowl, combine corn syrup, molasses and water; set aside. Combine the flour, aniseed, baking soda and spices; add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. , Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 11 minutes or until golden brown. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks.

PFEFFERNUESSE (PEPPERY GINGERBREAD)

Steps:

• Mix flour and baking soda and set aside.
• Bring butter, dark molasses, sugar, and spices in a pot to a boil and remove from heat.
• Add flour at once and stir in quickly.
• Let dough cool down. Then wrap into cling film and put into the fridge. Leave it there overnight.
• On the next day: The dough should be very firm. Halve it with a knife. Set one half aside for the moment. Divide the halved dough into 8 pieces. Each of the 8 pieces divide into 3 little pieces (they should have almost the size of nuts).
• First knead the little pieces of dough, so that they get a little waxier. Then roll them between your hands to form a little ball. Place them on a plate and put in the fridge. Do the same with the second half of the dough.
• Let the dough balls rest in the fridge for one hour.
• Meanwhile preheat oven (360 F, 180 C). Line out two baking trays with baking paper. Take the dough balls out of the fridge and put them on the baking tray.
• Put baking tray into the lower third of the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cookies will flatten a bit and should be golden. They are still soft.
• Put them on a cooling rack and let the them cool completely.
• While the first batch is baking do the same as described above with the second half of dough.
• Mix powdered sugar with as little lime juice as possible to form a glaze. The glaze should be pasty, so use as much lime juice you need to get this consistency. Decorate the Pfeffernüsse with the glaze. I use an icing bag with a very small opening to decorate the Pfeffernüsse with the pasty glaze.
• Store the Pfeffernüsse between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container. You can store them in a dry and not too warm place for about 4 weeks.
• NOTE: I use anise seeds and ground them freshly. The anise flavour will be more intense.
• Cooking time does not include time for cooling (overnight and additional 1 hour). Passive work (baking) time is for 1 baking tray.

GERMAN PFEFFERNUESSE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, cream, corn syrup, honey and extracts. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight., Roll dough into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

PFEFFERNUESSE

Steps:

• 1. In a small saucepan combine molasses and butter. Cook and stir over low heat until butter melts; remove from heat. Pour into a large bowl and cool at room temperature.
• 2. In a medium bowl stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, cardamom, allspice, and pepper; set flour mixture aside.
• 3. Stir egg into cool molasses mixture. Gradually stir in flour mixture until combined, kneading in the last of the flour mixture by hand.
• 4. Divide dough into 12 portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a rope about 10 inches long. Cut ropes into 1/2 inch pieces. Place pieces 1/2 inch apart in an ungreased shallow baking pan. Bake in a 350 F oven for about 10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

PFEFFERNUESSE IV

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine molasses and butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. When the mixture has cooled, beat in the eggs. Blend the molasses mixture into the dry ingredients until evenly mixed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm. While cookies are still warm, toss them in a bag with confectioners' sugar and toss to coat. When cool, toss with sugar again.

MOM'S FABULOUS PFEFFERNUESSE

Steps:

• Cream butter, add sugar, cream well.
• Blend in honey (molasses) and 1/2 of water.
• Dissolve soda in remaining water.
• Add with sifted dry ingredients, anise and nuts to creamed mixture.
• Mix well.
• Chill.
• On greased cookie sheets, 10- 12 min, 375F.
• My mother used to make long rolls of dough, 3/4 in.
• thick, and slice'em off.
• Ava has some kind of sausage stuffer- works on same principle.
• I use a melon-baller, which does take some time.
• My batch is usually 26 dozen or so, if I remember right.
• Good luck and enjoy.
• Love, Mom.