Friday, December 19, 2008

Pfeffernuesse - German Christmas Cookies



First of all I'd like to point out that this is probably not the original recipe, but I like it most. It's a bi alternative, quick and easy to make and there were not some of the problems I found when researching the original recipe.

You need:
500 g all-purpose flour
100 g white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp ground cloves
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
1/3 tbsp ground allspice
1 dash freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cardamom
180 ml honey
115 g butter
2 eggs, beaten

icing
180 g confectioners' sugar
lemon juice

or confectioner's sugar to roll the hot pfeffernuesse in it.

What to do:

In a medium saucepan heat the honey and butter, stirring occasionally, until everything is melted well. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature for about an hour or an hour and a half.
When the mixture has cooled, beat in the eggs. In a large bowl, combine together the flour, sugar, baking soda and the spices and add them gradually to the cooled butter and honey mixture.
Make small balls from the dough by pinching with two fingers. Flatten the balls on top and place them well apart one from another on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes until golden brown and firm.

Place on a wire rack to col for a minute or two and then toss with confectioners sugar or decorate with the lemon icing using a piping tube.

To make the lemon icing - sieve the sugar very well and add gradually the lemon juice drop by drop, stirring, until the mixture reaches the right consistency.

2 comments:

Rico said...

How can something be so girly and be so scrumptious...well the answer is here it can with these lovely cookies...thanks for sharing ..great décor and imagination.

Sneige said...

I was hoping it looked festive enough :)

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