One of Germany’s most popular and beloved Christmas treats, these spiced and iced cookies are simply delightful! A thoroughly authentic and incredibly delicious Pfeffernusse recipe.
The Netherlands and Germany enjoy a similar cookie in the month of December. Known as Pepernoten in the Netherlands, they are eaten in celebration of the arrival of Sinterklaas on December 5. In Germany they are known as Pfeffernüsse and although St. Nicholas comes on December 6, Pfeffernüsse are enjoyed throughout the entire Christmas season.
The coming of the jolly bearded man so early on in the month will sound confusing to those who await Santa on December 25. But in Germany, and many other European countries, the tradition is that St. Nicholas visits the kids earlier in December. Traditionally shoes are left in front of the door and if you’re good they’ll be filled with oranges and nuts – if you’re bad, you’ll get shoes full of coal. Then, on Christmas Eve, it’s not Santa who comes to the home to deliver gifts, it’s the Christkind – the Christ child, the ultimate Giver – who gives the gifts.
Pepernoten and Pfeffernusse are both spice/gingerbread-like cookies and have some similarities, but the ingredients vary as does the method of preparation. Also, Pfeffernüsse are commonly coated with a sugar icing.
The name Pfeffernuesse means “pepper nuts.” The pepper part refers to the white pepper that is added to the dough which gives these cookies a very unique and flavorful touch. The nuts part refers to their walnut-like shape.
In Germany you can find Pfeffernüsse in any grocery store throughout the holidays.
I have to admit, as popular as they are I’ve never cared for store-bought Pfeffernusse. And so if you were to tell me you don’t like them either I would understand.
BUT…homemade is a totally different story.
Everything about them is better – the flavor, the texture. In short, if like me you don’t like the store-bought stuff, give these a try – I think these German spice cookies will win you over!
Let’s get started!
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, Lebkuchengewuerz, white pepper and almond meal. Set aside.
Combine the brown sugar, honey, butter, and cream in a medium saucepan and heat, stirring frequently, until melted and the sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes.
Stir in the flour mixture.
Stir in the egg until thoroughly combined.
The dough will have a nice glossy sheen. The dough will be very sticky and that’s how it should be.
Turn the mixture out onto some plastic wrap and wrap the dough tightly. Refrigerate a minimum overnight or for up to two days.
Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and immediately roll it into two strands, each 3/4 inch thick. Slice the rolls into 3/4 inch thick rounds.
Roll each round into a ball (each ball should be about 3/4 inch large). Work quickly while the dough is still chilled.
Place the cookie balls on a line cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove and let the cookies cool completely.
To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and water until smooth.
Dip each cookie in the glaze, letting the excess drip off, and place them on a wire rack positioned over a cookie sheet (to catch the drips) and let them sit until the glaze is fully hardened.
Store the cookies in airtight container in a cool place. Will keep for at least 2 weeks and the flavor only gets better over time.
Enjoy!
AND DON’T FORGET TO MAKE SOME
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Pfeffernüsse (German Iced Spice Cookies)
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3-4 teaspoons Lebkuchengewürz
- Homemade Lebkuchengewürz (STRONGLY recommended for best flavor), click link for recipe
- 1/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup pure honey
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- For the Glaze:
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons hot water (less water will result in a thicker & whiter glaze)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, Lebkuchengewuerz, white pepper and almond meal. Set aside.
- Combine the brown sugar, honey, butter, and cream in a medium saucepan and heat, stirring frequently, until melted and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Stir in the flour mixture. Once incorporated stir in the egg until thoroughly combined. The dough will have a nice glossy sheen. It will be very sticky and that's how it should be.
- Turn the mixture out onto some plastic wrap and wrap the dough tightly. Refrigerate overnight or for up to two days.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and immediately roll it into two strands, each 3/4 inch thick. Slice the rolls into 3/4 inch thick rounds and roll each round into a ball (each ball should be about 3/4 inch large). Work quickly while the dough is still chilled. Note: The size is just personal preference, you can make them larger if you prefer.
- Place the cookie balls on a line cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let the cookies cool completely.
- To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and water until smooth.
- Dip each cookie in the glaze, letting the excess drip off, and place them on a wire rack positioned over a cookie sheet (to catch the drips) and let them sit until the glaze is fully hardened.
- Store the cookies in airtight container in a cool place. Will keep for at least 2 weeks (they're usually stored longer) and the flavor only gets better over time.Makes 50+ cookies depending on their size.
Nutrition
Paolo says
I love this recipe. It is so easy to make. One thing that worked for me was to convert all the measurements to grams, such as:
All-purpose flour, 270 gr.
For almond meal, I use whole almonds pulverized, about 30 gr.
Brown packed sugar, 107 gr.
Honey, 114 gr.
For the spice, I found that those 3-4 teaspoons must be level, not heaping, or the dough becomes too spicy and overpowering for my palate.
The last thing that worked for me was to use a rolling pin to flatten the chilled dough until it is about 3/4″ thick. Then, I cut it into cubes with a sharp meat cleaver and roll the cubes into balls. I don’t even bother with cutting the dough into strands to roll them.
Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Paolo, I’m glad you enjoyed them and appreciate the feedback, thank you!
David Schrag says
Hi, Is it advisable to freeze some if the dough for later? Would that ruin texture?
Danke!
DJ
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi David, I haven’t tried freezing this particular dough but theoretically it should freeze well.
Anonymous says
Thank you!
Donna says
These look wonderful!! For the glaze, do you dip them entirely or just the top and sides?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Donna, typically you just dip the top and sides, not the bottom. Happy baking!
Patricia says
This is fantastic! I have been looking for the perfect recipe for these amazing cookies and I finally found it. The 10 spices, the almond meal, al the little (but easy) details make this a real experience to the palate. After eating it, the whole mouth has a wonderful perfume of all the spices together. I made two batches. One just like it is in the recipe. In the other, I added orange and lemon zest, plus home made orange, lime and ginger peels and 3 dried apricots, all very well chopped Both came out amazingly good. The pure recipe ones were softer, more humid, lighter and great to have with black coffee. They melt in the mouth like a cloud. The ones with the additions came out a bit heavier, drier and sweeter (but these difference are very little. In the taste, the difference is just as expected -a bit more fruity. These ones were great for having with tea or to eat by themselves. I certainly will make them again this week since the 2 batches were eaten in a question of hours! Thank you so much for sharing. So many people share recipes but keep one little secret for themselves……you gave us it all and the result is like feeling in heaven when eating these great German specialty. Now, waiting for a very dark, chocolate tart;cake, a shiny top, not too sweet, that an old German lady used to make when I was a kid……..never more I had anything even close to that. maybe you have that recipe too ! Thanks, thanks, thank. Yes, I am in love with your “cookie” !
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Patricia, I’m thrilled you enjoyed them! :) For the dark chocolate tart with a shiny top, it sounds like Sachertorte. Look up that name online and see if that is what your referring to…
Patricia says
Thank you. I checked the Sacher Torte abd althought the look is similar, it is not that one. It had no apricots and was not that rich in butter. Aldo it was higher. More like a cake, but she called it chocolate tart, despite having no pie crust. The lady that used to make them was from the German part of Switzerland. Everything she cooked was just perfect and unique. Still hoping one day i will find that tart. Thanks so much for your interest !
Lili says
I usually make this with normal wheat flour and it always turns out 100% amazing. This year I tried to make them GF for my girlfriend who can’t have gluten. I used King Arthur GF 1-1 flour. They ended up tasting a bit flour-y (although the flavor was correct). They also split a lot more than my non-GF ones so I’m thinking the dough was too dry. Baking at 345 instead of 350 did help the splitting a bit but didn’t seem to affect the flavor. Any ideas on making them less flour-y? My thoughts are increasing the amount of moisture by adding extra heavy cream or a little extra egg, or slightly reducing the amount of flour. I was also thinking of switching the GF flour blend or using 100% nut flour with xanthan gum or psyllium husk. I’m not sure what the best option is though. Thanks!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lili, I’m happy they were successful with the regular flour! For the GF version I’ll let our readers chime in who have tried that, perhaps they can offer some insights.
Rebekah says
I’ve made these cookies twice now and they are superb. After grinding and mixing the spices into the dough, the smell filled me with such nostalgia. Immediately I got goosebumps, thinking of being back in my Oma’s kitchen. I added orange zest to the dough and after glazing, I dipped the bottoms in orange chocolate (similar to what I grew up with). The taste and texture was spot on, although I would say for my electric oven I only had to bake them for about 13 minutes. Thank you for sharing!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Rebekah, I’m so happy to hear that!
Erin T says
Great recipe! We started using it last year (2019) because Trader Joe’s had sold out of their pfeffernuesse cookies, but now we’re back at it again. Definitely even better tasting on day 2!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Erin, thank you!
Benjamin says
Happy Holidays! Just made a batch of these! They are delicious! Any suggestions on making the cookies stronger and/or spicier? I used double the called-for lebkuchengewurz (6tsp) and they came out blander than I had hoped for (still delicious tho!) My family generally likes flavors very strong. Thanks so much!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Benjamin, I’m glad you enjoyed them, thank you! The potency of the flavor is directly related to the quality and freshness of the spices. If you used store-bought Lebkuchengewürz that would likely explain it. If you made the homemade blend then the spices you used may have lost their potency. If neither of those is the case and you just like things extra strong, then by all means add even more of the spice blend.
Cal Havlicek says
I enjoyed these but I think I overbaked them just a bit, a little too dry and mealy. I am going to try roasting the nuts to increase the nutty flavour component and baking them a little less. Someone also added a bit of orange peel, nice idea too.
Katelyn says
My Dad remembered having these as a kid when he was around 4 or 5 and lived in Germany for a brief time and so when he asked me to make them for him how was I to refuse! This was the first time I ever made them and they turned out amazing and my dad said they reminded him of his childhood. With how easy they were to make and how delicious they are it will most likely become a yearly tradition for me to make these!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy to hear that, Katelyn, thank you!
Torsten Hein says
Hi Kimberly. My icing seems soak into rather than coat the cookies. This despite trying to make the icing thicker and thicker. Should I add a touch more butter or use a fat tier cream (South African ingredients aren’t as readily available when it comes to heavy cream etc but we do have a Double Thick cream)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Torsten, yes that’s really odd. I’m wondering if there’s a discrepancy in what is considered powdered sugar in South Africa? Powdered sugar is the same thing as confectioner’s sugar and contains cornstarch. It thickens as it cools creating a shell coating.
Torsten Hein says
Thanks Kimberly. Will experiment a bit. They (as all your recipes) are stunning.
Edna E. says
My mom made these growing up so I was excited to try them. I’m from Ohio and we called them Amish cookies. From the comments it looks like everyone else was successful. Mine were quite dry. Even the batter didn’t look moist like your photos. I even baked the second pan for less time. Since I seem to be the only one with a fail it must be me! LOL. Oh well.
Susan Thomas says
I was able to order all the spices necessary from Penzeys. com
Love them as a spice and seasoning source, especially how many no salt varieties they have.
Niklas says
Just made them, these are going to become a tradition. Even though I’m german, I didn’t grow up baking much for christmas, we northerners don’t take that stuff as seriously as the southerners do and I grew up with my father… Now I’m experimenting with selfmade Stollen and Pfeffernüsse for the first time and I am in love!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Congratulations, Niklas, I’m so thrilled that you decided to make them and enjoyed them!
Linda - NJ says
Made these first in 2018 because I loved store-bought as a kid and wanted to add something unique to the cookie exchange table. I made a double batch last week that has been distributed AND eaten, so just made the dough for another batch today. Sprinkle with a little red or green sugar for the holiday. I bake mine a little less, just till moderate brown on the bottom because my family likes them a little soft, experiment for yourself! They are warm spicy, chewy, moist, and my husband describes them as a “a little nugget of fun!” This year I thought to wrap the dough in smaller amounts and partially already in a log to make rolling a bit easier on my arthritic hands. Absolutely deliciously wonderful! And yes, I made called my local spice shop, gave them a list of the spices I needed, and they ground them fresh for me. And I know you are not supposed to use them over a year but mine are still very fragrant and strong stored in spice bags.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Linda, I’m thrilled to hear that, thank you!
Elaine says
I tried and it is delicious…
Alice says
Delicious recipe! I made these in summer 2020 and am making them now for Christmas 2020. My coworker cried when she tasted the cookies, as they so reminded her of her late mother’s homemade Christmas cookies. Another friend told me they reminded him of being 10 years old, going to a small town in Germany with his mother to visit a Christmas toy store and their bakery. He said the cookies are “spot on”. Congratulations on a winning recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Those are compliments indeed, Alice, thank you so much for your feedback, I appreciate it!
Lisa GOSPER-ESPINOSA says
After growing up in Germany, I love pfeffernüsse, even the store-bought ones. But these are fantastic — spicy, a bit chewy and with a sweet shell of glaze. I made my really small — only .25 dough weight — which was fun. You could make them bigger and save a little time. I made the homemade lebkuchengewürz too and it was lovely. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Lisa, thank you so much for the feedback!