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.
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Mandy says
Your recipe, for first timer, was perfect and I didn’t even chill…just grabbed an amount and rolled. (I’m used to doing that…) Used just icing sugar not glazed and left for a week, whereby the flavour developed more. Thank you for the explanation and guidance.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Mandy, thanks so much for the feedback!
Jen Hodder says
Oh Kimberly – Thank you so much for your detailed and oh so delicious recipe. We returned from Germany and along with the people, these cookies captured our hearts. Halfway through making, I found your recipe, so immediately switched gears. They’re amazing! We did our best to improvise on the Homemade Lebkuchengewürz, but next time will for sure make a batch.
Your instructions were perfect!
I can’t wait to try other German recipes ♥️
Thank you!
Thank you!
Jen
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Woohooo! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed these, Jen! That’s wonderful that you were able to spend time in Germany and got to experience some traditional foods. Thanks so much for your feedback and I hope you enjoy our other German recipes as well! :)
Rachael Hollifield says
Can these be done in small loaf form?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I haven’t tried that, Rachael, so I’m not sure how that will turn out. If you give it a go let us know how it works out!
mh says
This recipe is the best, and I return to your site every year to make it — that said, the pop-up ads are disruptive and incredibly frustrating when they constantly reload and push recipe content out of view. I do hope the site is lucrative for you, but I wish the advertising style wasn’t so invasive.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi mh, I appreciate your honest feedback and completely understand your feelings on this. I purposefully do not run any pop-up ads on my site (if that’s happening it’s an issue with the browser or the device, not my site) but there is a temporary video ad running on my site on mobile devices that you have to click to make go away – it’s an annoying one and fortunately it’s only running on my site this month and come January the ads will settle down. Thank you for your patience with this and thank you for the compliment about the Pfeffernüsse, I’m so glad you enjoy them as much as we do! Merry Christmas!
Anonymous says
Fantastic recipe. I just made it for the third year in a row. Everyone loves them.
John W. Cooper says
I lost my great Grandma’s recipe so this was so helpful! I remember her recipe had molasses instead of honey. Have you tried that before?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi John, I haven’t used molasses for Pfeffernüsse but you can certainly substitute it for the honey.
Shari says
Hi Kimberly!
I’m so excited to make these! One quick question- for nut allergy friends, is there any thing you’d recommend to substitute for the almond meal? I’d love to make one batch with and one without if possible.
Thanks so much – Happy Holidays! 🎄😊
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Shari, you can just substitute flour. Flour’s more dense than the ground almonds so I’d probably go with 3 tablespoons instead of 1/4 cup. Happy baking and Merry Christmas!
Shari says
Thank you so much! We’ll be making these tomorrow!
Merry Christmas to you! 😊🎄❄️⛄️
Ana says
Hi there,
Will try making these over the next couple of days! Instead of rolling the dough into 2 strands and then cutting the cookies, is it possible to scoop them out using a small ice cream scoop? I’m worried about having an even shape for baking purposes.
Thank you! :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Ana, that should probably work just fine. Just be sure to roll them into balls after you scoop out the dough.
Ana says
Hi Kimberly,
Just wanted to give a quick update after making the cookies – they are to die for, and EXACTLY what I always remembered (even better than the ones I would buy)! It was a lengthy process with all the spices, but totally worth it, and beyond delicious.
Quick clarification regarding the flour content…I followed all the measurements precisely as outlined in the recipe; however, I found that my dough was a bit dry. In your recipe photo where the dough is scooped out into the plastic wrap before refrigerating, it definitely looks moist…mine was a lot more dry. I wasn’t able to roll the dough into 2 strands; I had to scoop chunks of it in order to roll the balls. The cookies are very moist and dense now, so no problem there whatsoever, but I’m wondering if there was maybe too much flour overall? Your recipe calls for 2 1/4 cup flour – would it affect the recipe significantly to only use 2 cups flour (since there is also 1/4 almond meal)?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Ana, I’m thrilled you enjoyed them and appreciate the feedback, thank you! I’ve never a problem with the 2 1/4 cups of flour but no, reducing it by 1/4 cup shouldn’t be a problem. They “might” come out slightly flatter but not having tried it I’m not sure.
Ann Stoller says
My cookies tasted fabulous—great recipe, but they didn’t spread out as much as yours into that nice half-dome. They stayed more ball-shaped? What could I do differently next time?
zane says
Delicious and authentic. I had to make a couple batches, one for a sugar free friend who introduced these cookies to me. I had all the spices i needed save anise. The reason for my comment is to say i used chinese 5 spice as a substitute, and took a couple cranks of pepper and a pinch of clove off the required amounts. Worked like a charm. Thank you for your recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Zane, and good call with the Five Spice!
Mike says
This was my first attempt at pfeffernusse. They taste wonderful however mine came out flatter than nut shaped. Some where along the path I must have erred as my batter seemed a bit looser that what your picture showed. I think I could almost pour it out of the pan. I’m sure that caused the flatter cookies. Try, try again! Thanks for the recipe…Merry Christmas!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mike, yes something was definitely amiss – either too much liquid was added or not enough flour. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor though and hope you have better luck next time. Merry Christmas!
Ann Stoller says
My cookies tasted fabulous—great recipe, but they didn’t spread out as much as yours into that nice half-dome. They stayed more ball-shaped? What could I do differently next time?
Fatima says
I had to make a second batch, the first batch were devoured in no time. I baked them because I had invited a German friend for lunch just before Christmas. She gave this recipe the thumbs up. I added a few drops of almond essence to the glace icing. They seemed to taste better the day after I baked them. I will definitely bake them every Christmas from now on.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Fatima, thank you! Yes, the flavor definitely gets better and more intense after the cookies have been able to “ripen” for a time.
Anna says
What could you use a a substitute for white pepper? Would black pepper affect the taste at all?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Anna, white pepper has a different flavor (and is also hotter than black) that won’t be present if it’s omitted, but if you don’t have any then yes, you can use black pepper.
Anna says
Thank you so much! Will be making these soon!
Ana says
I made this for a first time today for Christmas and it tastes soo good! Great recipe. I also have added little orange zest.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Ana, thank you!
Tina says
I made these yesterday and the recipe was absolutely terrific but the butter was a bit hard to scoop out to get 5 tablespoons. So instead I microwaved some until it was melted and measured 5 tbsp of the liquid. It was much easier and did not affect the recipe at all. Thanks so much for this great recipe, it is definitely one I will keep!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Tina, I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Mary Ellen Brennan says
I first made these cookies for Christmas of 2018. DELICIOUS! The next time I made them was in 2019, for the cookie plate I always take to my brother’s house for Thanksgiving Day. They were on the plate with homemade French Macarons and Peppermint cookies. Everyone loved all 3 cookies, but especially the Pfeffernusse. I dressed them up a bit for Christmas by shaking a few edible gold glitter flakes on the cookies while the icing was still wet. And today, Jan. 9, 2020 I’m making them again. I promised to give some to the woman who cuts my hair. She loves gingerbread, so I promised to make these for her. I made the dough last night and now I’ll bake and ice them. Here’s something funny….. I remember my sister telling me she tried making Pfeffernusse once about 40 years ago, but they were so hard to make that she ended up throwing the dough away! I never tried making them because of her experience. So now, at age 67 years old, I’m making Pfeffernuse! They are absolutely delicious! And yes, I make homemade Lebkuchengewuerz. It’s a bit time consuming, but not difficult at all, and well worth it.
Thank you so very much for all the delicious recipes!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, Mary, thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback!