Easy Spicy German Pfeffernusse Cookies
A recipe for Easy Spicy German Pfeffernusse Cookies bursting with warm spices and dipped in a slightly sweet glaze
Ingredients
Pfeffernusse
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1 large egg
Glaze
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 3 tbsp hot tap water
- 2 tsp lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Prepare your dry ingredients by whisking together the flour and baking soda in a large bowl. If you don’t have a whisk, just use a fork. Set aside.
- Make your spice mix. Add the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice in a small bowl or cup and stir. Set aside.
- Cut the butter into tablespoon size pieces. It does not have to be perfect.
- Add the molasses, honey, brown sugar and butter to a small saucepan.
- Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring regularly with a heat resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Do not boil.
- Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted.
- Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into a large heat resistant bowl.
- Stir the spice mix into the molasses and honey mixture using the spatula or wooden spoon.
- Let the mixture cool down until it is only slightly warm to the touch, about 20 minutes.
- When the mixture is cool, stir in the dry ingredients. Be sure all of the flour is incorporated by stirring up from the bottom and scraping the sides.
- Place a piece of plastic wrap on your work surface.
- Lay the dough on the plastic wrap and fold it up, covering the dough entirely.
- Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least an hour to overnight.
- About 15 minutes before you are going to use the dough, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Form the pfeffernusse by scooping about a tablespoon of dough for each cookie and rolling it between your hands.
- Place the formed cookies on the prepared tray, leaving about 1 inch between each. They will flatten slightly as they cool.
- Bake the cookies until they are lightly browned on the bottom, about 12-14 minutes. If you use two trays, rotate them midway through the bake.
- Remove the baked cookies to a wire rack to cool.
- Set aside one of the baking sheets with the mat or parchment paper to use when dipping the cookies.
- Let the cookies cool completely before dipping them in glaze.
- Mix 2 cups of confectioners sugar with 3 tbsp of hot water. You can add a bit more water if you want a thinner glazer or a bit more sugar for a thicker glaze.
- Stir in 2 tsp of lemon juice.
- Place the wire rack over the prepared baking sheet you used earlier.
- Hold a cookie by the edges and dip the top into the glaze. Let the excess run back into the bowl.
- Place the cookie on the wire rack and let the glaze harden.