Translating to "pepper nuts", these deliciously spiced German biscuits are a traditional Christmas treat, but are irresistible any time of year. By making the biscuit dough in advance and leaving it overnight, the spices deepen to give the best flavour.
Pfeffernüsse
These spiced German biscuits are a traditional treat come Christmas, but really, we love them any time of year.
- 30 mins preparation
- 30 mins cooking plus resting
- Serves 20
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Ingredients
- 335 gm plain flour
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp crushed aniseed
- ¼ tsp each ground allspice, ground nutmeg and ground ginger
- Pinch of ground cloves
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 125 gm butter, softened
- 120 gm brown sugar
- 60 gm blackstrap molasses
- 1 egg
Spiced icing
- 100 gm pure icing sugar, sieved
- Pinch each of ground nutmeg and ground cloves
Method
Main
- 1Sift flour into a large bowl, add spices and bicarbonate of soda, and set aside.
- 2Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add molasses, beat to combine, then add egg and beat to combine. Stir in flour mixture with a large pinch of flaked sea salt. Combine to form a dough and refrigerate for flavours to develop (2 hours-overnight).
- 3Preheat oven to 160C. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and place on baking trays lined with baking paper. Bake until just firm to touch (16-20 minutes). They'll harden as they cool.
- 4For spiced icing, combine sugar, spices and 1 tbsp water in a large bowl (it should be a thick consistency). Dip pfeffernüsse into the icing and set aside to dry. They will keep in an airtight container for 5 days.
Notes
Drink Suggestion: Mulled cider. Drink suggestion by Max Allen