Pfeffernusse III

  4.2 – 16 reviews  • German

a hot treat for the holidays! Crisp and delicious with tea.

Servings: 24
Yield: 4 dozen

Ingredients

  1. 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  2. 2 teaspoons baking powder
  3. 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  4. 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  5. ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  6. 1 tablespoon orange zest
  7. 1 cup chopped walnuts
  8. 4 eggs
  9. 2 cups white sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in the orange rind and nuts.
  3. In a medium size bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick. Blend in flour mixture to make a smooth dough.
  4. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, place onto ungreased baking sheets and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until light brown.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 168 kcal
Carbohydrate 30 g
Cholesterol 31 mg
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Protein 3 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Sodium 53 mg
Sugars 17 g
Fat 4 g
Unsaturated Fat 0 g

Reviews

Kristy Oneill
I am always on the lookout for cookies that are not made with lots of butter so had to try these. I loved the addition of the orange zest. I did sprinkle confectioners sugar on the cookies after baking as others suggested. I did not grease the cookie sheet and the cookies did stick a bit, so next time I will lightly grease the cookie sheet.
Jessica Lewis
This is delicious ! The recipe is perfect and if you make the 1 inch balls it will make 60 cookies.
Ruth Walker
Flavor OK
Jason Washington
I love these because there’s no milk or butter, thus perfect for those with milk allergies! However, I needed to add an extra half cup of flour in order to form the balls (the dough was way too wet otherwise), and without rolling in powdered sugar they come out looking a little boring. Maybe because of the extra flour, I needed to cook them for at least 20 minutes to get them not chewy in the middle. Finally, the cookie is perfectly spiced with an added touch of black pepper and ginger. All in all, these are a great addition to the standard holiday cookie and I will definitely make again.
Emma Calderon
Made these today cause they didn’t call for any butter, oil, etc. I tried to follow the recipe, though I didn’t have walnuts so used pecans, and added some black pepper..and becasue ppl are wimps here I halved the spices. I also divided the recipe. I wasn’t sure what ‘thick’ meant but just let it mix on high for awhile. The dough was suprisingly not really sticky and was able to shape them somewhat. NOW, out of the oven, they’re really pale!! Didn’t spread much at all..They were soft, airy, kinda cake-like in texture an mmm I really liked them!! Would def. make again for a healthy [[??]] cookie, and will use as a base for other butterless cookies, but will try to add some color..somehow. THANKS for the recipe =) P.s..just realized I didn’t sift
Julie Hendricks
These taste very good. My husband was happy since he was the one who wanted them because his Grandmother used to make them as a kid. They were hard as a rock though, but I;m told they are supposed to be.
Emily Roberts
I’m a little confused by this recipe, as it is a traditional German Christmas spice cookie called “Pepper (nut) Corn” cookies. They seemed to have omitted the black pepper which makes this cookied different from others. Try adding 1 tsp. ground black pepper for a more authentic taste…
Brittany Hoffman
These are called pfeffernusse because they are supposed to have pepper in them. Where is it??? This is just a light spice cookie. Add 1/4 t black or white pepper for a true pfeffernusse taste. Also, these cookies are supposed to be aged for about 2 weeks for maximal flavor. They will be bland when first out of the oven.
Eric Jackson
I made these beauties for my American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) chapter’s annual Christmas Cookie exchange – they are really good! These cookies are crisp, not overly sweet with a bite of ginger -The addition of orange zest really makes the cookie wonderful! They were a big hit with this crowd who really knows their German cookies!
Victoria Ferguson
I just made these and they turned out awesome. Except I made the mixture for 24 cookies and ended up with 50. They taste wonderful. I put a lemon glaze on top for extra zing.
Sarah Ayers
Not my cup of tea, but maybe if you already know you like this kind of cookie it would be good?
Gary Schneider
I made these for church and they are wonderful. You can really taste the citrus as well as the spices, and I was glad to find a recipe that does not add fat besides the eggs, since this is traditional for coffee dunking cookies. They stayed a little soft in the middle, so maybe bake a little longer than specified to get a totally crispy cookie. I had to alter this recipe a bit by ading flour until I could roll the balls – the dough was too wet. Try an extra 1/2 cup or so. This did not deter from my rating…they were delicious – many compliments from all my friends. Thanks for sharing this Deutsch treat!
Jacqueline Johnson
These cookies taste great and are very addictive. I followed the recipe exactly except for the cloves because I did’nt have any. I brought these cookies to are German potluck at work and everyone loved them. I don’t even like crisp cookies but could’nt stop eating these. These cookies are easy to make. I also sprinkled powered sugar on top, yuummmeeeee.
Alexander Moore
my dad loves these cookies from his childhood so I made the receipe and he couldnt stop eating them!!
John Frost
I wouldn’t call these cookies “spicy” –in fact I would be tempted to use more spice next time, but they are certainly good. A delicate flavor and not too much fat. Only the eggs and walnuts contribute fat to this recipe. I also rolled some of the cookies in powdered sugar before baking them; they turned out very cute (without the powdered sugar they’re pretty unimpressive brown lumps). My German professor had seconds and thirds, so I call this a success. (But I found that they didn’t need to be baked quite as long as the recipe called for. 10 minutes is about sufficient).
Joseph Hunter
i whipped up the egg whites before adding them in and they came out a little “meringue-y”. very good though. i also dusted them with powdered sugar and they came out like little snowballs. the best part of the recipe is that it is very easy to make!

 

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