Christmas Lore--Day 8

Pfeffernusse

Pfeffernusse is of German origin and translates to "pepper nuts," referring to the spicy taste of the cookies. Some recipes call for black pepper and either ground walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds. Traditional recipes for pfeffernusse produce a hard cookie that would have to be dipped in a liquid to soften it up before eating.

The following recipe is one of my favorite cookies to bake at Christmas time. Don't worry, these cookies are edible without dipping! If you like gingerbread, you will like these.

Pfeffernusse Recipe

1/3 cup dark corn syrup

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening

1 egg, beaten

2  1/4 cups all purpose flour (unbleached)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

powdered sugar

Combine first four ingredients in saucepan. Cook & stir until shortening and sugar melt. Cool. Stir in egg. Mix flour with soda and spices. Add to honey mixture; mix well. Form into balls using one level tablespoon of dough for each.  Place the balls on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375F for about 10 minutes. When the bottom of the cookie is a nice golden color they are done. Do not overcook. If you are using a dark baking sheet, reduce baking temperature to 365F. Cool. Sift powdered sugar over the tops.   Each batch makes about 45 cookies.