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Pfeffernuesse ~ Flashback Friday



Years later, so many things have changed.  When I looked at my last post in 2009, I realized that I made this with my sister. It's obvious that it's Flashback Friday again. Now I'm starting all over and introducing this wonderful recipe to my dear little grandaughters who visit regularly.  And today, you get to see them in action.  It brings so much laughter and joy into our lives to watch these young ones pronounce PFEFFERNUSSE!

Step One:
  • 1 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 teaspoon cardamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons /15 grams Neunerlei Lebkuchen Gewurz (this is a gingerbread spice purchased at a Delicatessen) I ordered them from the Edelweiss Delicatessen in Calgary this year, as no one else carried them in our town. 
  1. Warm honey in microwave or stovetop and add sugar and spices.
  2. Cool mixture to room temperature.
Step Two:
  • 1 cup margarine
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  1. Melt margarine and add sour cream.
  2. Now add to cooled honey mixture.
Step Three:
  • 6 cups flour (add up to 1/2 cup more if needed to make a heavy dough )
  • 3 teaspoons baking soda
  1. Sift together flour and baking soda and add the above honey mixture and mix well.
  2. I blend flour and soda into an electric mixing bowl.
  3. I usually use my kneading hook, as this dough is heavy. One time I broke my cookie beaters.
  4. Place in fridge overnight to cool. 
Step Four:
  1. To bake, grease cookie sheets
  2. Roll dough into rolls (snakes) and slice.(thickness of your index finger)
  3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake for 9 minutes. Just slightly browned.
  4. When baked, leave cookies on sheet 2 minutes, then remove from pan.
While Ivy, who will be four in February knows that first, we grease our hands, then follows my instructions to a tee, Joy on the other hand who will be two,  totally seizes every moment to enjoy laughter.  We've had lots of fun and I know we will be making several batches to give to the big cousins. I've enjoyed handing down some traditional recipes to the grandchildren.

7 comments:

  1. i had a quick look on the mighty internet and found this:
    Note about "Lebkuchen spices". If you do not buy premixed "Lebkuchen Gewürz" from a German store, you may mix your own.
    2T. ground cinnamon
    2 tsp. ground cloves
    ½ tsp. ground allspice
    ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
    ½ tsp. ground coriander
    ½ tsp. ground cardamom
    ½ tsp. ground ginger
    ½ tsp. ground anise seed

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    Replies
    1. Thankyou Allison....this year I looked everywhere for lebkucken gewurz and sadly couldnt find the packages....going to try this in grandmas recipe!

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  2. THANK YOU so much.... I was always wondering about the mixture but never thought to look it up. A great tip to add to my recipe.

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  3. Thank you for re-posting this. I love Pfeffernusse but I could never find the recipe for ones like I had at Oktoberfest in Odessa, WA. These are close. The Odessa, WA Pfeffernusse were like little pepper-nuts, they are the size of an unshelled filbert, and round and a bit hard at first. However if you leave them in the ziploc bag they came in for the month and a half from the festival to December- difficult because they are so good & addictive - they soften a little and the spices get more aromatic. I love them. Thanks again.

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  4. Thanks for reposting this Marg. I want to make these one of these years (maybe this year)!!! So nice to have the recipe for that elusive spice mixture Alison! BTW your little helper elves are just the cutest!!! Have a wonderful Christmas.

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  5. I was born in Holland ,left when I was very young, but remember that Sinter Klaas used to drop these in the hallway at christmas. They were called pepernooten.. Are these similar?

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    Replies
    1. I believe this is the same idea, only the above version uses a lot of honey.

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