Less Sweet Holiday Treats: Pfeffernusse Cookies

In between gorging on caramels and sugary holiday cookies, it's nice to have one or two treats that veer toward the other end of the spectrum. These pfeffernusse cookies with candied citrus peel and a dash of pepper fit the bill quite nicely!

We did a little research and found that pfeffernusse (or feffernous) cookies are a traditional Christmas cookie around Denmark, Germany, and parts of Eastern Europe. They're similar to gingerbread, but with black pepper and some form of citrus to amp up the flavor. Many recipes also use ground nuts, which accounts for why their name means "pepper nut."

The cookies are pretty hard when first baked and can be dunked in a warm mug of coffee or tea (or mulled wine!) to soften them up.

We just came across this recipe and are excited to add them to our holiday cookie line-up!

• Get the Recipe! Feffernous Cookies from Dan Phiffer

Have you ever made these cookies before?

(Image: Flickr member Dan Phiffer licensed under Creative Commons)

Comments (11)

I absolutely LOVE pfeffernusse cookies! My grandmother makes them every year for Christmas. I will have to give this recipe a try.

Ooooo! These are a winter tradition that I started in my family after my German teacher taught me to make them as a freshman in highschool. We'd roll out long snakes of dough and then cut them into tiny bite sized nuts. Mmm. I haven't made any yet, but now I'm inspired for some weekend baking!

I love pfeffernusse! I found a different recipe and made it for a Christmas party a couple of years ago. Sadly, most people didn't go for it, but one girl who had it said it reminded her of some she had eaten in Germany, which is about as good of a compliment as one could hope for.

Has anyone had the Trader Joes ones? Are they any good??

Trader Joe's are OK but just OK. I grew up on Stella d'Oro but cannot find them on the West Coast any longer. My mother made them homemade, and they softened after about two weeks storage, but even she preferred the Stella brand.

I've never had homemade, and am only familiar with the ones that have like a very thin candy coating on them, so not sure how "less sweet" the ones I've had are!

Rucy--

Believe it or not, I've had luck finding these kind in drugstores at this time of year. Maybe try that? Also, there is another Stella-esque brand that shows up here in grocery stores around the holidays, but they are on those weird "end cap" setups, and you literally have to walk the whole store to find them.

Hey, if I find any Stella's here in NYC, I'll mail ya some!!

I make peppernuts every year. I use a traditional Mennonite recipe though, so they are much smaller and aren't rolled in powdered sugar. They store well and, in my opinion, are better after a couple weeks of "aging."

I had the Trader joe's cookies today, in fact! I'd never tried these cookies (either homemade or store bought, at least that I remember), and I thought the TJ's cookies were quite tasty. It was a TJ's treat party today :) Candy Cane Joe Joe's, Peppermint bark and Pfeffernusse.

@ patrick (the other one), I've tried finding them and even called the company but it seems they don't ship them to the West Coast any longer. I've tried a trade with friends on the East Coast but noone seemed able to find the Stella version. Let me know where you see them? Thanks!!!

Rucy--

If you follow my link on my profile, it takes you to my HGTV portfolio, where you'll find my email...

You can email me directly.

If that seems creepy, SaraKate will vouch for me (I hope!)

:)

Would be delighted to send you some if I can find 'em.

I make mennonite peppernuts too - no powdered sugar and they definitely do need to "age!" YUM. They are the fastest way to put on holiday weight (for me anyway) though.