Pfeffernuesse

For a long time I looked for a Pfeffernuesse recipe that made hard, crunchy tiny cookies like my dad and grandma described: "So hard you had to soak them in coffee before you ate them or you'd break your teeth."

I got a recipe years back from a friend that we made every year but this year I came across a new recipe. We tried it and really like it. I'm not too thrilled about the corn syrup part - even if it is organic and not GMO - so we will continue our search for the perfect recipe.

This recipe evokes a lot of "mmmmm's" and the anise oil makes it taste perfect for the holidays. The photo above is 1/3 of the recipe and you can see how it fills our salad serving bowl. You may want to halve the recipe. The recipe makes about 1200 cookies-tiny, little, crunchy cookies. So it is fun to do on an afternoon with the kids while listening to the Partidge Family Christmas Card CD. :-)

Enjoy!

Pfeffernuesse

1 ½ cups butter
3 cups sugar
1 cup white corn syrup
1/3 cup sour milk
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon mace
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon oil of anise
6-7 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar; add syrup, sour mild, and oil of anise. Sift dry ingredients, including spices, together. Add half the flour to milk mixture until well mixed, and add the rest of the flour by kneading in. Chill dough overnight or longer, allowing the dough to season and the spices to blend.

Roll dough into thin ropes and slice with knife dipped in flour. Pieces should be the size of a hazelnut. Place pieces separately on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 7 – 10 minutes in 350° to 375° oven till golden brown.

Taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

~Psalm 34:8