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Christmas baking: Pfeffernuesse

After looking all over the web, I haven't found this particular recipe, so I decided to share it after a nice evening of baking. It is my grandmother's recipe, and one of my dad's favorite Christmas cookies. They are very best after they've aged a few weeks (up to a month) in an airtight container... the icing gets really nice and hard, and the cookies are awesome dunked in tea or coffee. They're so good, though, it's hard to make them last that long!

Pfeffernuesse-- Makes about 4 1/2 dozen

1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temp
2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
4 eggs

Zest of one lemon
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup finely chopped candied lemon peel
1/2 cup finely chopped candied citron
1/4 cup finely chopped candied orange peel
1/2 tsp almond extract

4 cups sifted flour
1 Tbsp cardamom
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground aniseed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Lemon Icing
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
4 to 4 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions
  • Cream butter in a large bowl, and beat in powdered sugar in small batches. Add eggs and beat until well blended.
  • Mix together lemon juice, zest, chopped candied fruits, and almond extract. Add butter and egg mixture and stir until well blended.
  • Sift together flour, spices, salt and soda to evenly distribute spices. Add butter and fruit mixture, and stir until well blended.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Grease and flour cookie sheets. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Lightly flour hands and roll into 1-inch balls. You can place them fairly close together on the sheet because they don't really spread. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until barely browned but dry.
The icing is the tricky part. It is not icing so much as a thick, opaque white paste. The best way to do it is to put a dab on top of each of the cookies while they're still pretty hot, and then go back and squish it around with your finger. It's indelicate, but it makes a very nice, tangy sugar crust on top.

Comments

rachel said…
I've never made pfeffernuesse before. I think 2008 is the year for them. Thanks for sharing this.
9:12 PM
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