Hello spice! It’s the holiday season and spice, spice, everywhere there’s spice! The German Pfeffernüsse gingerbread cookies are about as spicy as they get. I’m not referring to heat spice but warm, holiday, sweet spice. These cookies are packed with 7 spices along with black pepper, molasses, and brown sugar for an added punch of flavor. Cover them in powdered sugar and your holiday plate will scream winter.
A Little About Gingerbread
While ginger originated in Asia, gingerbread and gingerbread-type cookies were well in existence in Europe during the Middle Ages. Gingerbread is even mentioned in Shakespeare’s 16th century play “Love’s Labour’s Lost”. Gingerbread ingredients vary all over the world; even within one culture, a recipe can vary. I’m excited to share with you my spicy variation based on the German Pfeffernüsse version using Lebkuchengewurz (German gingerbread spice) that includes coriander and cardamom. Let’s check it out!
Ingredients for German Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies
There are quite a few ingredients going into this cookie; however, you can substitute the many spices and use instead gingerbread spice, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice. Those substitutions would decrease the prep time; see the recipe below on how to use these substitutions. The ingredients include all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, ground black or white pepper, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground allspice, ground ginger, ground coriander, ground cardamom, ground nutmeg, butter, light or dark brown sugar, molasses, whole milk, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar.
Make the Dough for these Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies at least 1 Day Ahead of Baking
This cookie dough is best made at least the day before you want to bake the cookies to allow time for the spices to meld together and the dough to firm. Otherwise, the dough will be too sticky to shape and cut.
Make the Cookie Dough
Mix the Dry Ingredients: Flour and Spices
To a medium bowl, add 270 grams (2¼ cup) of all-purpose flour, 2 grams (½ teaspoon) of baking soda, 1½ grams (¼ teaspoon) of salt, ½ gram (¼ teaspoon) of freshly ground pepper (black or white), 5 grams (2 teaspoons) of ground cinnamon, 2 grams (1 teaspoon) of ground cloves, 1 gram (½ teaspoon) of ground allspice, 1 gram (½ teaspoon) of ground ginger, 1 gram (½ teaspoon) of ground coriander, 1 gram (½ teaspoon) of ground cardamom, and 1 gram (½ teaspoon) of ground nutmeg. Whisk or stir all the ingredients to combine and set the mixture aside.
Heat & Combine Wet Ingredients: Butter, Sugar, Milk, & Vanilla
To a large saucepan over the stove, add 113 grams (1 stick/ 8 tablespoons) of diced butter, 162 grams (¾ cup packed) light or dark brown sugar, and 60 milliliters (¼ cup) of molasses. Heat on medium heat, stirring frequently, to melt butter and dissolve sugar; do not let the mixture boil. Once the butter is melted and sugar is dissolving, add 60 milliliters (¼ cup) of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Stir consistently for about 30 seconds to heat up the milk.
Add Flour Mixture to Butter Mixture & Cool
Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the flour mixture. Stir until the mixture is homogeneous. The dough should be moistened and sticky. Allow the dough to cool to room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
Divide Dough, Wrap, & Refrigerate
Once cooled, divide the dough in half and mound each half into a ball. Wrap each dough half tightly in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped dough in the fridge overnight for up to 3 days. Storing the dough for hours in the fridge allows time for the dough to firm and for the spices to meld together producing a well-balanced spice cookie. If you intend on making cookies at a later date, freeze the dough and thaw overnight in the fridge before baking them.
Roll, Cut, & Shape Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies
Remove Dough from Fridge, Preheat Oven, & Prepare Baking Pans
Remove one or both dough halves from the fridge depending on when you intend to bake them. Preheat the oven to 350˚F (177˚C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats for an easy cleanup.
Hand Roll Dough Halves into Logs
On a unfloured work surface, take one dough half and remove it from the plastic wrap. Cut it in half again for easy manageability and set the other half aside. Roll one dough mass into a ¾-inch to 1-inch-thick log. If the log becomes too long for your surface, cut in half again.
Cut Logs into 1-Inch Pieces
Use a knife to cut the log in 1-inch pieces for each cookie. Roll each 1-inch cookie into a ball that will be about 1-inch in diameter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet as they will spread as a they bake.
Bake Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies
Once one baking sheet is filled, place it in the oven and bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes or until set and golden brown. While one pan of cookies bakes, continue cutting cookies out of the remaining dough and place them on the second baking sheet. You can also store the other dough half in the fridge or freezer for later baking. If frozen, thaw the dough in the fridge overnight before rolling and baking.
Cool Cookies & Decorate with Powdered Sugar or Powdered Sugar Glaze
Allow cookies to cool on their baking sheet for 2 minutes. Then, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. There are 2 ways to decorate and add the finishing touches to these cookies.
Decorating Option 1: Powdered Sugar Coating
This first decorating option is the easiest way to add décor. While the cookies are still warm (after about 10 minutes out of the oven). Add 240 grams (2 cups) of powdered sugar to a large zip top bag. Then, add a few cookies, zip/close the bag, twist at the top to tighten the bag to create a bubble (like a snow globe for the cookies and powdered sugar), and shake a few times so the cookies are covered in powdered sugar. Untwist and open the bag. Then, lift a cookie and tap it in the bag against the counter to remove excess powdered sugar. Place the cookie back on the cooling to cool completely. Continue with the remaining cookies. Easy-peasy!
Decorating Option 2: Powdered Sugar Glaze
The second decorating option is also pretty but a little more involved. The cookies need to cool completely before dipping them in glaze. To make the glaze, to a small bowl add 240 grams (2 cups) of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk or water and whisk; add another 1-2 tablespoons of milk or water and mix until smooth. The glaze should be pourable, but not too thin. It should be thick enough to adhere to the cookies and not slide off too much.
TIP: Generally, 2 tablespoons of liquid per 1 cup of powdered sugar creates an appropriate ratio for the glaze.
Dip the German Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies in the Glaze
Use forks to dip each cookie completely in the glaze. Lift each cookie from the glaze and allow excess glaze to drip off into the bowl. Rake the fork along the edge of the bowl to continue removing any dripping glaze. Return each cookie to the cooling rack placed over a baking sheet to catch excess dripping. Leave glazed cookies on the cooling rack until the glaze hardens.
German Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies Up Close
These cookies are soft in the center with a little exterior crunch. They have a little height to them instead of being flat since they were baked in dough balls. The powdered sugar and glaze add both sweetness and visual appeal for the holiday season.
Storage Suggestions
These German Pfeffernüsse gingerbread cookies store very well at room temperature as the flavors actually improve over time. You can store them for up to 2 weeks on the counter or in the pantry. For longer storage, place cookies in a sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months. Keep these in the pantry until you need to give a gift or treat an unexpected guest during the holidays.
Spice Substitutions
If you don’t have the spices in the recipe, you can substitute 12 grams (1½ tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon) of gingerbread spice, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice in place of all the spices listed in the recipe from cinnamon through nutmeg. You’ll still need to add the black or white pepper.
Final Thoughts for German Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies
Well, I have to say these have become my new favorite holiday Christmas cookie. The first time I took a bite, I was immediately reminded of my favorite childhood weekend breakfast treat… powdered sugar donuts. The dense texture and powdered sugar coating are similar to those breakfast treats but with added spice. So, it’s like a childhood indulgence with adult flavors. I have made several batches of these cookies this season and will be back in the kitchen tomorrow to make another; I just can’t help myself. It is the holiday season, so I’m all into indulgence. 😉
Baker’s Perspective for Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies
I find these cookies fairly easy to make especially since they are made over at least a 2-day period. Making the dough on the first day takes the longest because the many ingredients need to be measured. However, you can mix the dry ingredients one night, just before bed, and the next day on requires a quick heating of wet ingredients and sugar over the stove and stirring in the dry ingredients. You can freeze the dough for weeks or months or refrigerate the dough for several days. Not only that, but you can bake a half batch one day and the other on a different day. There are so many ways to break up this cookie recipe that it feels like it takes very little effort to make them.
Taster’s Perspective for Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies
When I look at these dark cookies, I automatically expect a punch of flavor. The spices immediately hit your tongue all around with nothing less than a wallop of “wow”. I like the chewy, spicy center combined with the sweet, powdered sugar exterior. For the glazed cookies, the icing provides an interesting thin crunch to the exterior, a very different texture from the ones shaken in powdered sugar. However, I like them both… no favorites here. I’m excited to get back in the kitchen to make another batch!
Check out my YouTube video on making these German Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies. “German Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies: Fantastic Soft, Spiced Holiday Treats”
German Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 270 g (2¼ cup) all-purpose flour fluffed, scooped, & leveled off if using a measuring cup
- 2 g (½ tsp) baking soda
- 1½ g (¼ tsp) salt
- ½ g (¼ tsp) freshly ground pepper black or white
- 5 g (2 tsp) ground cinnamon
- 2 g (1 tsp) ground cloves
- 1 g (½ tsp) ground allspice
- 1 g (½ tsp) ground ginger
- 1 g (½ tsp) ground coriander
- 1 g (½ tsp) ground cardamom
- 1 g (½ tsp) ground nutmeg
- 113 g (1 stick/8 tbsp) butter diced
- 162 g (¾ cup packed) brown sugar light or dark
- 60 ml (¼ cup) molasses
- 60 ml (¼ cup/ 4 tbsp) whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze
- 240 g (2 cups) powdered sugar
- 2-4 tbsp milk or water thick glaze adheres to the cookies
Instructions
Day 1- Make the Cookie Dough:
- To a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, salt, pepper, and all spices to include cinnamon through nutmeg. Whisk or stir well to combine and set aside.
- To a large saucepan over the stove, add diced butter, brown sugar, and molasses. Heat on medium heat to melt butter and dissolve sugar; do not let mixture boil. Once the butter is melted and sugar is almost dissolved, add milk and vanilla. Stir consistently for about 30 seconds to heat up the milk.
- Remove saucepan from heat and stir in flour mixture until completely blended. The dough should be moistened and sticky.
- Allow the dough to cool to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Divide dough in half and mound each half into a ball. Wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap. Place wrapped dough in the fridge overnight for up to 3 days.TIP: Storing the dough for hours in the fridge allows time for the dough to firm and for the spices to meld together producing a well-balanced spice cookie.
Day 2 up to 3 Days Later- Divide Dough & Roll into Balls:
- Remove both dough halves from the fridge. Preheat oven to 350˚F (177˚C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Unwrap 1 dough half and divide it in half (again) and set it aside. On an unfloured work surface, roll each dough piece into a ¾-inch to 1-inch-thick log. Use a knife to cut the log every 1 inch for each cookie. Roll each cookie into a ball that will be about 1-inch in diameter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake cookies in oven for 13-15 minutes or until set. While one pan of cookies bakes, continue cutting cookies out of the remaining dough and place them on the second baking sheet. You can also store the other dough half in the fridge or freezer for later baking.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Cover in Powdered Sugar or Make Glaze & Cover Cookies:
- Option 1- Coat in powdered sugar:For quick cookie decorating, once the cookies have slightly cooled (~10 minutes), add powdered sugar to a zip top bag, add several cookies and shake until each cookie is coated in powdered sugar, remove cookies, and return them to cooling rack to cool completely.
- Option 2- Cover in powdered sugar glaze:To a small bowl, add powdered sugar. Slowly stir in milk or water, 1 tbsp at a time, until you reach a thick but pourable consistency. TIP: Usually, 2 tbsp of liquid per 1 cup of powdered sugar is enough.
- Use forks to dip each cookie completely in the glaze. Lift each cookie from the glaze over the bowl to allow excess glaze to drip off into the bowl. Return each cookie to the cooling rack sitting over a baking sheet as some glaze will drip off the cookies. Leave glazed cookies on the cooling rack until the glaze hardens.
Video
Notes
If you don’t have the spices in the recipe, you can substitute 12 g (1½ tbsp +1 tsp) of gingerbread spice, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice in place of all the spices listed in the recipe from cinnamon through nutmeg.
You might be interested in some of these other holiday recipes.
Cinnamon Rolls & Yeast Rolls: One Recipe & One Prep
Chinese Almond Ginger Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Buttery Apple Biscuits
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