German Pfeffernüsse Gingerbread Cookies
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.
Servings: 35 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
Storage Suggestions:
Store the cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. For longer storage, place cookies in a sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Spice Substitutions:
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.
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.