ADVENT CALENDAR December 20th - Pfeffernuesse

Today I want to share another family favorite with you: Pfeffernuesse - Pepper Nuts. They are quite hard at first, but you keep them in an airtight cookie tin for a few days, together with an apple the way we did with the Lebkuchen, and they mellow out nicely and soften up a little. If you still find them too hard, you can dip them in your coffee or tea - delicious! When I was a little girl, these were my favorites. The recipe is my Mama's.

Pfeffernuesse

3/4 c butter

1/4 c white sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1 1/2 c honey (or agave nectar)

1/2 c very strong cold coffee

4 T maple syrup

6 c flour

2 1/2 t baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 t each allspice and ground cloves

1/4 t ground black pepper

1 T cinnamon

1 T ground anise seeds

1 c coarsely chopped walnuts

Beat sugars and butter (or margarine) together until light and fluffy. Slowly add honey (or agave nectar), coffee and maple syrup. Sift together dry ingredients. Add to sugar mixture in thirds. Then add nuts. This will be quite stiff. Use your nice clean hands and knead well. Then cover tightly and refrigerate at least overnight.

Next day, roll walnut sized pieces of dough into balls and place on greased cookie sheets. Leave a little space in between. Bake at 350°F (185°C) for about 20 minutes, or just until done. They will be light brown. Do not over-bake. When they are still hot, they will be a little soft, but they become hard when they cool. When they have mellowed out with the apple, they soften again. If you like, roll these in powdered sugar while hot, or glaze with powdered sugar mixed with a little lemon juice. I prefer them plain...

Let's go look at the Advent Calendar now. Number 20 already!

Looking for the Christmas Star!

Have a magical day!