I saw the quickly corrected typo in the title and got a little confused... Pepper Mousse? :) Merry Christmas and best wishes to you and your family for the holiday season!
I watch ALL of your videos, but this one really hits close to home. Pfeffernusse were my Dad's all time favorite. As kids, we couldn't understand why. Today would have been Dad's 102nd birthday, and he's been gone for nearly 40 years. There was an awful lot I didn't understand as a kid. Thanks for your recipe AND your timing. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Your sentiments and this recipe really hit home. My dad passed at age 91 in March. Having dedicated all his working life at a German restaurant, pfeffernusse & stollen became a tradition in our non- German home. What fond memories! TY Food Wishes family.
When I was training in baker class, our German baking instructor had us make these in October so they could age. We also covered them in powdered sugar. You first had to toss them in melted butter so that the sugar would create a "crust" . They would be too time consuming to dip each one. The pepper used was black pepper. My instructor was from Bonn.
I was able to hit the German markets this year and then came home to make your recipe 5 times in a row. It's terrific!!! I tried a few (year round) variations your followers might like as well. Variation 1: Molasses instead of honey - as you mentioned, it makes them more like Gingerbread but it also makes them a bit more moist and chewy // Variation 2: I tossed 1/4 cup dried tiny blueberries overnight in a 5-6 tablespoons of lemon juice, then added to to the dough but omitted the spices. I used 3 tbsp of the lemon/blueberry juice in the powdered sugar glaze - they were FANTASTIC! // Variation 3: Same as blueberries, but I soaked 1/4 cup dried (sour) cherries overnight with enough bourbon to cover them, then drained/chopped them finely and added to dough, and used the 3 tbsp of the cherry/bourbon juice in the powdered sugar glaze. Amazing, but definitely get much better after sitting several days because the alcohol evaporates and you're left with a delicious bourbon flavor.
My Russian-German grandma’s version of these have honey, lard, star anise, and cloves. Very old school. They are glazed with a thin powdered sugar icing and rolled in more powdered sugar. They must ripen for a month or longer before eating to let the flavors meld.
@@bustedkeaton In her recipe (handed down from from my immigrant great-grandmother) the dough is left overnight at room temp, whatever that was in the 1800s in what is now Ukraine and Moldova (former Imperial Russian Empire), and later in the Dakotas in the US (1900s to the present). She was specific about not refrigerating the dough, and yes, she had a fridge. After baking, glazing, and rolling in p-sugar, the cookies are packed away to ripen and develop flavor, again at room temp. My mom stored hers in the basement. Mine are in the pantry. Made them the day after Thanksgiving. By Valentine’s Day they should be amazing…but they won’t last long. :)
@@theonetruesarauniya Every family has a version of these, and nothing comes close to eliciting the grandma memories like these cookies. My ancestors were beekeepers, so honey was important and abundant. I try to find interesting honey when I make them. The spices are either what they liked or what they had access to. Never got a straight answer from anyone on that on that. But I stay true to just the two spices and don’t go all gingerbread on them.
My old family recipe. German. Heat together until blended: 2/3 cup molasses ( I use unsuphured, closest to 1800's taste) 3/4 cup white sugar 1/4 cup lard (I use butter) (and I use usually 1/3, sometimes 1/2 depends on how the sugar molasses mixture looks.) Cool the mixture for 45 minutes. Add 1 beaten egg ( I use a pasteurized egg. The dough has to ferment.) Combine the following spices and stir into the molasses mixture: Lebkuchengewürz mix 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground anise or ground star anise 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Combine in separate bowl 3 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda Then sift. (I don't sift. Just whisk in the bowl.) Mix the wet dough with the dry ingredients. Cover dough and let stand overnight at room temperature. Roll into 1-inch balls. Bake on parchment paper at 350 degrees F for approximately 12-15 minutes. When cool, sugar or dip in chocolate. Store in tightly covered tins in a cool dry place for several weeks to cure. So the original recipe was sugared. Then changed to glazed. Then around the late 1800's early 1900's some dipped in melted chocolate. I dip in melted chocolate.
Wow, after you were done, I realized that my mother used to make these. They were always the first cookies gone. She had to hide some for company. However, some snoopy little kid found them and like a fool, ate them one by one before Christmas. My mother was very unhappy with me, I mean the snoopy little kid.
That's a cute story! My mom used to similarly 'hide' the Christmas bottle of Bailys Irish Cream {intended for after the Christmas meal} with the same ineffectiveness 😉!
Pfeffernusse was my mother’s favorite Christmas cookie. She has been gone for 33 years and this brings back such warm memories of her and her great love of Christmas traditions. She was second-generation German, so there are numerous family traditions that reflect our German ancestors. By the way I subscribed to your channel, but all,the sudden I wasn’t subscribed.
Same happened to me, the part of subscribing and then somehow being unsubscribed. Glad I saw your comment so I could sub again. So glad you are holding fast to your German Christmas traditions. When my boys were growing up, I carried on with my old world traditions. But over the last twenty years those traditions are leaving slowly but surely. Anyhow Merry Christmas!
I made these today for Christmas. My son tried one and said, this is the best cookie he's ever had. He loves the blend of spices and it not being overly sweet. This recipe will now be a regular in our house. Thank you so much ❤ have a happy holiday season everyone 😊
These cookies are perfect for preparing in advance! You can make them *months* before Christmas and store them in the pantry (away from light, not too hot, in a tin so they don't dry out) and the spices kinda ripen with time. Have fun experimenting! ♥
Hey Chef John. Can't wait to try these cookies. I am a professional Santa and wear suspenders to hold up my pants. And a belt to hold my coat cinched to my waist. So as you can see Santa does wear both. Merry Christmas
OMG Chef John. I have no idea how I missed this episode. I absolutely love Pfeffernuesse. The place I'd always get them is long gone and the German woman who owned the bakery passed many years ago. This is going to be an epic holiday. Thank you so much.
My mom made peppernuts every Christmas. They were a lot of the family’s favorite cookie. We lost the recipe when she died. This isn’t exactly the same, but I think it’s close. Thank you so much.
*you have a nearly close enough proximity from which to experiment with using small batches...i'm sure you'll eventually find your mums variant and when you do you'll know she will be smiling*
THESE ARE AMAZING. Thanks for the recipe, never heard of them or had them before but I was having a weird pregnancy craving for a spiced cookie! It took me less than 10 min to whip up and 9 min in the oven! Couldn’t wait the 1-2 days to refrigerate or 1-2 hours to cook down for icing. Still came out 10/10. Also, didn’t have nutmeg or allspice, it still tasted great!
The reason they are called "Pfeffernüsse" is that long time ago, Germans used the word "Pfeffer" to describe any exotic spice. So, at this time "Pfeffernüsse" just meant "exoticly flavored nuts". It's the same with Pfefferkuchen.
Chef John: I'm spilling a HUGE baking secret of mine, but DON'T SKIP THE BLACK PEPPER! Just the tiniest pinch of freshly ground black pepper really warms up those classic spices, and just elevates the flavor to a whole new level. I've been doing this in my pumpkin pie for years, try it, the difference will amaze you.
I had no idea how easy it was to make them. I live in Turkey where there are spice shops everywhere - fresh! I'm starting these tonight. BTW, I made your berbere spice recipe and it is phenomenal! I keep it in a 2 qt glass jar in the fridge to preserve the natural oils in the spices. My city is famous for its sweet or hot red pepper flakes, paprika and paste. Now I put berbere in everything. Maybe these cookies? LOL!
This recipe made my heart sing. It's the best. Lost my mothers recipe, she's gone. But this was the closest I have ever tried. I did remember she used white pepper so I used it. Thank you for this. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.
Worked at a national chain cookie company, and we put out Pfeffernusse and wedding cake cookies by the tons every year. Years ago I can remember standing in powdered sugar up over the tops of my shoes for two months of the year.
You crack me up John. Lol. The Santa belt is on the coat not the pants. Suspenders are allowed this one time. I totally agree with you🤣. Thank you for all of the great recipes you video…you make baking less intimidating. Hope you have a wonderful Holiday
When I was a little boy these spice bombs were always on the dessert tray. You know those fancy-shmancy three tiered poinsettia trays for the Holidays. They looked so delicious but I could only eat the icing because the spices burnt a hole in my tongue. It was either my Baba or one of my Aunties that baked them. I think it was Baba because they never came around after she stopped working in the kitchen. Chef, you are an inspiration, I have all of the ingredients so I must give this a try. Who knows it may bring back some very fond memories. (fingers crossed0
These are by far the greatest cookies I have ever eaten. And I'm not just talking about pfeffernusse in general. I mean these specific ones that I just made because of this tutorial recipe. Never had anything this good before. My second batch of dough (double batch this time) is in the fridge as we speak. Thanks, Chef John.
Don't know where you live of course, but grocery stores in the US generally don't sell decent cookies. Sometimes you get lucky in the international section, but if you have an Aldi nearby, I recommend checking them out. They are selling pfeffernüsse right now AFAIK.
Definitely one of the better winter cookies out there. We've done a lot of decorating for presentation with them, and found that a (or two) cranberry/Craisin, worked into a ball makes a nice holly berry and the flavor goes well too. Thank You, cause its not Christmas until Ive made a batch of Pfeffernusse, had some eggnog, and seen Hanz Gruber fall from Nakatomi Tower.
My aunt and uncle run a camping site here in Norway where i used to help out. They always got tons of these, and other snacks, gifted from tourists. I loved spending the christmas there with my cousin and eat all these delicious snacks and experience the world that way when i was a kid. Might try making these with my daughters and give them some of my experiences growing up. Much love Chef John. And merry christmas to you and all your viewers.
I tried them for the first time last Christmas season. Family members came back from a trip to Germany and brought back a bag of store bought Pferffernusse. I was floored. The best cookies ever.
Speaking as a German, who has indeed loved these pepery and nutty Christmas treats as long as he can think: The icing HAS to be solid. Maybe it's a regional thing, but I've never even *seen* peper nuts with powdered sugar. The sweet crust just works perfectly with the spicy inside. Also too, it makes them last longer. Local legends (by which I mean: my Granny) tell of nuts baked on Christmas Eve, which make a perfect, secret snack on New Year's Eve. Wink wink, nudge nudge.
4:57 In Denmark our peppernuts (pebernød) are crunchy and about ½-⅓ the size of these. So I can absolutely recommend trying to bake some like that, and also perhaps giving them a chocolate coating
My mother would buy these at her special bakery when I was a child in the 1950's...They had such an interesting taste, I had no idea what they were made from but I loved them! I avoided trying to make such a cookie in fear of failure. Had I known just how easy it is, I would have added them to my "Special Christmas Cookie repertoire" years ago... Thanks to you, I will be making them this week and for the years to come!
I will have to say, this year for Christmas I made these, your almond biscotti, torrone, and florentines and for the first time ever all of my cookies came out PERFECTLY. thank you so much!
“Do you want irregular pepper nuts? I didn’t think so” - Chef John … I am absolutely using this line every time I share this recipe 😂 Amazing content as always 👍❤️
We have something similar in the Netherlands called pepernoten/kruidnoten (there's some confusion/discussion about the name). Except we eat them without the icing and we eat them during the Sinterklaas holiday (december 5th)
Similar name but different thing. Kruidnoten are much smaller and generally firmer and less chewy. Source: Am German and massive kruidnoten enthusiast. ;)
The cavity in the center naturally lends itself to creating an eclair pfeffernusse. You could pipe from the top/side and then ice over the hole with a chocolate version of the same icing
Made this for the first time ever. ( I’ve made lots of cookies over the last 40 years). Delicious! This will be on my Christmas cookie list from now on.
Great recipe! I live in Germany now, and I’ve probably eaten about 200 of these at the various Christmas Markets we’ve visited over the past few weeks. They’re delicious, and I can’t wait to try this at home!
What fun "enjoy" ! I envy you, would love to visit a German Christmas market someday. I live in USA but more than half of my ancestry is German {I'm 2nd Generation}. I hear the Swiss also know how to do Christmas really well.
@@Earthy-Artist Europe is full of wonderful Christmas markets. France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, (and so many more countries) they all have great events and markets around the holidays. The world is only as big, or as small, as you make it! I hope you get to visit Deutschland soon. Happy New Year aus Deutschland!
@@IridescenceYT Candied orange peel and lemon peel and cherries. We always bought a small container of it, was called candied fruit in the baking isle at christmas.
My grandmother said Christmas Calories don't count if you close your eyes & didn't see yourself eat the cookie. I grew up with black strap molasses in them. But gran said if you are going to use the molasses make sure you use light brown sugar & not the dark
Wife and I made these last night for Christmas Eve. Chef John, these are THE flavor of Christmas. You have taught us so many delicious dinners and desserts. Your instructions are precise, clear and easy to understand. Most recipes on UA-cam are more about "look at me!" rather than showing us how to cook. As I've said before: You're our hero, Chef John. We've never eaten so well, thanks to you.
Chef john I'm also chef John and I absolutely love your channel this current recipe is delightful and I will make them for my northern german family as we love our traditional german cuisine and I love your take on all foods makes me happy to see a fellow chef enjoying the art of culinary arts happy holidays to you and yours and as always Enjoy!!
Chef, you made me laugh out loud with the newspaper comment. My wife and I cancelled our daily delivery several years ago. When we realized we were paying $hundreds per year, and all we (and by "we" I mean "me") were getting was a daily crossword and Sudoku puzzle. On the bright side - we do indeed remain stocked with parchment paper! And waxed paper, and aluminum foil, and Saran wrap! (Side note: I'm still addicted to crossword puzzles, as is my wife. I had to run a daily copy on our multi-function device so that she could have her own to solve. Now I find them online, and she buys big books of them. She never got into Sudoku.) The cookie recipe looks delicious, by the way, and thank you!
I have bought them only 4 times here in South Africa. They are imported at Christmas time from Germany and are dreadfully expensive. They are without a doubt the most increadable tasting kookies ever. Just watching this video, I can actually taste and feel that slightly chewy bliss. Definitely going to finally try these this year. Regards from South Africa
Thank you so much for introducing this to everyone here. I am from Germany myself and I agree...best Christmas cookie ever. But I prefer them with molasses, which is called Zuckerrübensaft and very specific to German cuisine. I have not found anything similar anywhere else yet. I order it several times a year, because I can't even get it in Ireland, where I live now. I love your recipes, they are always amazing and very yummy. Keep safe and have a lovely and peaceful Christmas time. I look forward to new recipes in the next year. 🍀
@@simonatheod6867 nah. Golden Syrup is extracted from sugar cane, Zuckerrübensaft is extracted from sugar beets. Wikipedia is wrong to treat them as equivalent.
Hi Sandra I’ve purchased molasses in health food shops, gourmet food shops or larger supermarkets in Ireland. Failing that? you could try Lyle’s black treacle which comes in a tin like golden syrup and which is widely available - it has quite a strong taste though!
@@SuperRoo91 Hi, I tried them all, but it is not quite the same unfortunately. In Germany it's a byproduct of sugar production from sugar beets and famous in the region where I am from. I found an online shop where I get it, so thankfully it's not that big of an issue.
Thank you for this. My grandmother was from Germany she always had these cookies and I never knew the name of them. And was just thinking about them a couple days ago. Sure do miss her
I love it that when I go to your website for the recipe, I'm asked to "Accept Cookies" :D Totally agree that these are the best Christmas cookies. Completely delicious.
I just made these today. Halved the recipe; reduced the salt considerably. Took it out of the oven at exactly 9 minutes. The inside was soft and it tasted amazing. I added some cardamom powder to the icing sugar to amp up the flavor. I got 22 cookies so a little less than what Chef John got. Next time - I will make the full recipe.
As a German I was literally preparing to roll my eyes all the time and give the REAL explanation of name, origin etc. .... but he just did it all right! Good job, Chef John 👍
Thabk you for bringing back suppressed memories of my late grandmother and her buying large boxes of these cookies near Christmas time when I was a child. Nostalgia hits really hard
I grew up with my mom making a pfieffernusse every year for christmas. It was a recipe her mom gave her. Later, as an adult, I asked my mom where grandma got it from. She told me that one of the few Italian women in Bismarck ND gave it to grandma. The recipe I have produces way more cookies than this. A full batch will produce 50 dozen cookies. Yes, 50 dozen. Mainly because they are small. The recipe I have also has butter in it as well, and no flour measure. The directions that I learned from doing it with my mom is "add flour until the dough is no longer sticky". Then the dough is worked for a long time until the dough takes on a satiny appearance and has become quite stiff. This is either rolled into cylinder with 1 inch pieces cut off, or rolled out flat, and using a 1 inch diameter cutter to make rounds, which are baked, and while they are baking, a glaze is made, but without lemon juice. Milk or water with a splash of vanilla extract. When the cookies come out, my mom would put them into the glaze pretty quickly and then set them to cool. The glaze was pretty thin compared to yours, more of a faint white sheen. It did help the cookies to cool fast though, and the glaze would be hard very quickly as well. After that, the cookies were stored until Christmas. Usually when they were first baked, the flavor wasn't very strong, and they were very tough. Somehow, while sitting in storage, they would become much stronger in flavor, and tender. It was some kind of amazing food chemistry that happened while the cookies were stored. It was essential to the process.
just made these again this year because they were such a hit last year. made them gluten free too and they turn out great, you cant even tell that its a rice flour baking blend instead. thank you father john for blessing my christmases
Grew up with these, when mom brought home eggnog and Pfeffernüsse it was officially the holidays. Thank you for the recipe, now when I cannot find them I can make them.
The lemon in the glaze with the spices is brilliant. The cayenne is a bit much for elderly and others that have folds in their throats so in the future I'll make a batch for my mother with black pepper. So good.
ADVICE for those who want to make this: I made Chef John's recipe Friday, and they were reeeally good! Definitely some of the best xmas cookies I've had!... However, it should be noted that in that first stage where you're "melting" the sugar mixture, make sure you do it long enough to where it seems more liquidy (like in the video)! All I'm saying is, he says "medium about a minute" or something like that... I did medium for 2-3 minutes, took it off to cool for 15 minutes. Mind you, I've baked many recipes, but never cooked down sugar's before (melt sugar on a pan). When I went back it was hard - like seriously, firm - you could not mix the flour or other things in it. So when he says "about 1 minute or longer," I'd say at least a few minutes, but do it as long as you need until it looks different, and doesn't seem thick. I personally had to put mine back on the heat, because it was just too firm. Really frustrated me for a few minutes.
They are also Dutch cookies, my dad had a cake shop and I watched him make them lots of times and of course sampled them, like you did! have a very happy Christmas.
I wasn’t planning to make any more cookies for Xmas but was so delighted to find all the right spices in the cupboard! The dough is in the fridge until Wednesday! The cayenne is a stroke of genius, along with honey vs molasses! I’ve made these before but not this well! Thank you 🎵 chef John 🎵
These are my favorite winter cookies, and in a pinch I will buy them mass-produced from a German company (in the international section of my local supermarket). They just aren’t the same as fresh-baked. I love this recipe, and the Cayenne really puts these over the top. I had no idea how easy they were to make!!!! Thank you!! PS: I never understood belt AND suspenders either.
Well, this explains a bit why the Dutch intentionally miscall "kruidnoten" as "pepernoten" (everyone refuse to call these type of cookies 'kruidnoten', even thought that's the 'official' name). I thought these were Dutch snacks, but now I've learned Germany and Denmark have them too. The wiki has some interesting information about this, even noting there's a difference between this cookie and the Dutch one I'm referring to. I wonder how different the Danish version is. Today I learned!
Well, we have kruidnoten AND pepernoten in the Netherlands. But the kruidnoten are a lot more popular. And since these cookies stay chewy, it sounds like they are more akin to pepernoten with icing. Albert Heijn still sells pepernoten in the bakery department around Sinterklaas time, and of course bakeries do too.
@@___Laura Yep kruidnoten are crunchy and pepernoten are soft, they are smaller than pfefferneusse, and are great (pepernoten are my fave). Slightly different flavor, imo, but maybe that's the different presentation playing with my head. When I was a kid we would get pepernoten from "Sint" in our shoes. Yes, we had some seriously stereotypical dutch sinterklaas stuff going down with our fam.
This recipe has already blown my socks off and I haven't even baked the dough yet. Even without nutmeg (cuz I'm leaving it out since I can't find the whole seed. I did it for YOU Chef John...) tastes warm and cozy. And I haven't fucked up my kitchen at all!
Tried these today, they turned out great! I will say I needed more than 3 tablespoons of lemon juice for the 3 cups of powdered sugar, and that led to the icing having a very dominant flavor over the cookies themselves. Still, the spices ultimately shine through and they made for very delicious cookies.
I was at some points adding liquid (cream and lemon juice) or a little flour. But as Chef John might say, "It's just you cooking". I'm guessing humidity and so on....
I made this last night and encountered the same issue. After the 3 Tbsp of lemon juice were mixed in, I added plain water until the glaze was the right consistency. The lemon intensity was about right, I believe.
I had the same problem today. First the icing didn't really "run" evenly, so I did end up with uneven cookies (oh well, it was my first time so I wasn't expecting perfection). The lemon really is overpowering if not diluted, but since I like lemon it all worked out. This recipe will definitely be on my "every year" list.
These are not quite what I remembered growing up, but memories change over time, and I still thought these were amazing. I used hot honey and dark brown sugar, they added the kick of spice and the richness of molasses. The lemon in the icing was a little strong, but as they sat, the coating got to the crispier texture I remembered and the lemon chilled a bit. Excellent recipe. And as another poster suggested, I’ll make these earlier and let them sit.
I just realised why Europeans, especially Western Europeans created so many spicy Christmas dishes. We forget that most spices are exotic ingredients, coming from Asia and South America. Adding spices to dishes would've been an indulgent treat for a special occasion as they were expensive and not widely available.
Chef John, wish you and all your loved ones a lot of beautiful days in the coming year, happy holidays, good health, a huge success in all you do. bless.
These are SO good! A fantastic 1-2 punch. First you get a bright zing of lemon and then the rich sweet spices roll over you. These are my new favorite spice cookie. Thank you for sharing this!
Chef John I had no idea these were made this way in a pot! I love Pfeffernusse. I will make them with your icing let them dry, then sift confectioners sugar to make them look like snowballs. 🎄Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays, you are loved & appreciated 💛!
Thank you! My oldest grandson came home from school one day and wanted to make these at home like they did at school. We never did and I'm hoping to entice him home for some. His birthday is New Year's Eve. Have a lovely safe holiday!🙏🏼🎄🫚🌶️🍪🍯
Keep forgetting that every time I use your recipes I should mix in the flour slowly. Both times I've made this dough sofar 2½ was too much to get a good consistency. The first time I fixed it by adding a dash more cream, and the next time I only ended up using just over 2 cups to get to the same place. That being said they've turned out awesome! Thanks again Chef John 🤠👍
I tried them (with white pepper), and I have to agree that they are the best holiday cookie. Glad I doubled the recipe for roughly 110 cookies weighed out to 10 g each.
THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL RECIPE❣️ WE LOVE ALL OF THESE WARM SPICES & I WILL USE THE CAYENNE PEPPER BECAUSE I BELIEVE ITS A PERFECT ADDITION. CHEF JOHN, YOU ARE A GREAT INSPIRATION❣️🇨🇦
The Pfeffernüsse I used to buy from an excellent bakery in NYC (many years ago) had citron in it, so I added citron to mine. It came out perfect, just like the New York version.
Funny how different things can be, even if the origins are geographically close and the name the same. What I know as "Pepper Nuts" are spiced similarly, but are the size of hazelnuts, and are crispy all the way through (without icing or icing sugar) 😊
My family's peppernuts are entirely different. They have eggs and sugar, which according to my grandma's instructions you beat by hand for an hour. (I use a stand mixer and cut it down to maybe 10 minutes.) flour and spices (allspice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg) , glycerin, and black walnuts and a little baking powder. We roll them out and use a small circle shaped cutter, they lay out over night on a floured baking tray uncovered. In the morning we flip each cookie over, put a dab of whiskey in the center and then bake. Where the whiskey was dabbed on the cookie expands up ward and burst opens. We make them in November and store them in a tin for Christmas. They get hard and our technique for eating them is to poke a hole in the bottom and drop them into coffee or milk and then fish them out with a spoon. An aunt once told me that they were suppose to have citron in them but Grandpa didn't like that so grandma left it out. Her recipe we expect was doubled because it makes several dozens. I have no idea where the recipe came from, Grandma's grandparents came from Germany, she made Springles, Lebkuchens and other German cookies. She was from a area in the city that was known as German village.
We'd have had kitty cat paw prints in the cookies if we'd laid them out overnight like that. What? Shut the cats up in a room overnight, you say? Yes, of course - so easy to sleep with three _highly indignant_ caterwauling cats!
Made these cookies twice now... the neighbors love them!... and me too! Gonna have to make these every Christmas from now on! Wish I could post pix - they were beautiful!
Thank you, Chef!!! Made these twice over the holidays, and they turned out deliciously close to my childhood memories. I put in a lot more spice (incl. star anise), 1 TEAspoon of salt (not a TABLEspoon as in the written recjpe), maple syrup instead of honey, full fat coconut milk instead of cream. I sadly messed up the lemon icing both times, so... I'll have to make another batch soon.
Oh this unlocked some forgotten memory for me!!!! I love these cookies and idk where i got them or when but just the photo unlocked a deep deep love for them aaaahhhhhh
I’m on the fence about the cayenne, but since your recipes (that I’ve tried) are always good I decided to risk it-they are now in the fridge “chilaxing”! Thanks-Merry Christmas to all. 🎄
Thank you, for baking these cookies. It brings back sweet memories from home ec class where we learned how to bake these . Just love your teaching style, and practical advice with plenty of humor and important
It makes my day that people are taking the time to explain the belt and suspenders thing. Makes sense. I feel better. Thank you!
nice, now attempt lebkuchen! ;)
How sweet Chef John!
Yummy
I saw the quickly corrected typo in the title and got a little confused... Pepper Mousse? :)
Merry Christmas and best wishes to you and your family for the holiday season!
Santa lives in the North Pole (Canada) and has white fur on his cap and clothes (baby seal fur is white). You do the math
"I'm a little bit of a Cayenne guy."
Chef John ending the year with the biggest understatement.
I might try making these with powered Carolina Reaper. That should wake them up.
I read this comment as he said it, and I immediately got transported to another realm
Seriously. Chef John needs a shirt that says " Cayenne Man!"
@@areed2000 I'm something of a cayenne guy myself
Seriously. Whenever I watch Chef John make anything, I'm always ready to mentally edit out any stray sprinklings of cayenne.
I watch ALL of your videos, but this one really hits close to home. Pfeffernusse were my Dad's all time favorite. As kids, we couldn't understand why. Today would have been Dad's 102nd birthday, and he's been gone for nearly 40 years. There was an awful lot I didn't understand as a kid. Thanks for your recipe AND your timing. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Your sentiments and this recipe really hit home. My dad passed at age 91 in March. Having dedicated all his working life at a German restaurant, pfeffernusse & stollen became a tradition in our non- German home. What fond memories! TY Food Wishes family.
@@meb6450 Merry Christmas!
My dad would have been 102 on December 4th. He passed at 90. Miss him every day.
Pretty cool!
It was my father's favorite too!
Pro tip: @ 2:26 - no need to lose your whisk for this recipe to work. Feel free to wash it and put it in a drawer.
Thank you! I already lost 2 :(
When I was training in baker class, our German baking instructor had us make these in October so they could age. We also covered them in powdered sugar. You first had to toss them in melted butter so that the sugar would create a "crust" . They would be too time consuming to dip each one. The pepper used was black pepper. My instructor was from Bonn.
Pfeffer kuchen here in SA, a German heritage Christmas cookie
Using powdered sugar is also quite popular, but I do prefer this method right here. Greetings from Bonn :)
I like that idea! How were they stored to "age" appropriately? thanks in advance :)
@@jenniferkiehl6186 we kept them save ina round biscuit tin lined with wax paper. You can put sellotape around the joining if you want
@@justnoted2995 thank you!
I was able to hit the German markets this year and then came home to make your recipe 5 times in a row. It's terrific!!! I tried a few (year round) variations your followers might like as well. Variation 1: Molasses instead of honey - as you mentioned, it makes them more like Gingerbread but it also makes them a bit more moist and chewy // Variation 2: I tossed 1/4 cup dried tiny blueberries overnight in a 5-6 tablespoons of lemon juice, then added to to the dough but omitted the spices. I used 3 tbsp of the lemon/blueberry juice in the powdered sugar glaze - they were FANTASTIC! // Variation 3: Same as blueberries, but I soaked 1/4 cup dried (sour) cherries overnight with enough bourbon to cover them, then drained/chopped them finely and added to dough, and used the 3 tbsp of the cherry/bourbon juice in the powdered sugar glaze. Amazing, but definitely get much better after sitting several days because the alcohol evaporates and you're left with a delicious bourbon flavor.
My Russian-German grandma’s version of these have honey, lard, star anise, and cloves. Very old school. They are glazed with a thin powdered sugar icing and rolled in more powdered sugar. They must ripen for a month or longer before eating to let the flavors meld.
I really like that term. "Ripen."
Those cookies sound really lovely! You must have some sweet memories about your grandma and the cookies.
Ripen after baking or in the fridge before baking??
@@bustedkeaton In her recipe (handed down from from my immigrant great-grandmother) the dough is left overnight at room temp, whatever that was in the 1800s in what is now Ukraine and Moldova (former Imperial Russian Empire), and later in the Dakotas in the US (1900s to the present). She was specific about not refrigerating the dough, and yes, she had a fridge. After baking, glazing, and rolling in p-sugar, the cookies are packed away to ripen and develop flavor, again at room temp. My mom stored hers in the basement. Mine are in the pantry. Made them the day after Thanksgiving. By Valentine’s Day they should be amazing…but they won’t last long. :)
@@theonetruesarauniya Every family has a version of these, and nothing comes close to eliciting the grandma memories like these cookies. My ancestors were beekeepers, so honey was important and abundant. I try to find interesting honey when I make them. The spices are either what they liked or what they had access to. Never got a straight answer from anyone on that on that. But I stay true to just the two spices and don’t go all gingerbread on them.
My old family recipe. German.
Heat together until blended:
2/3 cup molasses ( I use unsuphured, closest to 1800's taste)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup lard (I use butter) (and I use usually 1/3, sometimes 1/2 depends on how the sugar molasses mixture looks.)
Cool the mixture for 45 minutes. Add 1 beaten egg ( I use a pasteurized egg. The dough has to ferment.)
Combine the following spices and stir into the molasses mixture:
Lebkuchengewürz mix
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground anise or ground star anise
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine in separate bowl
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Then sift. (I don't sift. Just whisk in the bowl.)
Mix the wet dough with the dry ingredients. Cover dough and let stand overnight at room temperature.
Roll into 1-inch balls. Bake on parchment paper at 350 degrees F for approximately 12-15 minutes. When cool, sugar or dip in chocolate. Store in tightly covered tins in a cool dry place for several weeks to cure.
So the original recipe was sugared. Then changed to glazed. Then around the late 1800's early 1900's some dipped in melted chocolate.
I dip in melted chocolate.
Wow, after you were done, I realized that my mother used to make these. They were always the first cookies gone. She had to hide some for company. However, some snoopy little kid found them and like a fool, ate them one by one before Christmas. My mother was very unhappy with me, I mean the snoopy little kid.
That's a cute story! My mom used to similarly 'hide' the Christmas bottle of Bailys Irish Cream {intended for after the Christmas meal} with the same ineffectiveness 😉!
I'm broke and don't know what to get my friends - and now I found it.
Thank you, chef John!
Pfeffernusse was my mother’s favorite Christmas cookie. She has been gone for 33 years and this brings back such warm memories of her and her great love of Christmas traditions. She was second-generation German, so there are numerous family traditions that reflect our German ancestors. By the way I subscribed to your channel, but all,the sudden I wasn’t subscribed.
Same happened to me, the part of subscribing and then somehow being unsubscribed. Glad I saw your comment so I could sub again. So glad you are holding fast to your German Christmas traditions. When my boys were growing up, I carried on with my old world traditions. But over the last twenty years those traditions are leaving slowly but surely. Anyhow Merry Christmas!
@@cynthiakeller5954 Merry Christmas to you, too.
I made these today for Christmas. My son tried one and said, this is the best cookie he's ever had. He loves the blend of spices and it not being overly sweet. This recipe will now be a regular in our house. Thank you so much ❤ have a happy holiday season everyone 😊
Yes
Wonderful I will try it!!
such a loving mother
These cookies are perfect for preparing in advance! You can make them *months* before Christmas and store them in the pantry (away from light, not too hot, in a tin so they don't dry out) and the spices kinda ripen with time. Have fun experimenting! ♥
This is our family favourite for Christmas too, and the batches are only getting bigger… Dangerous little things!
Hey Chef John. Can't wait to try these cookies. I am a professional Santa and wear suspenders to hold up my pants. And a belt to hold my coat cinched to my waist. So as you can see Santa does wear both. Merry Christmas
Ho ho ho! 🎅
Makes sense!
Merry Christmas Santa!
Thank you for your service
@@Amanda-kw1vi Merry Christmas to you and yours!
OMG Chef John. I have no idea how I missed this episode. I absolutely love Pfeffernuesse. The place I'd always get them is long gone and the German woman who owned the bakery passed many years ago. This is going to be an epic holiday. Thank you so much.
Semper Fi
Please let us know how your PN turn out.
My mom made peppernuts every Christmas. They were a lot of the family’s favorite cookie. We lost the recipe when she died. This isn’t exactly the same, but I think it’s close. Thank you so much.
*you have a nearly close enough proximity from which to experiment with using small batches...i'm sure you'll eventually find your mums variant and when you do you'll know she will be smiling*
THESE ARE AMAZING. Thanks for the recipe, never heard of them or had them before but I was having a weird pregnancy craving for a spiced cookie! It took me less than 10 min to whip up and 9 min in the oven! Couldn’t wait the 1-2 days to refrigerate or 1-2 hours to cook down for icing. Still came out 10/10. Also, didn’t have nutmeg or allspice, it still tasted great!
The reason they are called "Pfeffernüsse" is that long time ago, Germans used the word "Pfeffer" to describe any exotic spice. So, at this time "Pfeffernüsse" just meant "exoticly flavored nuts". It's the same with Pfefferkuchen.
In English someone would maybe say „uh… spicy take“ when some said something harsh, controversal or sharp and on-point.
Chef John: I'm spilling a HUGE baking secret of mine, but DON'T SKIP THE BLACK PEPPER! Just the tiniest pinch of freshly ground black pepper really warms up those classic spices, and just elevates the flavor to a whole new level.
I've been doing this in my pumpkin pie for years, try it, the difference will amaze you.
How much black pepper do you add to your pumpkin pie?
@@toddbonin6926 Just a pinch, like less than ⅛ teaspoon. You can't taste it, it just really wakes up the flavors of the other spices!
@@WobblesandBean thank you. I’m going to try it.
I had no idea how easy it was to make them. I live in Turkey where there are spice shops everywhere - fresh! I'm starting these tonight. BTW, I made your berbere spice recipe and it is phenomenal! I keep it in a 2 qt glass jar in the fridge to preserve the natural oils in the spices. My city is famous for its sweet or hot red pepper flakes, paprika and paste. Now I put berbere in everything. Maybe these cookies? LOL!
This recipe made my heart sing. It's the best. Lost my mothers recipe, she's gone. But this was the closest I have ever tried. I did remember she used white pepper so I used it. Thank you for this. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.
Worked at a national chain cookie company, and we put out Pfeffernusse and wedding cake cookies by the tons every year. Years ago I can remember standing in powdered sugar up over the tops of my shoes for two months of the year.
Chef John has so much old world blood he must be no.1 on Dracula’s hit list I can taste that icing through the screen
You crack me up John. Lol. The Santa belt is on the coat not the pants. Suspenders are allowed this one time. I totally agree with you🤣. Thank you for all of the great recipes you video…you make baking less intimidating. Hope you have a wonderful Holiday
When I was a little boy these spice bombs were always on the dessert tray. You know those fancy-shmancy three tiered poinsettia trays for the Holidays. They looked so delicious but I could only eat the icing because the spices burnt a hole in my tongue. It was either my Baba or one of my Aunties that baked them. I think it was Baba because they never came around after she stopped working in the kitchen.
Chef, you are an inspiration, I have all of the ingredients so I must give this a try. Who knows it may bring back some very fond memories. (fingers crossed0
These are by far the greatest cookies I have ever eaten. And I'm not just talking about pfeffernusse in general. I mean these specific ones that I just made because of this tutorial recipe. Never had anything this good before. My second batch of dough (double batch this time) is in the fridge as we speak. Thanks, Chef John.
Don't know where you live of course, but grocery stores in the US generally don't sell decent cookies. Sometimes you get lucky in the international section, but if you have an Aldi nearby, I recommend checking them out. They are selling pfeffernüsse right now AFAIK.
Definitely one of the better winter cookies out there. We've done a lot of decorating for presentation with them, and found that a (or two) cranberry/Craisin, worked into a ball makes a nice holly berry and the flavor goes well too. Thank You, cause its not Christmas until Ive made a batch of Pfeffernusse, had some eggnog, and seen Hanz Gruber fall from Nakatomi Tower.
Die Hard - just saw Hanz fall off the tower last night….epic!
I guess they've settled the question of whether or not it's a Christmas movie! :-)
I add vanilla bean goo to my icing. It enhances everything subtly and still gives it a speckled appearance in case you want them to look less plain.
My aunt and uncle run a camping site here in Norway where i used to help out. They always got tons of these, and other snacks, gifted from tourists. I loved spending the christmas there with my cousin and eat all these delicious snacks and experience the world that way when i was a kid.
Might try making these with my daughters and give them some of my experiences growing up. Much love Chef John. And merry christmas to you and all your viewers.
I tried them for the first time last Christmas season. Family members came back from a trip to Germany and brought back a bag of store bought Pferffernusse. I was floored. The best cookies ever.
Speaking as a German, who has indeed loved these pepery and nutty Christmas treats as long as he can think:
The icing HAS to be solid. Maybe it's a regional thing, but I've never even *seen* peper nuts with powdered sugar. The sweet crust just works perfectly with the spicy inside.
Also too, it makes them last longer. Local legends (by which I mean: my Granny) tell of nuts baked on Christmas Eve, which make a perfect, secret snack on New Year's Eve. Wink wink, nudge nudge.
Yes! What kind of psychopath would put just dusted sugar on top?
I've seen them with powdered sugar before in Germany. Maybe it depends on the region?
@@bluewren65
Yeah, i've heard Hitler dusted the top of his pepper nuts with sugar. What a sicko!
@@stauffap I knew it was WRONG! 🤣
I was afraid I was too late thanks for the new years tip. Time to get baking!
4:57 In Denmark our peppernuts (pebernød) are crunchy and about ½-⅓ the size of these. So I can absolutely recommend trying to bake some like that, and also perhaps giving them a chocolate coating
This dude’s voice is an inflection rollercoaster.
Man...lol.
My mother would buy these at her special bakery when I was a child in the 1950's...They had such an interesting taste, I had no idea what they were made from but I loved them! I avoided trying to make such a cookie in fear of failure. Had I known just how easy it is, I would have added them to my "Special Christmas Cookie repertoire" years ago... Thanks to you, I will be making them this week and for the years to come!
I will have to say, this year for Christmas I made these, your almond biscotti, torrone, and florentines and for the first time ever all of my cookies came out PERFECTLY. thank you so much!
“Do you want irregular pepper nuts? I didn’t think so” - Chef John … I am absolutely using this line every time I share this recipe 😂 Amazing content as always 👍❤️
We have something similar in the Netherlands called pepernoten/kruidnoten (there's some confusion/discussion about the name). Except we eat them without the icing and we eat them during the Sinterklaas holiday (december 5th)
Similar name but different thing. Kruidnoten are much smaller and generally firmer and less chewy. Source: Am German and massive kruidnoten enthusiast. ;)
ik hou van pepernoten!
Pepernoten have nothing to do with Pfeffernüsse, except the similar name and that they are eaten during winter/holiday season
@@arnonuehm1 kruidnoten are the small hard ones, pepernoten are the same as in this video but without the icing
@@RuteNL What Dutch bakers call pepernoten is actually a different cooky made with rye and anise
The cavity in the center naturally lends itself to creating an eclair pfeffernusse. You could pipe from the top/side and then ice over the hole with a chocolate version of the same icing
Cream filled? You madman
Made this for the first time ever. ( I’ve made lots of cookies over the last 40 years). Delicious! This will be on my Christmas cookie list from now on.
Great recipe! I live in Germany now, and I’ve probably eaten about 200 of these at the various Christmas Markets we’ve visited over the past few weeks. They’re delicious, and I can’t wait to try this at home!
What fun "enjoy" ! I envy you, would love to visit a German Christmas market someday. I live in USA but more than half of my ancestry is German {I'm 2nd Generation}. I hear the Swiss also know how to do Christmas really well.
@@Earthy-Artist Europe is full of wonderful Christmas markets. France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, (and so many more countries) they all have great events and markets around the holidays. The world is only as big, or as small, as you make it! I hope you get to visit Deutschland soon. Happy New Year aus Deutschland!
@@byronn.585 Thank You! Europe sounds wonderful! A Happy New Year to you from USA!
Made these ever Christmas. We added candied fruit, and half in power sugar and half plain. A recipe from my great grandmother who was from Germany.
What kinds of fruit do you add? That sounds wonderful.
@@IridescenceYT Candied orange peel and lemon peel and cherries. We always bought a small container of it, was called candied fruit in the baking isle at christmas.
My grandmother said Christmas Calories don't count if you close your eyes & didn't see yourself eat the cookie.
I grew up with black strap molasses in them. But gran said if you are going to use the molasses make sure you use light brown sugar & not the dark
Your grandmother wise words have given me hope for the holidays. Thank you 😌
My mother always heads straight for the broken cookies because the calories fall out, but not if you break them yourself.
Wife and I made these last night for Christmas Eve. Chef John, these are THE flavor of Christmas. You have taught us so many delicious dinners and desserts. Your instructions are precise, clear and easy to understand. Most recipes on UA-cam are more about "look at me!" rather than showing us how to cook. As I've said before: You're our hero, Chef John. We've never eaten so well, thanks to you.
Made these for Christmas and they were a total hit!! Some of the best baking I’ve done :)
Love this ❤️ My grandmother would make 1,000 of these to give as gifts every Christmas. I've never tried them with icing--looks so good
Chef john I'm also chef John and I absolutely love your channel this current recipe is delightful and I will make them for my northern german family as we love our traditional german cuisine and I love your take on all foods makes me happy to see a fellow chef enjoying the art of culinary arts happy holidays to you and yours and as always Enjoy!!
Omg - these are my faves. My mom usually sends them from Germany but because of Covid she hasn’t sent any 🥲. Now I can make them myself.
Send some to your mom, she will be so amazed, surprised and greatfull !!
@@carloszenteno Good idea, it will probably blow her mind!
Chef, you made me laugh out loud with the newspaper comment. My wife and I cancelled our daily delivery several years ago. When we realized we were paying $hundreds per year, and all we (and by "we" I mean "me") were getting was a daily crossword and Sudoku puzzle. On the bright side - we do indeed remain stocked with parchment paper! And waxed paper, and aluminum foil, and Saran wrap!
(Side note: I'm still addicted to crossword puzzles, as is my wife. I had to run a daily copy on our multi-function device so that she could have her own to solve. Now I find them online, and she buys big books of them. She never got into Sudoku.)
The cookie recipe looks delicious, by the way, and thank you!
My father used to LOVE these. I've tried to find a recipe for a while and when I saw your video, I was truly a little too excited! Love your content!
I have bought them only 4 times here in South Africa. They are imported at Christmas time from Germany and are dreadfully expensive. They are without a doubt the most increadable tasting kookies ever. Just watching this video, I can actually taste and feel that slightly chewy bliss.
Definitely going to finally try these this year.
Regards from South Africa
Thank you so much for introducing this to everyone here. I am from Germany myself and I agree...best Christmas cookie ever. But I prefer them with molasses, which is called Zuckerrübensaft and very specific to German cuisine. I have not found anything similar anywhere else yet. I order it several times a year, because I can't even get it in Ireland, where I live now.
I love your recipes, they are always amazing and very yummy.
Keep safe and have a lovely and peaceful Christmas time. I look forward to new recipes in the next year. 🍀
Goldsirup!
@@simonatheod6867 nah. Golden Syrup is extracted from sugar cane, Zuckerrübensaft is extracted from sugar beets. Wikipedia is wrong to treat them as equivalent.
Hi Sandra I’ve purchased molasses in health food shops, gourmet food shops or larger supermarkets in Ireland. Failing that? you could try Lyle’s black treacle which comes in a tin like golden syrup and which is widely available - it has quite a strong taste though!
@@SuperRoo91 Hi, I tried them all, but it is not quite the same unfortunately. In Germany it's a byproduct of sugar production from sugar beets and famous in the region where I am from. I found an online shop where I get it, so thankfully it's not that big of an issue.
@@Polyfron bist du Deutscher? Ich meinte Goldsaft und ja der ist aus Zuckerrüben.
Thank you for this. My grandmother was from Germany she always had these cookies and I never knew the name of them. And was just thinking about them a couple days ago. Sure do miss her
I love it that when I go to your website for the recipe, I'm asked to "Accept Cookies" :D
Totally agree that these are the best Christmas cookies. Completely delicious.
Nearly spit out my drink :) lol "accept cookies" hilarious!
Shared this recipe with my mom and she instantly said my grandmother used to…. Thanks chef
I'm a Nürnberger Lebkuchen fanatic myself. 4 batches with dark chocolate coating, sooooo gooooood
'Balsen' checking in.
Recipe?
I just made these today. Halved the recipe; reduced the salt considerably. Took it out of the oven at exactly 9 minutes. The inside was soft and it tasted amazing. I added some cardamom powder to the icing sugar to amp up the flavor. I got 22 cookies so a little less than what Chef John got. Next time - I will make the full recipe.
As a German I was literally preparing to roll my eyes all the time and give the REAL explanation of name, origin etc. .... but he just did it all right!
Good job, Chef John 👍
Thabk you for bringing back suppressed memories of my late grandmother and her buying large boxes of these cookies near Christmas time when I was a child. Nostalgia hits really hard
I grew up with my mom making a pfieffernusse every year for christmas. It was a recipe her mom gave her. Later, as an adult, I asked my mom where grandma got it from. She told me that one of the few Italian women in Bismarck ND gave it to grandma.
The recipe I have produces way more cookies than this. A full batch will produce 50 dozen cookies. Yes, 50 dozen. Mainly because they are small. The recipe I have also has butter in it as well, and no flour measure. The directions that I learned from doing it with my mom is "add flour until the dough is no longer sticky". Then the dough is worked for a long time until the dough takes on a satiny appearance and has become quite stiff. This is either rolled into cylinder with 1 inch pieces cut off, or rolled out flat, and using a 1 inch diameter cutter to make rounds, which are baked, and while they are baking, a glaze is made, but without lemon juice. Milk or water with a splash of vanilla extract. When the cookies come out, my mom would put them into the glaze pretty quickly and then set them to cool. The glaze was pretty thin compared to yours, more of a faint white sheen. It did help the cookies to cool fast though, and the glaze would be hard very quickly as well. After that, the cookies were stored until Christmas. Usually when they were first baked, the flavor wasn't very strong, and they were very tough. Somehow, while sitting in storage, they would become much stronger in flavor, and tender. It was some kind of amazing food chemistry that happened while the cookies were stored. It was essential to the process.
just made these again this year because they were such a hit last year. made them gluten free too and they turn out great, you cant even tell that its a rice flour baking blend instead.
thank you father john for blessing my christmases
My sister-in-law gave me her recipe for these. Wonderful cookies. Addictive!
Grew up with these, when mom brought home eggnog and Pfeffernüsse it was officially the holidays. Thank you for the recipe, now when I cannot find them I can make them.
I've never liked these, but my mother loves them. They'll make a nice gift for her! Thanks Chef!
The lemon in the glaze with the spices is brilliant. The cayenne is a bit much for elderly and others that have folds in their throats so in the future I'll make a batch for my mother with black pepper. So good.
ADVICE for those who want to make this: I made Chef John's recipe Friday, and they were reeeally good! Definitely some of the best xmas cookies I've had!...
However, it should be noted that in that first stage where you're "melting" the sugar mixture, make sure you do it long enough to where it seems more liquidy (like in the video)! All I'm saying is, he says "medium about a minute" or something like that... I did medium for 2-3 minutes, took it off to cool for 15 minutes. Mind you, I've baked many recipes, but never cooked down sugar's before (melt sugar on a pan). When I went back it was hard - like seriously, firm - you could not mix the flour or other things in it. So when he says "about 1 minute or longer," I'd say at least a few minutes, but do it as long as you need until it looks different, and doesn't seem thick. I personally had to put mine back on the heat, because it was just too firm. Really frustrated me for a few minutes.
did you forget the water?
They are also Dutch cookies, my dad had a cake shop and I watched him make them lots of times and of course sampled them, like you did! have a very happy Christmas.
I wasn’t planning to make any more cookies for Xmas but was so delighted to find all the right spices in the cupboard! The dough is in the fridge until Wednesday! The cayenne is a stroke of genius, along with honey vs molasses! I’ve made these before but not this well! Thank you 🎵 chef John 🎵
These are my favorite winter cookies, and in a pinch I will buy them mass-produced from a German company (in the international section of my local supermarket). They just aren’t the same as fresh-baked. I love this recipe, and the Cayenne really puts these over the top. I had no idea how easy they were to make!!!! Thank you!! PS: I never understood belt AND suspenders either.
Well, this explains a bit why the Dutch intentionally miscall "kruidnoten" as "pepernoten" (everyone refuse to call these type of cookies 'kruidnoten', even thought that's the 'official' name). I thought these were Dutch snacks, but now I've learned Germany and Denmark have them too.
The wiki has some interesting information about this, even noting there's a difference between this cookie and the Dutch one I'm referring to. I wonder how different the Danish version is. Today I learned!
Well, we have kruidnoten AND pepernoten in the Netherlands. But the kruidnoten are a lot more popular. And since these cookies stay chewy, it sounds like they are more akin to pepernoten with icing.
Albert Heijn still sells pepernoten in the bakery department around Sinterklaas time, and of course bakeries do too.
@@___Laura Yep kruidnoten are crunchy and pepernoten are soft, they are smaller than pfefferneusse, and are great (pepernoten are my fave). Slightly different flavor, imo, but maybe that's the different presentation playing with my head. When I was a kid we would get pepernoten from "Sint" in our shoes. Yes, we had some seriously stereotypical dutch sinterklaas stuff going down with our fam.
This recipe has already blown my socks off and I haven't even baked the dough yet. Even without nutmeg (cuz I'm leaving it out since I can't find the whole seed. I did it for YOU Chef John...) tastes warm and cozy. And I haven't fucked up my kitchen at all!
Pfeffernüsse sind ein köstlicher Weihnachtsgenuss. Danke, Chefkoch John.
Heil!
OH MY GOSH. I HAVENT SEEN THESE VIDEOS IN YEARS. I COULDVE SWORN I WAS SUBSCRIBED!!!!! THE NOSTALGIA IS STRONGGGGGG
Tried these today, they turned out great! I will say I needed more than 3 tablespoons of lemon juice for the 3 cups of powdered sugar, and that led to the icing having a very dominant flavor over the cookies themselves. Still, the spices ultimately shine through and they made for very delicious cookies.
I was at some points adding liquid (cream and lemon juice) or a little flour. But as Chef John might say, "It's just you cooking". I'm guessing humidity and so on....
I made this last night and encountered the same issue. After the 3 Tbsp of lemon juice were mixed in, I added plain water until the glaze was the right consistency. The lemon intensity was about right, I believe.
I had the same problem today. First the icing didn't really "run" evenly, so I did end up with uneven cookies (oh well, it was my first time so I wasn't expecting perfection). The lemon really is overpowering if not diluted, but since I like lemon it all worked out. This recipe will definitely be on my "every year" list.
@@JennyChu2 I think I'll do that next year.
These are not quite what I remembered growing up, but memories change over time, and I still thought these were amazing. I used hot honey and dark brown sugar, they added the kick of spice and the richness of molasses. The lemon in the icing was a little strong, but as they sat, the coating got to the crispier texture I remembered and the lemon chilled a bit. Excellent recipe. And as another poster suggested, I’ll make these earlier and let them sit.
I just realised why Europeans, especially Western Europeans created so many spicy Christmas dishes. We forget that most spices are exotic ingredients, coming from Asia and South America. Adding spices to dishes would've been an indulgent treat for a special occasion as they were expensive and not widely available.
Thank you Chef John! I grew up enjoying these in Germany, and seeing this come up made me realize how much I miss them! Time to whip up a batch!
Thnx for sharing this, best regards from Germany 🇩🇪 Michelle 🙋🏻♀️🌺
Mich R. Thank you! Merry Christmas!
Chef John, wish you and all your loved ones a lot of beautiful days in the coming year, happy holidays, good health, a huge success in all you do. bless.
Man this makes me have my own Food Wish: Lebkuchen!! They're my favorite German cookie ever and I'd love to see your take on them
These are SO good! A fantastic 1-2 punch. First you get a bright zing of lemon and then the rich sweet spices roll over you. These are my new favorite spice cookie.
Thank you for sharing this!
Chef John I had no idea these were made this way in a pot! I love Pfeffernusse. I will make them with your icing let them dry, then sift confectioners sugar to make them look like snowballs. 🎄Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays, you are loved & appreciated 💛!
Thank you! My oldest grandson came home from school one day and wanted to make these at home like they did at school. We never did and I'm hoping to entice him home for some. His birthday is New Year's Eve. Have a lovely safe holiday!🙏🏼🎄🫚🌶️🍪🍯
Keep forgetting that every time I use your recipes I should mix in the flour slowly. Both times I've made this dough sofar 2½ was too much to get a good consistency. The first time I fixed it by adding a dash more cream, and the next time I only ended up using just over 2 cups to get to the same place. That being said they've turned out awesome! Thanks again Chef John 🤠👍
Had the same problem. Closer to two cups should be fine. Must make a note to myself!
I tried them (with white pepper), and I have to agree that they are the best holiday cookie. Glad I doubled the recipe for roughly 110 cookies weighed out to 10 g each.
THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL RECIPE❣️ WE LOVE ALL OF THESE WARM SPICES & I WILL USE THE CAYENNE PEPPER BECAUSE I BELIEVE ITS A PERFECT ADDITION. CHEF JOHN, YOU ARE A GREAT INSPIRATION❣️🇨🇦
True
The Pfeffernüsse I used to buy from an excellent bakery in NYC (many years ago) had citron in it, so I added citron to mine. It came out perfect, just like the New York version.
Funny how different things can be, even if the origins are geographically close and the name the same.
What I know as "Pepper Nuts" are spiced similarly, but are the size of hazelnuts, and are crispy all the way through (without icing or icing sugar) 😊
I almost forgot about these cookies...total nostalgia overload. 💗
Thank you for reminding me of these! 🥰 I’d forgotten entirely how much we loved these as kids, the pop of lemon 🍋 makes this perfect ❤️🩹🎄
December 23rd is National Pfeffernüsse Day!! These look so easy and scrumptious! Thank you Chef John!!
My family's peppernuts are entirely different. They have eggs and sugar, which according to my grandma's instructions you beat by hand for an hour. (I use a stand mixer and cut it down to maybe 10 minutes.) flour and spices (allspice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg) , glycerin, and black walnuts and a little baking powder. We roll them out and use a small circle shaped cutter, they lay out over night on a floured baking tray uncovered. In the morning we flip each cookie over, put a dab of whiskey in the center and then bake. Where the whiskey was dabbed on the cookie expands up ward and burst opens. We make them in November and store them in a tin for Christmas. They get hard and our technique for eating them is to poke a hole in the bottom and drop them into coffee or milk and then fish them out with a spoon. An aunt once told me that they were suppose to have citron in them but Grandpa didn't like that so grandma left it out. Her recipe we expect was doubled because it makes several dozens. I have no idea where the recipe came from, Grandma's grandparents came from Germany, she made Springles, Lebkuchens and other German cookies. She was from a area in the city that was known as German village.
We'd have had kitty cat paw prints in the cookies if we'd laid them out overnight like that. What? Shut the cats up in a room overnight, you say? Yes, of course - so easy to sleep with three _highly indignant_ caterwauling cats!
I love these cookies and haven't had them in years. I'm grateful to have the recipe. Thank you.
Well dang I feel the need to try these this year. My mother's favorite
Made these cookies twice now... the neighbors love them!... and me too! Gonna have to make these every Christmas from now on! Wish I could post pix - they were beautiful!
Thank you, Chef!!! Made these twice over the holidays, and they turned out deliciously close to my childhood memories. I put in a lot more spice (incl. star anise), 1 TEAspoon of salt (not a TABLEspoon as in the written recjpe), maple syrup instead of honey, full fat coconut milk instead of cream. I sadly messed up the lemon icing both times, so... I'll have to make another batch soon.
Oh this unlocked some forgotten memory for me!!!! I love these cookies and idk where i got them or when but just the photo unlocked a deep deep love for them aaaahhhhhh
I’m on the fence about the cayenne, but since your recipes (that I’ve tried) are always good I decided to risk it-they are now in the fridge “chilaxing”! Thanks-Merry Christmas to all. 🎄
man what a throwback i started baking cuz of u in high school and now im 30 and still watching. love u chef john!
My favorite Christmas cookie!! So excited to try to make these.
I make these every year for Christmas, along with Stollen, for my German husband. These are my favorite cookie ever. :)
Thanks for this Chef John! These little bites look like a perfect delicious project for tomorrow . Have a wonderful Christmas chef :)
Thank you, for baking these cookies. It brings back sweet memories from home ec class where we learned how to bake these . Just love your teaching style, and practical advice with plenty of humor and important