Peppernuts or Pfeffernusse Cookies

I hadn’t heard of Peppernuts until recently but once I’d started reading up about them I had to make a friendly version – clearly everyone needs jars of munchy little spiced biscuits to munch on during the festive season. Yes they may look like dog treats because they’re tiny little brown biscuits but they’re super moreish and you’ll find yourself going back time and again for another little handful. A bowl of these alongside your other nibbles will be the perfect addition to any drinks party.

Peppernuts originate from Germany (Pfeffernusse Cookies) and are a popular festive snack in the Mennonite Communities in the US.  They’re called peppernuts not because they contain nuts but because the cookies are about the size of a nut and work well when eaten by the handful, similar to nuts, and they recipe includes a pinch of black pepper to up the spice! There are many varieties of peppernuts from Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark and I’m not sure mine is exactly like any of them – all I can say is mine have the essence of a peppernut and since it’s hard to stop eating handfuls of them there must be something right about the recipe!

Another bonus is that they keep really well so if you make a big batch and buy some pretty jars they’ll make a lovely addition to a homemade hamper or as a gift for a teacher, colleague or friend. I thinking Father Christmas might like a little bowl of these as a change this year!

The technique is pretty simple – you make a dough, rest it well and then portion it off. Those portions are rolled into sausage shapes about 1cm thick, then cut into 1cm pieces, so even when they puff up in the oven you get little bite sized morsels. This is the perfect recipe to make with very young children as you can treat the dough like play dough and as there are no eggs in it, it’s fine to snaffle the odd bit too!

lucylox

Peppernuts or Pfeffernusse Cookies

dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

resting time 1 hour hr

Course: cookie

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 125 g self-raising flour
• 70 g dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp dairy-free milk
• 50 g dairy-free margarine
• 1 tsp golden syrup
• 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of black pepper

Method

 

1. Place all the ingredients into a large bowl, stir together to make a soft dough and knead briefly to make it nice and smooth
2. Wrap in cling film or place in a covered bowl and rest in the fridge for at least an hour
3. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees fan (180 non-fan) and line two baking sheets with parchment
4. Cut the dough into four. From each quarter, cut the dough into about six pieces – roll each out into a sausage shape that is about 1cm wide. Cut into approx.. 1cm pieces and place spaced out on the baking sheets. (You may need to do two batches in the oven)
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and risen. Once cool place in an airtight container