These are a combination of two different recipes I found with some substitutions because that star anise stuff is nasty and the name is nasty sounding too because it sounds like anus and I am just not putting that in my food, so there. A certain very intimidating girl that I know introduced me to these and she said use ginger instead. I like ginger so I went with that. It worked great. Thank you mean girl named Ellen.
So, here is my rendition that I will now make every holiday season until I croak because they just taste like little bites of Chrismas joy....even when you arent feeling particularly joyous.
Pfeffernusse (Pepper Nuts)
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp dried orange peel (alt. candied orange peel)
2 tsp lemon or lime zest
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown or raw sugar
1/4 cup local honey
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
3 tbsp vanilla extract or brandy (or a combination)
1 cup powdered sugar for dusting
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In medium bowl mix flour, salt and pepper, spices, zest and baking soda. Set aside.
In large mixer beat together butter, sugar and honey until fluffy...about 4 minutes.
Beat in the egg and yolk. Reduce mixing speed to low and add flour mixture and then vanilla.
Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for several hours.
(at this point decide if you would like cookie sized ones or little tiny bite sized ones. i did bite size.)
Roll handfuls of dough into long snakes about 1/2 inch diameter and then cut into little 1/2 inch pieces. You can put them pretty close together on the cookie sheet because they only rise very slightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes if you want them kinda chewy. Maybe 15 if you want them hard and crunchy.
Cool on wire rack and then roll them in powdered sugar.
This is the size and look of the dough.
In the oven
The final product...ugly but delicious. Need a bit more powdered sugar than in this pic, as well. Food photography is obviously not my forte.
Here is a person with way more photog skills than me who made hers into big cookies...same idea but cuter.
