German Christmas Cookies (Pfeffernusse)

Here is a delicious recipe for Pfeffernusse. It’s great to know that this is also a great option for a Christmas cookie without nuts, so dive in!

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: German

Keyword: german christmas cookies, german Pfeffernusse

Prep Time: 18

Cook Time: 12

Total Time: 30

Servings: cookies

Calories: 96kcal

Author: S. Claus

Preheat the oven to 350 °F
Melt together the butter, honey, and molasses in a small pot over medium heat. The mixture should not bubble; just melt together and then remove it from the heat.
¼ cup stick butter, 3 TBS honey, ¼ cup molasses
Once the mixture has cooled, beat in the egg. Stir and set aside.
1 egg
Mix up all the remaining ingredients, other than the icing sugar, in a large mixing bowl, with a wooden spoon.
2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp star anise, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cardamon, ½ tsp allspice, ½ tsp cloves, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp black pepper, ground, ½ tsp powdered ginger
Add the cooled butter mixture to the flour mixture. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until everything comes together.
Form the mixture into a ball and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper. After the dough has chilled, roll the cookies out into balls (about 1 inch/2.5 cm).
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes and, after the cookies cool, roll them in the icing sugar.
¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
These cookies will last up to a week in an airtight container.