Pfeffernüsse Explained

Pfeffernüsse are small spice cookies, popular as a holiday treat with Germans and ethnic Mennonites in North America.^{[1] [2]} Similar cookies are made in Denmark, and The Netherlands, as well. They are called (plural, singular is) in German, pepernoten (sing.

pepernoot) in Dutch, päpanät in Plautdietsch, pfeffernusse or peppernuts in English, and pebernødder in Danish.

History

Johann Fleischmann, a confectioner from Offenbach am Main, created the recipe in 1753.^{[3] [4]} Goethe praised the pastries.^[5] Felix Mendelssohn went to Offenbach am Main especially to buy them.^{[6] [7]} The state of Hesse has served it at state receptions.^{[8] [9]}

In 1820, the Brothers Grimm warned their sister Charlotte (de) against excessive consumption: "Don't eat too much of the pepper nuts, they are said to cause a lot of heat!" At that time, nutmeg was considered an aphrodisiac, and cardamom as invigorating as caffeine.^{[8] [10] [11]}

In Germany, German: Pfeffernüsse are associated with Christmas. The cookie has been part of yuletide celebrations since the 1850s.^[12]

The name literally means 'peppernuts', and does not mean it contains nuts. The cookies are roughly the size of nuts and can be eaten by the handful, which may account for the name.^{[13] [14]} They are named for the pinch of pepper added to the dough before baking.^[15]

Ingredients

Though German: Pfeffernüsse cookie recipes differ, all contain aromatic spices – most commonly cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, black pepper, mace, and anise.^[16] Molasses, sugar, and honey are used to sweeten the cookies. Some variations are dusted with powdered sugar, though that is not a traditional ingredient.^[17] The dough is butter, shortening, or margarine, eggs, and flour.^[18]

Leavening agents such as baking powder, baking soda, potassium carbonate, or ammonium carbonate get the sticky and dense consistency of the original mixture. It is then kneaded either by hand or through the use of an electric mixer.^[19]

German varieties

• In northern Germany, German: Pfeffernüsse are a hemispherical pastry up to two centimetres in diameter and of firm consistency.
• The northern

Moppen variant are larger^[20] and softer, based on a gingerbread-like dough, and have an icing glaze.

• In southern Germany, the dough is made with candied lemon peel or orange peel, orange zest, lemon zest, and often also almonds.^[21]
• In Saxony, they are about three centimetres, uncoated and angular.
• There are some recipes passed down by families of German Mennonite origin that call for peppermint extract rather than the traditional spices, making for a light minty flavor. These cookies are cooked to be soft and coated in powdered sugar. Specific origin of this variation is unknown.

Dutch variation

The Netherlands gives the name Dutch; Flemish: [[kruidnoten]] to the small, brown, round cookies,^[22] while Dutch; Flemish: [[pepernoten]] concerns a chewy snack that is lighter in color and has a chunky, angular appearance.^[23] Even though they are perceivably different, some Dutch residents mistakenly call Dutch; Flemish: kruidnoten Dutch; Flemish: pepernoten and online stores list them under this category as well.

Both are holiday-exclusive snacks and available in any store that sells food around Sinterklaas time. Dutch; Flemish: Pepernoten are one of the earliest Sinterklaas candies, yet have become relatively rare, as most children do not prefer them.

Meanwhile, the Dutch; Flemish: kruidnoten recipe has become the subject of experimentation and been heavily expanded on throughout the years. Besides the regular variant and packages that include gummies and sugar candies, Dutch; Flemish: kruidnoten can be covered with a layer of (white/milk/pure/truffle) chocolate – which is one of the earliest and most loved variants – but also strawberry, caramel, stroopwafel, coconut, coffee, bubblegum, cake (any), etc.

Commonly mistaken for German: Pfeffernüsse

German: Pfeffernüsse are commonly mistaken for Dutch; Flemish: [[kruidnoten]] or spice nuts in English. While they are both famous holiday cookies, Dutch; Flemish: kruidnoten are harder, have a darker brown color, and have a different shape. Their ingredients are more similar to those used in speculaas.

Russian tea cakes are also confused with German: pfeffernüsse, especially when dusted in powdered sugar.

See also

• Muskazine
• Lebkuchen
• Aachener Printen
• Stollen
• Speculaas
• Baumkuchen
• Springerle
• Vanillekipferl
• Bethmännchen
  • • • Kruidnoten (Dutch)
• Pepernoot (Dutch)
• Macaroon (de)

External links

• Web site: Offenbacher Pfeffernüsse - Rezept . Der Kuchenbäcker . 21 December 2020 . de-DE . 6 December 2018 -->,6 December 2018 .
• Web site: Murray . Catherine . Cooks' Exchange: The secret Emmett Schuchardt's St. James Catholic Church pfeffernusse cookie recipe . . Capital Newspapers Inc . en.
• Web site: The Canadian Living Test Kitchen . Pfeffernusse . . December 2007 . Very popular in many European countries, these lovely little cookies have black pepper, which enhances the other spices in the cookie without adding heat..
• News: Electric Kitchen: Pfeffernusse Cookies (German Pepper Nut cookies) . . . 21 December 2020 . December 13, 2017 . en -->.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Pfeffernuesse (Peppernuts) . Mennonitegirlscancook.ca . 15 December 2017.
2. Web site: Food. 12 February 2014. Kansas.mccsale.org. 15 December 2017.
3. News: Spillner . Michelle . Leckeres Vermächtnis (Delicious legacy) . 21 December 2020 . . 24 December 2015 . de.
4. Web site: Pfeffernüsse Package Label . 21 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151231013536/https://scontent-fra3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/t31.0-8/fr/cp0/e15/q65/462680_288700081243240_465239052_o.jpg . 2015-12-31.
5. Book: Goethe . Johann Wolfgang von . Johann Wolfgang von Goethe . Sämtliche Werke (Complete Works) . 1832 . G. Müller . 4 . 21 December 2020 . de.
6. "Ich kann das Düsseldorfer Musikfest nicht dirigieren, weil ich mich ausruhen und nach Soden ziehen muss, fahre mit Frau Bernus nach Offenbach, um Pfeffernüsse zu kaufen." ("I can't conduct the Düsseldorf Music Festival because I have to rest and move to Soden, I'm going to Offenbach with Ms. Bernus to buy Pfeffernüsse.")
7. Web site: Offenbacher Pfeffernüsse – A forgotten treat . BUKECHI . 12 November 2020 . de-DE.
8. Web site: Reckmann . Madeleine . Bekannt wie Nürnberger Elisen . . 21 December 2020 . de . 20 November 2014.
9. Web site: Offenbacher Pfeffernüsse neu entdeckt . Stadtverwaltung Offenbach . de.
10. Web site: Christian . Jansen .

    de:Christian Jansen

    . Rezension von Ewald Grothe (Hrsg.), Briefwechsel mit Ludwig Hassenpflug . hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de . de.
11. Web site: Forschungsstelle Humboldt-Universität Berlin . 21 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071119081040/http://www.grimmbriefwechsel.de/arbeitsstelle/1_einf_bv/1_einf_bv.html . 2007-11-19 . de.
12. Web site: National Pfeffernüsse Day - December 23. National Today.com. 3 November 2021 . 19 January 2023. live. 24 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221224011746/https://nationaltoday.com/national-pfeffernusse-day/.
13. Web site: Carolyn . Blackstock . Day 271 Pepper Nuts . 366dayswiththeberlincookbook.wordpress.com. 3 January 2016. 2012-09-26.
14. Book: H. . Rathman . A. . Graber . The Ladies of Berlin, Waterloo and Friends Elsewhere . The Berlin Cook Book . 1906 . The News Record Print Shop . . Pepper Nuts . https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.9_92334/226?r=0&s=1 . 225 . Canadiana.ca, Canadian Research Knowledge Network.
15. Web site: German Spice Cookies (Pfeffernusse) Recipe . Martha . Stewart . Martha Stewart . 21 December 2020 . en-us.
16. Web site: Pfeffernusse Cookies . . 21 December 2020 . EN.
17. http://www.vnews.com/lifetimes/3015412-95/sugar-pfeffernusse-cup-teaspoon Caruso, Aimee. “Pfeffernusse: Spicy Holiday Cookies.”
18. Web site: Segarra . Jessica . Pfeffernusse Cookies . . 21 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201209175333/https://www.imperialsugar.com/recipes/pfeffernusse-cookies . 2020-12-09 . en . 5 December 2018 . They are similar to American gingerbread cookies, but are filled with extra spices and tossed in powdered sugar..
19. News: Relish Austin: Pfeffernüsse, a quirky Christmas cookie and so much more . American Statesman . December 11, 2012 . 7 January 2014 . Broyles, Addie . 24 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924142726/http://www.statesman.com/news/lifestyles/food-cooking/pfeffernusse-a-quirky-christmas-cookie-and-so-much/nTR2t/ . dead .
20. Book: Gaspari, Adam Christian. Vollständiges handbuch der neuesten erdbeschreibung. 1820. 720. de. die großen Pfeffernüsse Moppen oder Moffen heißen.
21. Web site: Pfeffernusse Cookies Recipe . . 23 September 2021 . en . Adapted from "Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets" by Carole Walter.
22. Web site: Difference between Pepernoten (Peppernuts) and Kruidnoten (Spice Nuts). Cakies by Rachel. 2 December 2016.
23. Web site: Kleijn. Alexandra. 2010. Zähe Nikolauskost: Pepernoten und Taaitaai. Burr Taal. de. Klein describes old Dutch pepernoten as tougher than German pfeffernüsse, but contrasts them with crisp kruidnoten.