Pfeffernusse Cookies

My only suggestions to make this recipe closer to Pfeffernusse made in Germany, are: Use more pepper, and use white instead of black. One and a half to twice the amount of pepper will give the "nuts" a real peppery zing. Also, don't spare the XXXX sugar coating.

My problem is not the flavor of this recipe, which was very good, but the way it was put together. I would definitely change the order of mixing a bit. The recipe has you add the anise extract to the dry ingredients before the wet are added. This causes little unmixed bits of flower in the dough. Doesn't affect taste much, but I'm a perfectionist and care about the aesthetics of it. I would follow the recipe as it says except leave the sugars and the extract out of the dry ingredients. Instead mix those into the wet after the egg is added, then add the dry to the wet, in installments, and resume the recipe. 4 stars because the flavor is good, and the recipe can be fixed with only a few tweaks. Enjoy.

Love these cookies! My mom had the store bought version so my family compared the two cookies. This recipie won by far. They have a wonderful spice that gets even better after a few days. The center stays soft and moist (even after freezing!) This recipe makes a large batch of cookies. Only change i made was that i rolled the cookie dough balls in powdered sugar before placing on baking sheet. Then before serving i dusted them with a little more powdered sugar. I will be making these every christmas!

Loved the recipe! Reminded me of Grandmas,(she took her traditional german recipes to the grave with her). I added 1 teaspoon of allspice and changed the black pepper to white. The spice level turned out perfect. I have not been a fan of the powdered sugar coating. A reviewer on another site had an excellent glaze coating for the cooled cookies. Beat 1 eggwhite with 1 tablespoon of honey and 1/2 teaspoon anise extract. Gradually sift in 1 cup confectioner's sugar, mixing until smooth. The other reviewer put a bit of glaze in a bowl with a few cookies and stirred until coated. I dipped the top of the cookies in the glaze and placed on a drying rack until coating hardens. Thanks again, I am happy I am able to bring back an old tradition to the family Christmas .

this is pretty close to my mums traditional german recipe. One suggestion though instead of black pepper use all spice. I haven't made pfeffernusse for a while because i moved away from home and don't have access to the recipe any more. Going through your recipe helped me to remember what was in my mums recipe. Thanks

Absolutely delicious! I added 1/2 cup butter instead of 1/4 cup margarine, followed all the rest exactly as written in recipe. Just like my Aunt's in Germany! If you like ginger snaps...you will LOVE this cookie...think ginger snaps on steroids....FANTASTIC!

Awesome recipe! Suggestions to omit pepper is not accurate. Pfeffer means 'pepper' in German and is an essential ingredient. I used I82Many's suggestion to use white pepper instead of white (black pepper may be why some reviewers suggest leaving it out...the switch to white is important) and added 1 tsp allspice. Add anise to wet ingredients, not dry. While a glaze is nice, it's not traditional. Toss in powdered sugar once completely cooled and set up.

I have been told by all my relatives that pfeffernusse is a Dutch Advent treat. The spices are from the Dutch Indies - a way to show off all those spices that the Dutch were dealing in and affluent the family was. My recipes - Dutch and over 100 years old by several relatives - never use eggs, and let the dough rest overnight in a cool place. Then the dough is rolled into ropes, and the ropes sliced into small cookies about the size of a nut. Rolling into ropes then slicing it prevents working the dough too much. But if you use eggs, then I guess it doesn't matter how much you work the dough.

My German grandmother used to make these every Christmas. I had always loved her home made version of these cookies, and after she passed, no one had a copy of her recipe. Over the years I have been buying store bought versions and I finally decided to try and find a recipe for these and make them from scratch. This version is great and brings me back to my grandmother's during the holidays! They just get better and better after they are made. A couple of changes that I made had to do with the assembly of the dough and baking. After bringing the liquid sugars to a boil I poured the hot mixture into my Kitchaid stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat the mixture on medium for about 8 minutes until cooled and thickened. I added the eggs and let them combine, and then added a couple of tablespoons of the flour mixture before adding the Anise Flavoring. Then on medium low speed I added the remaining flour mixture in a steady stream and it all came together in one smooth dough. I also refrigerated the mixture tightly covered for a good 6 hours before baking off the cookies. I used a 1 inch cookie scoop, and cooked the cookies about 22 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 11 minutes. They came out perfect, somewhat crunchy on the outside and still moist and soft on the inside. And don't skimp on the sugar dusting...shake them in a bag with the confectioner's sugar...don't just dust them. The more the better! Grandma would be proud!

These are SO yummy! The only problem I had was that the dough was very, very crumbly. I'll try and back off on the flour a bit next time, but this is a definite repeat!

Great recipe. These came out just like my German gradmother made them. I did add slightly more ginger to spice them up a little more. They were a big hit with my family and the people at work.

I am German and Pfeffernusse are my favorite holiday cookie. I used this recipe and these were the best Pfeffernusse I've ever had. Seriously. I made some minor changes: I added 1teaspoon Allspice, 1 teaspoon pepper, and I used a lemon-egg white - confectioner sugar glace. I also had the dough rest for 12 hours in the warm kitchen, so the spices can develop (the German recipes call for at least week of rest at room temperature). Looking forward to the next holiday season!

Absolutely AWESOME! I've been wanting to make pfeffernusse cookies for a while, and I'm so glad I found this recipe. I had to make a couple adjustments - since I couldn't get anise extract, I used 1 tsp ground anise (I might bump it to 1 1/4 tsp next time), and - since I looooove pepper - I used 1tsp freshly ground Telicherry pepper plus 1/2 tsp ground white pepper. I may use 1 1/4 black pepper and 3/4 white pepper next time, since I am a pepper fiend. But these cookies are a devilishly awesome delight, and I will NEVER make gingerbread cookies again when I have PFEFFERNUSSE!!!! ;-)

These are wonderful cookies. I loved the taste and that they stayed soft! They will stay on my list of cookies to make each Christams.

I did not have any molasses in the house. I substituted the molasses for 1/2 cup of light corn syrup. Set the oven at 350 degrees F for 15 mins. My batch yield 5 doz. I had taken them into work. My co-workers absolutely loved them!

used butter for shortening and margarine.....loved them!

Delicious and yes, they taste very much like the store bought version. I have allowed these to sit in a covered tin for a few weeks and I think they taste better the longer they are allowed to sit.

I and my entire family love these pfeffernusse. I tried them out last year to make as edible gifts and finally had them down pat by this past Christmas. Taking them out a minute or two early ensures that they stay soft and moist (and don't turn into little rocks). My German oma even said that they were better than the imported pfeffernusse from Germany!

I was searching for my "Grandma's recipe" for years and I have found it. The only thing I did different was, I added the anise extract to the wet ingredients not the dry. The cardamom is expensive, but well worth it for this recipe, so it must be added to get the right flavor of the "Pfeffernusse Cookie" Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, as it will be my favorite ALL YEAR LONG.

My wife was offended that I didn’t use her mother’s pfeffernusse recipe again this year for Christmas, but I’ve never been particularly impressed with it. So I endured the scorn, and made this recipe instead. Now THIS is the way pfeffernusse is supposed to be! After everyone else raved over it, she conceded this recipe is actually better. SCORE!!!

Absolutely best cookie ever! I did increase the pepper, as I like my cookies spicy, and I didn't have any molasses on hand, so I subbed in honey. My co-workers didn't care for them (too spicy, but that's my fault), but I loved them.

I used all butter instead of shortening/margarine and crushed anise seed instead of extract. Also, followed another reviewer's comment to use twice as much (white) pepper. My German raised father thought them just right!

The cookies are delicious. Just a couple of comments. Make sure you make the ball small--indeed the size of an acorn. The recipe makes over 5 dozen cookies and not 18. I added an extra egg and the dough was not crumbly. I baked them for 13 minutes as they were too soft at a lesser time. And they are best iced versus dusted with icing sugar.

My cookies look nothing like the photo. The 'dough' (if you can call it that) was VERY crumbly (as several other reviewers stated). I actually added tablespoons of water to get it to clump together enough to form balls. I found this recipe very frustrating and although the taste is definitely new and different to me, I probably won't make it again because I thought it was a lot of work! I made balls the size that would fit into my fist, and ended up with a little over 5 dozen (not 18 as the recipe states). Also rather than try the powdered sugar topping, I used another reviewers recommendation for a sugar glaze. I don't care for anise so I used vanilla on the glaze. These cookies are really different.

These are wonderful! I increased the pepper, and used a mix {Sichuan, tellicherry, white, Jamaican(allspice), and pink}. I also rolled them in more powdered sugar than specified, and sprinkled them with more pepper blend at the end. These are spicy-sweet, without the rock-hard texture that Pfeffernusse so often has - I think my Christmas Eve crowd will LOVE them. Thank you SO much!

My husband absolutely loved these cookies and ate most of them...I found them tiring to make and a little dry but yummy just the same....thank you

Thank you so much for your reviews! I am getting ready to make some! I had to look up my recipe an seen all the great reviews! God Bless you all!

These cookies were OVER THE TOP Spicy!! Not a cookie for the faint of heart! (The taste hangs on your palate for hours.) So if you want a spicy blast, by all means, try this one. Also they puffed up quite high, and looked more like domes than walnuts; but maybe that's because I used all butter for shortening? (I refuse to buy trans fats.) I have to say the soft texture was very nice - and they looked especially pretty dusted with the confectioners sugar. But hold on to your socks and mittens! :)

delicious! friends and family love them! just wondering if the dough is suppose to be as crumbly as it was when I made it? Any suggestions to maybe make the dough hold up better? good recipe overall :)

They do taste like my favorite store bought, but much better and spicier. I omitted the cardamon (couldn't find any in my local store) and they were still wonderful. I've been searching for a good recipe to make a new Christmas tradition and have finally found it. Thanks!

These are delicious and authentic! My family is from and still in Berlin and these taste just like those my grandmother makes. I'm a little late to the draw and made these after the holiday season but it is no matter, they are sublime at anytime of the year. For those of you experiencing crumbling when rolling into balls just take your time. When you roll too quickly just about any dough of this type will crumble. Roll slowly and even use one hand if necessary to force yourself into patience. You'll find they roll up just fine at a slowed pace. I also added double pepper and used white instead of black. Also added a teaspoon of allspice. If you can find candied ginger this is also a nice addition as long as you mince into fine pieces (more traditional as well). You can sometimes find mixes of candied ginger with orange, also amazing with this type of cookie.

This was pretty good. Made a ton of cookies.

This is SO CLOSE to what I was looking for but not quite... regardless, its delicious. I didnt have shortening so I substituted with butter/margarine. I also did not have anise extract so I used anise oil, which is about 1/8 to 1/4 of the required extract amount. Instead of powdered sugar I made a glaze (because thats how my family eats them) which is 2T milk, 1t vanilla, and 1C powdered sugar (for a half batch of pfeffernusses). Heat the liquid on low and stir in the powdered sugar. Dollop it on and enjoy! Thank you for this pfeffernusse recipe, we enjoyed it!

This recipe is excellent!!! My three kids (and I) loved it. This will be an addition to our annual Christmas cookies!

Absolutely delicious pfeffernusse, taste quite authentic, just like the ones you buy at the store but better. And so easy to make. These definitely won't last!

This is the best recipe for pfeffernusse I have made. They taste just like in Germany. My friends and family loved them. Thank you!

These turned out beautifully. The dough makes a lot of little cookies, and it takes some time to roll out the dough and bake all of it. I got closer to 6 dozen than 3 dozen. They get even better as they age.

I had been thinking of making these for a long time, since I'd only ever had the store bought kind. Mmmm, so good and easy to make. Even before baking, the dough smelled so good! I used 1/2 the amount of anise, just because I'm not a fan and i find it strong tasting. I was surprised at how nice and puffy they got. Crispier on the outside than I thought they'd be, but nice and soft inside. Yumyum!

Very good and very easy. Made the dough and let it sit over night. Only differences were 1/4 C butter instead of shortening and used white peppper. First batch let cook for 14-15 minutes and were a bit crispy, second batch cooked for 10-11 minutes and they were softer and chewier. Used a melon scooper for these and was very easy. did refrig the dough between batches as kitchen was very warm and dough was getting sticky. Don't think they are quite the store bought ones, but very very good. Will make them again, they are addictive!

Thank you for posting this! I didn't have any cardamom (too $$) and these still came out perfect!!!! I mailed a Christmas tin to my Mom for some Christmas memories, they brought me back to my childhood years.

This was my first try and although good....not as excited as I had hoped....I should have read all the reviews and thus taken them out a bit earlier....I also added a glaze of confectionary sugar and grand marnier and dipped the bottoms in a thin layer of dark chocolate...I will make these again for sure...so I can perfect the texture..Ll in all a nixe addition to the holiday cookie platter.

This is perfect. I want to talk in depth about its good points, but I don't have the space. So, in short, the pros: no adjustments needed; phenomenal/ traditional taste; easy; and fun. What I did: (Recommended: a rubber spatula and folding motion for the combining phase until the dough has a forgiving enough tackiness to be worked with the hands. Avoid spoons, and don't use a whisk.) I made them a bit larger than acorn size to more a walnut size and baked them for 15 minutes on parchment paper; there is really no other great way to line the pan for cookies. And as soon as I took them out of the oven, I transferred their entire parchment paper to a wire cooling rack (prevents bottom burning.) Then, after they cooled, I laid them out on a table with parchment paper beneath, and, forgoing the confectioner's sugar, used tongs to dip each individual cookie, top-side-down, into this crispy icing (sans almond extract, a flavor I find unsuited to the cookies): http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sugar-Cookie-Icing/Detail.aspx?evt19=1 and then let the excess drip off before returning the cookie to the paper, bottom-side-down. (Leave an additional 2-4 hours for the icing to harden before storing or serving.) The icing is great but needs adjusting: instead of 2 teaspoons milk (not enough), add milk, more or less, 1 tablespoon at a time until the icing is just no longer gluey (any thinner and it will just run off of your cookie) and then add the corn syrup. Highly recommend!

I LOVE this recipe. I make it every year. It is tedious and a pain but it makes TONS and the flavor is so amazing that it's worth it. Add more spices! I've read people commenting on adding more pepper, definitely do that! can't hurt to add more, right? More ginger too. A tip: Roll the dough out about 3/4" thick and cut it with a knife into 3/4" strips, then do it the other way to make squares. Take those squares and roll them into balls. To me this takes less time then rolling them all out by hand. I don't even bother with the powdered sugar at the end, but I may try it this year....great recipe! Lots of work but worth it!

These were delicious! I doubled the pepper and will double the anise next time. My husband grew up eating the packaged ones and he LOVED these.

In my first attempt I was missing anise and cardamom. Still turned out fantastic and I must say, since I was out of black pepper, I tried white pepper and they were AAAMMMAAAZZZIIINNNGGG! What helped my recipe is fresh, grated nutmeg. Really brought out the flavors. I have since then acquired anise flavor but cardamom I just can't do so I will be working on this recipe this weekend and with anise this time. I did see the recipe calling to add anise to the dry ingredients, but I decided against it and rightly so with so many comments advising to add anise to wet ingredients. All in all, a recipe even my mother loves and she is a pfeffernusse snob...lol. Thanks for the tips and happy baking.

After trying dozens of recipes over the last 10 years, I have finally found it. My husband says these taste just like the ones his german mother used to make. As suggested, I used butter instead of margarine and doubled the pepper- which turned out to be too much. Will make it again using less. I glazed with 2 T milk, 1 t anise extract and enough powdered sugar to make a glaze that I could dip the tops into. PERFECT!!! Thank you thank you

I read all reviews and I cannot see the problem with the dough myself. I have made this exactly as the recipe (I did use websites to convert cups to grams though and added AllSpice (1TSP) and White Pepper instead. My dough is still sitting pretty (as we leave the dough usually for a week for the spices to develop) but it is smooth like Gingerbread dough. What I did (apart from using the small changes mentioned) is first toprepare the wet ingredients (including aniseed) - and then siffed the dry into the wet mixture bit by bit, whilst mixing like a maniac. Only 4* as I haven't tasted it :) My dough is still resting until Saturday 17 ...

Absolutely amazing...if you like spicey cookies, these may be the ones you've always longed for.

These were a big hit! And recipe made alot of cookies. I didn't count but it was 4 cookie sheets worth. I used white pepper instead of black and accidently used 1.5 tsp of ginger (I picked up the wrong bottle). They turned out great!

Very nice spicy cookie. Only change I made was that I used vanilla instead of anise extract since I really don't care for anise. They leave a nice heat in your mouth. All you need is a cup of hot tea and you are set!!

Perfect just as is. Only thing is I did not have any cardamom so it was omitted. Don't think I miss it though. Used butter instead of margarine. I wouldn't suggest omitting the pepper as some have said. Switch it to white pepper. Also glazing isn't traditional, do dust them in confectioner's sugar after cooling.

Oh these are so good! So dangerous! Be careful!! Yum!

The best homemade pfeffernusse recipe I've ever tried, and I've tried many looking for the perfect one!

i have been looking for this recipe for a long time, i love it but why was it so crumbly, i will have to ease up on the flour, but they were still good

YUM! I could eat the whole batch myself!!

This was perhaps one of the very first recipes I pulled off of allrecipes.com several years ago. I love this recipe. LOVE IT. It's a wonderful way to celebrate my German ancestry with others. Thank you.

My particular recipe for Pfeffernusses calls for dark karo syrup instead of molasses and cardamon. But on the other hand it also says store on the counter for a week. I'm afraid to do that and I do place it in the frig. Anyone else heard of that? My father-in-law used to make these for us every Christmas and they are a favorite!

add 2 tblsp Anise oil and you have German recipe! Anise adds licorice flavor.

Best. Cookies. Ever. Seriously good. Didn't change a thing.

Great tasting cookie which was easy to make. Good flavors and not too sweet.

I think this recipe is the closest to my grandmother's recipe I have ever found. Made two different recipes, and this one wins the blue ribbon for sure! Have shared with my co-workers and they just love them! Thank you for bringing my German heritage back to me! Wish I had been wiser as a young child to get those recipes!

Store bought pfeffernusse was a Christmas tradition when my mom was a kid. So when I needed to make cookies for grandpa's funeral they were a must have. Our local grocery store does not sell them is August so I used your recipe. The cookies tasted almost exactly like store bought and were much softer, I will never buy store pfeffernusse again!

Crispier than I remember, but very tasty. First batch tasted too much like a molasses ginger cookie, so I doubled the black pepper. Second batch a little more spicy. very good! I'm not sure what size acorn the author is referring to, because I got about 4 dozen out of the recipe.

These are really good. I've never made pfeffernusse before so I don't have anything to compare to. Made these last night and they are soft and chewy with a really nice spicy aftertaste. Warm but not hot from the pepper. I left out the anise, didn't have it and don't like the licorice flavor of it. Only giving 4 stars because the dough was really crumbly and hard to roll after chilling. Not sure if this is normal or not. Had to warm each ball up in my hands before it would hold together. Otherwise, very good, and I will most likely make these again.

This recipe is spot-on! I use Hartshorn (baker's ammonia) which is a 1-for-1 substitute for baking soda - the advantage is that the leavening does not kick in while the dough is resting/chiliing - instead it occurs during baking. Use butter only. White - not black pepper, anise (I use oil), cardamom and allspice(add 1 tsp to recipe) are must have ingredients for the spicy flavor of pfeffernusse, in either the Dutch or the German tradition. The amount of pepper is a matter of taste as you can tell from other reviews. The instruction to include anise extract with the dry ingredients will only work well if you are using ground anise or crushed anise seed instead of extract. Add your anise extract (or oil) to the liquid ingredients after the egg is mixed in. "Acorn" size can be confusing since acorns can be VERY large in some parts of the country, (acorns are the size of large pecans around here!). After chilling, I use the rolled-rope approach (about ½" around), and cut rope into ½" slices rather quickly. We've always made pfeffernusse as a small bite-size cookies and I got 7 dozen from this recipe. The size is a matter of preference. Glazed, dredged in confectioners sugar or "unadorned" (which is how we eat them) - this is one of the best pfeffernusse recipes I've ever found!

Terrific recipe, just as good if not better than shop bought, used treacle as did not have molasses and added an extra egg, also used ground anise, the flavor was perfect - the family loved them, thanks for the recipe.

These are my grandmother's absolute favorite cookies. She used to make them every year at Christmas, but as the years have passed, she is unable to bake like she used to. I began using this recipe about 4 years ago to carry on her tradition. I do make a few changes, white pepper instead of black, ground anise instead of extract, dark brown sugar, and sub one cup of all-purpose flour for cake flour. I let them 'age' for two weeks in an air-tight container. My grandmother absolutely loves them, along with everyone else in our family. Spicy and delicious, these always put me in the Christmas spirit! Plus, your whole house smells wonderful while they're baking. :)

I thought this recipe was very close to my mothers. The only change I made was to add the rind of one whole lemon into the molasses mixture. My family loved them, as did I. I will add this to my Christmas cookie list.

These cookies rock. This is our second year making them in bulk and handing them out for Christmas. Everyone loves them. The only thing I do different is use white pepper instead of black.

Quite good. I used white pepper but next time I will cut the pepper to 1/4 tsp. or less. It was a bit too over-powering for my taste and seemed to draw away from the flavor of anise, which I love. In order to calm down the pepper..I frosted them a little. That did the trick for my palate!

Im not a black licorice fan so I subbed vanilla extract for anise. Baked in multiple sizes, some glazed, some powdered, a few plain. All were gobbled up. Great recipe. My german husband said this reminded him of his childhood.

Hands down, this is still the best Ive come across!

These are wonderfully aromatic, and the spice is perfect. I have made these for 4 yrs now, and while they are a chore, the payoff is that they taste like my childhood memory of the cookie. Definitely put the anise extract in w/the liquid, or I guess use a ground anise(?) I use a mix of white and black pepper, too.

absolutely amazing!!!! these have become my new favorite cookies.

These were Awesome!!!

Just like I remember them (I added 1/2t extra pepper). I'm going to give them out this year because everyone that I've mentioned them to has never had them.

I have made this annually for several years. I use white pepper instead of black, and have used as much as 2 teaspoons. This year I decided to dial back to 1 teaspoon. Folks at work really like them. Also, I add the anise into the wet ingredients after they are cool, and mix the dry ingredients before adding any wet. I also use a stand mixer with the dough hook to mix the dough.

Like others who have tried this I made some changes. I switched the margarine for butter, and added about a quarter tsp more pepper. I did not add the anise extract to the flour and spice mixture. I added the extract to the eggs and whisk them together before tempering the eggs into the still hot sugar mixture. I let the dough sit in the fridge nearly 24 hours. It makes about 7 or 8 dozen cookies close to the size of a silver dollar. The dough was like thick cake batter, but cooled to something like cold nougat. It was a little sticky as it warmed up, so just be patient and put it back in the fridge to cool down if you have to. I baked them about 13 minutes on waxed paper. To be sure they don't stick to the paper let them cool 2 mins then carefully ( they will be very soft until they cool completely) remove them to another sheet or plate to cool. When I make these again I may experiment with white pepper, or maybe even dried chilis.

These are excellent. I used my melon baller for a consistent size and after placing them on a cookie sheet, "flattened" a bit with the back of a spatula & baked them 12 minutes. They freeze very well even after they're sugared. I followed the recipe but like someone else mentioned, the extract into the dry ingredients gave me pause...didn't affect it though. Will put into wet ingredients next time. patti

My mother was German and each Christmas we'd receive a package from her siblings in Germany filled with cookies, candy and gifts. One highlight of the package each year were these little, rock-hard, cookies called Pfeffernuse, which we'd immediately place in a tin can with a piece of apple. As an adult I would occasionaly purchase these at the grocery store, but they were never quite as good as I remembered. This recipe tastes EXACTLY as I remember. (Sorry for shouting, but I'm excited.) They take a while to make, but follow the recipe as written for an authentic taste. Two small changes to the original recipe. I rolled the balls of dough in powdered sugar before baking, in addition to sprinking with the powdered sugar after baking. I also should have made these cookies several weeks in advance of when I wanted to eat them. They were very hard out of the oven & I thought I'd ruined them, but after placing them in a tin for appx. 2 weeks (with a piece of fruit I replaced every few days) they're now nice & soft and perfect for eating. So much for New Year's resolutions...these are too good to pass up. Make them, you won't regret it - but take time to let them age a bit.

My husband has been searching for this type of cookie for awhile. I tried to make it for him and well it didn't turn out so well. I'm sure this recipe is worth 5 stars on my next try but I just cannot figure out right now why it's round and flat! It doesn't look anything at all like the picture and my husband says it should taste "crumbly and sorta hard...but not crunchy and not soft"! and it's not round like a truffle ball!

Reminds me of my German grandma's recipe. But you need to double the pepper,as the peppery taste fades as they sit.

This is the best recipe for Pfeffernusse ever. I had "Store" brought and homemade next to each other and NO ONE could tell the difference or said the homemade was better! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

Very authentic!

Awesome!

Incredible!!! One of the best cookies I have ever eaten! Yes, Cardamom is expensive. Buy it! It will not go to waste because you will want to bake these deliciously spicy nibbles again and again. I used white pepper but otherwise followed the directions exactly. I also want to mention that rolling the dough into one inch balls yielded over six dozen cookies (The recipe states that the yield is 3 dozen). I think these have plenty of "bite," and am very glad I didn't follow some suggestions to add more pepper. They are superb!!! Thank you for sharing!

This recipe is a winner!! I have always loved the ones from the grocery, but they are too pricey to keep up with demand. I was thrilled to find a recipe that purported to be a near re-creation, and I actually think the taste of these improves on the store-bought. Most who sample comment on how much more moist they are. I had to make a second batch to satisfy the appetites of Pfeffernusse lovers in our home. This will become a Christmastime favorite.

These were great exactly by the recipe, Sweet, peppery and delicious!

The cardamom was way too overpowering of a flavor in these cookies. Maybe if that ingredient was omitted, they would have been good. I will never make these again.

I need to try these again- the taste was fantastic but the dough was a little rough and very crumbly. I added extra pepper and changed it to white and also added candied orange peel. My first batch I cooked for 10 minutes and they came out very doughy in the middle so the next I baked for a full 15 but even then they were so heavy and not at all light and puffy like I was expecting. This is my first experience with baking these and I've never had homemade Pfeffernusse so I'm not sure if this is what they are suppose to be like? But it doesn't seem so. Any suggestions? More eggs? Egg whites? I did let them sit for 2 days in the fridge to age...too long?

These never last long in our home.

These cookies are much different from any other I regularly make so I was excited about trying them. They are quite an expensive recipe because of the number of spices the recipe requires. They are a pretty uniform cookie but I was very disappointed in the taste. To me they tasted like a soft ginger snap, which are not very exciting. I didn't dust them with sugar because they have SO MUCH sweetener already.

great recipe

Exellent cookies..I have never made this type of cookies and took the advice of a reviewer and did substitute white pepper, for the black, using the same amount called for and added 1 tsp of Allspice as suggested. I also added the anise extract to the liquids and the brown sugar, made for much easier mixing. They puff up quite a bit and would make the dough walnut size in the future..Very, very good and my German friend LOVED them! thanks for this wonderful recipe

Made it 3 times. Wonderful taste. Hardest part is cooking it for the correct time to get a little crunch on outside and nice and soft inside This is a new holiday tradition for us. No more 30 boxes from traders

Yum! These cookies were great. My husband kept sneaking them:) I used butter instead of margarine and put the anise extract in the liquid ingredients when I added the egg. Since it was the only liquid for that part, it seemed to belong with the other liquids.

Recipe is ambiguous in it's first instruction where the ingredients are combined in a suacepan. The direction "stir until creamy" is very confusing since there is no help offered by way of a definition "creamy! Overcooking of the mixture is assured with the resulting mixture turning into a tar consistancy at room temperature.

I think it's pretty close to the old Stella Doro and Archway cookies. Can't easily find the Archways, especially in the NW. I had to use anise seed, it's what I had on hand, next time I would grind them and I used coconut sugar as I realized I didn't have honey. No time to run to the store. They taste even better the next day! Good recipe and my first ever attempt at these cookies!

I followed the recipe exactly (except for adding the anise extract to the wet ingredients) and loved these cookies! I don't understand reviewers who said the dough was too crumbly; mine was sticky. It held together fine and was easy to scoop with a greased 1-inch melon baller, especially when chilled. That gave a perfect bite-sized cookie. A heaping teaspoon of fresh-ground Tellicherry pepper gave a nice little kick.