Pebernodder Cookies
So here’s my full disclosure on the subject of today’s post: it was my original intention to make Pebernodder cookies apart of 2015’s 12 Days of Christmas. I first heard of them through this baking recipe card collection I had and because I thought they looked and sounded delicious, I decided to give it a whirl.
It didn’t work out very well.
To this day, I have no idea what the heck was wrong with that stupid cookie dough. The problems started showing themselves with the very first test cookie. It spread too much. The edges were coming out weird. The consistency of the finished cookie wasn’t even close to what one should’ve been.
And Believe me, I tried everything I could to fix it. I altered how I rolled out and cut the dough. I froze the dough for a while. Baked it more. Baked it less. Changed the position in the oven. Nothing worked. It was just…off.
I finally remembered the other batches of cookies I had to bake and decided to write the Pebernodder off as the L that I was just gonna have to take for that year’s Christmas baking. I binned the remaining failed dough (of which there was unfortunately quite a bit), shook off the irritation, and just kept it moving.
In the back of my mind however, I resolved that for the next go around in 2016, I was absolutely *going* to get it right.
I should probably go into just what is ‘right’ for a Pebernodder for you guys, huh?
Well the word ‘Pebernodder’ is actually Danish for Pepper Nuts (I think so anyway. I also don’t speak a syllable of Danish, so don’t quote me on that one). They’re traditionally very tiny cookies strongly flavored with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and even pepper. Some variations use black pepper, while others even use the even more potent white pepper that give them an extra ‘kick’ that juuuuust toes the line between sweet and spicy.
Aside from the combination of the spices, the main appeal of the cookie to me was the tiny, portable size. They just look like cookies that are meant to be piled in a big Christmas tin, wrapped in bow and presented as a gift or brought to an office party to share. There’s plenty to go around with this batch, that much I can assure you.
Now remember, these are called Peppernuts for a reason. They’re supposed to be round and tiny so that they kinda resemble nuggets. So keeping that in mind, here are a few tips for handling this dough that should give you the results you want:
The dough should be rolled into long and thin logs, then cut into very tiny pieces, like balls. Provided the dough is cold enough AND that you follow the tip of crinkling up the parchment paper, the cookies should have VERY minimal spreading. The tiny size of the cookies and high temperature of the oven also makes them bake very quickly despite the recipe yielding such a huge batch. You won’t be in the kitchen forever, promise.
Spice, spice and more spice: that’s the best way I can describe the taste of these. There’s just enough sugar to balance the bite of the spices. I know that other variations of these come out crisp, but my cookies came out rather soft and chewy–not that I’m complaining mind you. I heard nothing but praise from these and I’m very happy with my redo of the Pebernodder.
Day 1: Stuffing Bread
Day 2: Pumpkin Crunch Tart
Day 3: Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Day 4: Dulce de Leche Hot Chocolate
Day 5: Almond Stamped Cookies
Day 6: Spiced Cookie Bark
Day 7: Demerara Sugar Buns
Day 8: Sugared Shortbread
Day 9: Hot Chocolate Marble Pound Cake
Day 10: Cranberry Scones
Day 11: Pebernodder Cookies
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Pebernodder Cookies
Recipe Courtesy of Rikke Gryberg
Ingredients
- 1 1/10 cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- A few shakes of black pepper (optional, use if you prefer a ‘bite’ to the cookie, leave out if you prefer it on the sweeter side)
Directions
In a medium bowl, use a fork to mix the flour, cinnamon, cardamom, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking power, salt and pepper. Set aside.
In the bottom of a standing mixer bow, use the wire attachment (or a handheld mixer) to mix the butter, white sugar and heavy cream.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, about 1/2 cup at a time. It should form a smooth dough. Separate into 4 portions and place in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes, until dough holds together firmly.
Take each individual portion and divide it into about 3 to 4 balls. Roll each ball into long strips/ropes, about 8-10 inches long. Place the ropes on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the freezer for another 10-15 minutes
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take a sheet of parchment paper and crumple it up in your hands thoroughly. Smooth it back out onto a baking sheet. (Repeat this process for as many sheets of cookies you plan on baking. The ridges and bumps made in the paper will keep the cookies from spreading too much.)
Remove the cookie logs from the freezer. Using a bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut each log into little pieces, about 1/3 inch thick. You can line the logs up next to each other and cut them all at once if you wish to save time. Place each piece about 1 1/2 inches apart from each other on the sheet (these cookies don’t spread much, so don’t feel the need to place a lot of space between them)
Take one baking sheet and bake in the oven for 7-8 minutes until the cookies have just started to turn golden brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 60 seconds before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the rest of the dough, keeping what you’re not currently baking inside the freezer or the refrigerator so as not to let it get too soft (which will cause them to spread).
Note: No one oven is the same, & different baking sheets bake cookies differently. Keeping this in mind, I will ALWAYS test bake one cookie before baking entire sheets of the whole batch, just to get a good idea of how long they should be in the oven and if I need to adjust the way I’ve cut, rolled them out, etc. I highly recommend that you do the same.)
It looks like you nailed it this time Jess! I’ve never heard of this cookie but just love how tender it looks and all the spices. Happy Holidays!
Thanks Julie, the second time around didn’t turn out too shabby 😉
I loved the tip for scrunching up the parchment paper…..I look forward to trying it out myself!
Awesome! Thank you and happy baking, I hope you enjoy the cookies 😀
They look great Jess, never heard of this cookie before but I love the aggressive spicing. Sounds really delicious and I love a soft and chewy cookie. Merry Christmas and hope you have a wonderful holiday,
Thanks so much Suzanne; Merry Christmas to you too 🙂 <3
I love when I come across something I never heard of before. These cookies sound intriguing. Thank you for introducing them to me 🙂
You’re most welcome Yana, thank you for stopping by, I hope you get to try the recipe out some time.