Have you been searching for the best Pfeffernusse Recipe?
If you know me, I'm a sucker for cookies that make you feel warm and fuzzy! For me, that includes flavors of cinnamon, vanilla and molasses to name a few. That's why it's really no surprise that these coin-sized cookies, lured me into a recipe hunt!
Every Christmas, a box of cookies shows up on the shelves at Walmart, and I can’t wait to grab one. It’s a variety pack with all kinds of little cookies—shortbread, chocolate chip, and some chocolate-flavored ones. But the real stars of the box, in my opinion, are these tiny powdered sugar cookies with a cinnamon-molasses flavor.
The problem? There are only five of them in the whole box. Five! I try to savor them, but they’re so good I end up eating them way too fast. This year, I decided to figure out how to make them myself. But there was one BIG problem: I didn’t even know what they were called.
My search took place over many hours and platforms:
My first route included checking the cookie box packaging for the name. No Luck.
Then I searched on walmart.com and I found the cookies but the description still lacked the name of the cookie I was craving. For reference, these are the cookies I'm referring to:
I googled and googled for the answer. I didn't find it but what I did find was that I wasn't the only one looking for this yummy cookie! Search results came back with guesses like snowballs, wedding cookies, and Danish cookies, but none matched the treat I longed for.
Checkout this (relatable) conversation from Reddit.com:
Did anyone figure out what they were called? I bought many boxes just for those cookies
Any luck on finding out what this cookie is called? If so please post, im also on a hunt for this same cookie! 😁
No. And I did alot and I mean alot of looking, research, etc... I even asked Walmart who makes the cookies for them and no one knows.
I searched Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram....no such luck.
How could I even be surprised? I didn't even know what to search for besides a powerdered sugar covered cookie that tastes like cinnamon and maybe molasses too.
Finally, I decided to post in one of the many cookie groups I'm a proud member of on Facebook. The responses flooded in, ranging from the expected (snowball cookies again) to the imaginative, yet none seemed to fit. Then, one insightful baker dropped the answer I’d been searching for: pfeffernussen.
Pfeffernusse Cookies. The little powdered sugar, cinnamon cookie in the Walmart assorted cookie box is Pfeffernusse!
What is Pfeffernüsse?
Pfeffernusse, an old German cookie, translates roughly to "pepper nuts," a nod to the traditional use of black pepper in the dough. With roots in my own German heritage, it’s no wonder I was drawn to this spicy, sugar-dusted cookie all my life.
The Experiment: The Perfect Pfeffernusse Cookie Recipe
Armed with the name and my newfound determination, I dove into research mode. I watched videos, scoured blogs, and printed out recipes from across the internet. Each recipe varied slightly—some swore by a powdered sugar icing, others insisted on a simple powdered sugar coating. Even the spice blends were a point of debate. Some used molasses and honey, some only one or the other.
Channeling my inner cookie scientist, I set out to create my own version, blending elements from various recipes. The result was a warm, aromatic dough with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and even a touch of black pepper—balanced and bold, just like I imagined.
When it came time to coat the cookies, I leaned into my sweet tooth. Following advice from one YouTube comment, I iced the cookies with a powdered sugar glaze and rolled them in powdered sugar for the ultimate double-layered sweetness. The first bite was heavenly—soft, spicy, and sweet.
The Result: A Delicious Discovery
While my homemade Pfeffernusse were delicious in their own right, they weren’t exactly like the store-bought version I’d fallen in love with. Mine were softer, with a more tender crumb. The originals were crunchy—likely aged over time, as one recipe noted—and wafer-thin. My homemade version had a nicely domed shape, when the icing was set, the first bite of breaking through the crusted icing was pure heaven!
This winter season, I’m sharing my Pfeffernusse recipe with you, a creation born out of love for that elusive mystery cookie. Whether you keep them soft or experiment with aging them for that crunch, one thing is certain: these cookies are a delight worth chasing.
Recipe: My Pfeffernusse Cookies
Feel free to tweak the spices and coating to match your preferences. These cookies may not come in a box, but they’ll fill your home with the warm, spiced aroma of Christmas—and you won’t have to fight over who gets the last one.
Christmas. Plus, I don’t have to fight over the last one in the box!
Commentaires