pfeffernusse

"sc" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how to
describe what I mean really... kind

of

Quoted message said:

like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but just a little

more

Quoted message said:

dense. Wow, that sounds bad! Anyhow, that kind of texture. I've

tried a

Quoted message said:

couple of recipes, but they all come out like cookies or biscuits,

which

Quoted message said:

is not what I want.

I know exactly the ones you mean, but have never come across a recipe for them ... probably because
that's not what "true" pfeffernusse are like. I have to admit, your post sent me scurrying to my
cookbooks out of sheer curiosity -- and what a variety of recipes! I don't envy you your task. What
I'd suggest you do is find the recipe that's *spiced* the way you like it, then play with the
mixture to achieve a pleasing texture (I know, I know -- we're quite cavalier here about saying "why
don't *you* try it and let us know how it goes," and I know that it's a really annoying answer 🙂).
I'd suggest looking at the cookie as rather meringue-like -- the whipped egg white will give you the
volume and, maybe (with the right proportion of egg yolks and flour), the right texture. It's going
to take some fiddling to get right.

And don't underestimate the power of "ripening" (a frustrating concept in our culture of instant-
gratification). Most of the pfeffernusse recipes I have suggest a 2-3 week period where the cookies
just sit in a sealed container and soften up a bit.

So ... let us know how it goes, hm? It's an interesting question. -j

"sc" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how to
describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but just a
little more dense. Wow, that sounds bad! Anyhow, that kind of texture. I've tried a couple of
recipes, but they all come out like cookies or biscuits, which is not what I want.

There are a couple of brands of pfeffernusse that you can get in the supermarkets that have the
texture I'm talking about, so maybe someone knows the brands. Fritz is the only one I can think of
at the moment.

Here's a picture of some...

centrafinefoods.com.aupub details.aspOpen ↗

Here are 2 recipes - I have not tried them.

Dimitri

PFEFFERNUSSE (GERMAN) PEPPERNUTS

# 1

3 eggs 1 c. sugar 3 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2/4 tsp. salt
3/8 tsp. white pepper 1 tsp. cinnamon
4/8 tsp. cloves
5/4 c. almonds, blanched & ground
6/2 c. chopped candied lemon or orange peel

Beat eggs and sugar until frothy. Blend dry ingredients; stir in. Add almonds and peel. Mix
thoroughly with hands. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured board; cut in 1 inch rounds.
Place on lightly greased baking sheet; cover with towel or place in cupboard; leave overnight to
dry. (For a softer cookie, do not dry - bake immediately after cutting out.) Heat oven to 350
degrees (moderate). Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 12 dozen 1 inch rounds.

# 2

4 eggs 4 c. flour 1 tsp. nutmeg 2 tsp. cinnamon
7/4 lb. citron 2 c. sugar 1 tsp. soda 1 tsp. cloves
8/2 c. nuts

Beat eggs and sugar. Add dry ingredients, then citron. Drop on greased cookie sheet (or roll into
balls and place onto cookie sheet). Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until light brown. Best
when aged 4-6 weeks before eaten. Variation: Sprinkle cookies with rum or brandy once a week while
aging. Can be served plain or rolled in powdered sugar.

sc <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how to
describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but just a
little more dense. Wow, that sounds bad! Anyhow, that kind of texture. I've tried a couple of
recipes, but they all come out like cookies or biscuits, which is not what I want.

There are a couple of brands of pfeffernusse that you can get in the supermarkets that have the
texture I'm talking about, so maybe someone knows the brands. Fritz is the only one I can think of
at the moment.

Here's a picture of some...

centrafinefoods.com.aupub details.aspOpen ↗

Your first step is to check the ingredient list on those cookies and compare them to your recipes.

The chief culprit in Gingerbread's softness is Molasses. Honey would give similar softness.

Other culprits are eggs and solid vegetable shortening.

Greg Zywicki

sc said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how to
describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but just a
little more dense

I don't have a recipe but the ones Mum made were hard as rocks and you had to suck them like candy
for a while before you could chew them. I have looked for years for a recipe or means to make the
same way without success. They were a central part of my Christmas when I was in grade school.

Dennis

sc <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how to
describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but just a
little more dense. Wow, that sounds bad! Anyhow, that kind of texture. I've tried a couple of
recipes, but they all come out like cookies or biscuits, which is not what I want.

There are a couple of brands of pfeffernusse that you can get in the supermarkets that have the
texture I'm talking about, so maybe someone knows the brands. Fritz is the only one I can think of
at the moment.

Here's a picture of some...

centrafinefoods.com.aupub details.aspOpen ↗ &path=1,118

I bake pfeffernusse every year around Thanksgiving in order to serve them at Christmas. They are
*not* what you want.

I have bought the type you're talking about and, quite frankly, I think apart from any thing else
that they're stale and certainly not very good.

That said, however, if that's what you like then why not just buy them.

True pfeffernusse start out as very hard and very dense cookies which may vary somewhat in flavor
but not that much in texture. They need to be stored for several weeks to allow them to "ripen" and
"mellow", both in texture and flavor. The result is still probably not what you're looking for, but
they do become much softer and the flavor more complex.

Wayne

jacqui{JB} said:

"sc" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how
to describe what I mean really... kind like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but just a
little dense. Wow, that sounds bad! Anyhow, that kind of texture. I've couple of recipes, but
they all come out like cookies or biscuits, is not what I want.

I know exactly the ones you mean, but have never come across a recipe for them ... probably
because that's not what "true" pfeffernusse are like. I have to admit, your post sent me scurrying
to my cookbooks out of sheer curiosity -- and what a variety of recipes! I don't envy you your
task. What I'd suggest you do is find the recipe that's *spiced* the way you like it, then play
with the mixture to achieve a pleasing texture (I know, I know -- we're quite cavalier here about
saying "why don't *you* try it and let us know how it goes," and I know that it's a really
annoying answer 🙂). I'd suggest looking at the cookie as rather meringue-like -- the whipped egg
white will give you the volume and, maybe (with the right proportion of egg yolks and flour), the
right texture. It's going to take some fiddling to get right.

And don't underestimate the power of "ripening" (a frustrating concept in our culture of instant-
gratification). Most of the pfeffernusse recipes I have suggest a 2-3 week period where the
cookies just sit in a sealed container and soften up a bit.

So ... let us know how it goes, hm? It's an interesting question. -j

Yeah, the problem, though, is that I almost never cook this kind of thing... or any kind of
cake/biscuit/bread like recipes. Its completely different from my kind of cooking!

So the 'play with it until you get it right' idea isnt going to work for me, because I have no idea
what will make it more or less like it (other than intuition and some educated guess work!)

You said that it's not what 'true' pfeffernusse is like. Well, therein lies the second problem. The
only ones I've ever had are out of those packets! So I was wondering, actually, whether these were
the traditional ones, or whether the dense-but-soft cookie like ones were the traditional ones.
About all I had to go on was the little blurb on the back of the packets that harps on about how
they use a traditional recipe, and they're made in Germany etc!

Well, I'll see what happens!

Scott.

Greg Zywicki said:

sc <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how to
describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but just a
little more dense. Wow, that sounds bad! Anyhow, that kind of texture. I've tried a couple of
recipes, but they all come out like cookies or biscuits, which is not what I want.

There are a couple of brands of pfeffernusse that you can get in the supermarkets that have the
texture I'm talking about, so maybe someone knows the brands. Fritz is the only one I can think of
at the moment.

Here's a picture of some...

centrafinefoods.com.aupub details.aspOpen ↗

Your first step is to check the ingredient list on those cookies and compare them to your recipes.

The chief culprit in Gingerbread's softness is Molasses. Honey would give similar softness.

Other culprits are eggs and solid vegetable shortening.

Greg Zywicki

Yeah, but I dont really want them to be 'soft', per se. More of a 'white bread roll' type texture,
i.e. quite light. The 'cookie' type ones that I made previously were soft, but completely the
wrong texture!

Dennis G. said:

sc said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how to
describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but just a
little more dense

I don't have a recipe but the ones Mum made were hard as rocks and you had to suck them like candy
for a while before you could chew them. I have looked for years for a recipe or means to make the
same way without success. They were a central part of my Christmas when I was in grade school.

Dennis

I've made these before; they are just as you described:
home.earthlink.netcooking.htmlOpen ↗

The recipe is near the bottom of the [very large but entertaining] web page.

Best regards, Bob

zxcvbob <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Dennis G. said:

sc said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how
to describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but just
a little more dense

I don't have a recipe but the ones Mum made were hard as rocks and you had to suck them like
candy for a while before you could chew them. I have looked for years for a recipe or means to
make the same way without success. They were a central part of my Christmas when I was in grade
school.

Dennis

I've made these before; they are just as you described:
home.earthlink.netcooking.htmlOpen ↗

The recipe is near the bottom of the [very large but entertaining] web page.

Best regards, Bob

Where are the spices? I've never seen a recipe or eaten a pfefferneuse that wasn't loaded with
spice. After all, the name does mean "pepper nut". In spite of the honey, these seem
dreadfully bland.

Wayne

Wayne Boatwright said:

zxcvbob <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Dennis G. said:

sc <[email hidden]> wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how
>to describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but
>just a little more dense

I don't have a recipe but the ones Mum made were hard as rocks and you had to suck them like
candy for a while before you could chew them. I have looked for years for a recipe or means to
make the same way without success. They were a central part of my Christmas when I was in grade
school.

Dennis

I've made these before; they are just as you described:
home.earthlink.netcooking.htmlOpen ↗

The recipe is near the bottom of the [very large but entertaining] web page.

Best regards, Bob

Where are the spices? I've never seen a recipe or eaten a pfefferneuse that wasn't loaded with
spice. After all, the name does mean "pepper nut". In spite of the honey, these seem
dreadfully bland.

Wayne

Notice how much cloves they have...

Best regards, Bob

zxcvbob <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

zxcvbob <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Dennis G. wrote:

>sc <[email hidden]> wrote:
>
>
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how
>>to describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but
>>just a little more dense
>
>
>I don't have a recipe but the ones Mum made were hard as rocks and you had to suck them like
>candy for a while before you could chew them. I have looked for years for a recipe or means to
>make the same way without success. They were a central part of my Christmas when I was in grade
>school.
>
>Dennis

I've made these before; they are just as you described:
home.earthlink.netcooking.htmlOpen ↗

The recipe is near the bottom of the [very large but entertaining] web page.

Best regards, Bob

Where are the spices? I've never seen a recipe or eaten a pfefferneuse that wasn't loaded with
spice. After all, the name does mean "pepper nut". In spite of the honey, these seem
dreadfully bland.

Wayne

Notice how much cloves they have...

Best regards, Bob

I must admit that I missed the quantity on that, for some reason reading it as 1/2 teaspoon. Most
I've seen, however, have more than just cloves and cinnamon, including black pepper, as well as a
small amount of minced peel or citron. Also, this recipe appears to have only a total of 4 teaspoon
of spices for *11 cups* of flour, a rather week mix IMHO. I don't think this would make a very spicy
cookie, but perhaps I just crave spices! <G>

Wayne

Dennis G. said:

sc said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how to
describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but just a
little more dense

I don't have a recipe but the ones Mum made were hard as rocks and you had to suck them like candy
for a while before you could chew them. I have looked for years for a recipe or means to make the
same way without success. They were a central part of my Christmas when I was in grade school.

Dennis

Well, I know of plenty of recipes, but that's not the texture I'm looking for!

Scott.

"Wayne Boatwright" wrote

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how
to describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but
just a little more dense. Wow, that sounds bad! Anyhow, that kind of texture. I've tried a
couple of recipes, but they all come out like cookies or biscuits, which is not what I want.

There are a couple of brands of pfeffernusse that you can get in the supermarkets that have the
texture I'm talking about, so maybe someone knows the brands. Fritz is the only one I can think
of at the moment.

Here's a picture of some...

centrafinefoods.com.aupub details.aspOpen ↗ &path=1,118

I bake pfeffernusse every year around Thanksgiving in order to serve them at Christmas. They are
*not* what you want.

I have bought the type you're talking about and, quite frankly, I think apart from any thing else
that they're stale and certainly not very good.

That said, however, if that's what you like then why not just buy them.

True pfeffernusse start out as very hard and very dense cookies which may vary somewhat in flavor
but not that much in texture. They need to be stored for several weeks to allow them to "ripen"
and "mellow", both in texture and flavor. The result is still probably not what you're looking
for, but they do become much softer and the flavor more complex.

Wayne

Ah, the infamous cookies in those big glass jars at the back of my mother's corner cupboard.

Fresh, these things will break your teeth, your dentures, your jaw. One can, however, dunk them in
black coffee, good black coffee, to avoid breakage.

My mother kept them up to at least 2 years in those glass jars at the back of the cupboard. One does
not keep them in the refrigerator and, definitely not the freezer. She made huge batches to make
sure those jars were always aging.

You have to consider these as wine---they need to age. The longer they age, the closer to the
texture of which you speak. Personally, I like them at about 1 year.

I am not joking or being ridiculous here. I'm telling you the absolute truth. I rarely post on RFC
these days, but I have references!!! AND, I have the jars!!!

Pam

Just do a test with labeled pint jars, and you'll see.

Wayne Boatwright said:

sc <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how to
describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but just a
little more dense. Wow, that sounds bad! Anyhow, that kind of texture. I've tried a couple of
recipes, but they all come out like cookies or biscuits, which is not what I want.

There are a couple of brands of pfeffernusse that you can get in the supermarkets that have the
texture I'm talking about, so maybe someone knows the brands. Fritz is the only one I can think of
at the moment.

Here's a picture of some...

centrafinefoods.com.aupub details.aspOpen ↗ &path=1,118

I bake pfeffernusse every year around Thanksgiving in order to serve them at Christmas. They are
*not* what you want.

I have bought the type you're talking about and, quite frankly, I think apart from any thing else
that they're stale and certainly not very good.

That said, however, if that's what you like then why not just buy them.

True pfeffernusse start out as very hard and very dense cookies which may vary somewhat in flavor
but not that much in texture. They need to be stored for several weeks to allow them to "ripen"
and "mellow", both in texture and flavor. The result is still probably not what you're looking
for, but they do become much softer and the flavor more complex.

Yup, that's what I said in the other post - I dont know what 'real' pfeffernusse are supposed to
look like, or what they taste like, or what texture they should have... but those light ones are the
ones I like! Maybe they shouldnt be called pfeffernusse... I dont really mind what they get called,
I'd just like to know how to make them!

The 'why not just buy them' idea seems a little strange to me, since this group is called
rec.food.cooking. Why not just buy anything that gets cooked.

zxcvbob said:

Dennis G. said:

sc said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how
to describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but
just a little more dense

I don't have a recipe but the ones Mum made were hard as rocks and you had to suck them like
candy for a while before you could chew them. I have looked for years for a recipe or means to
make the same way without success. They were a central part of my Christmas when I was in grade
school.

Dennis

I've made these before; they are just as you described:
home.earthlink.netcooking.htmlOpen ↗

The recipe is near the bottom of the [very large but entertaining] web page.

Hi!

Thanks for the recipe and link.

Hmm... is that them in the picture that you can click on? Do they have a texture more like bread
than biscuit or cookie? They look like the cookie type ones.

sc <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Greg Zywicki said:

sc <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how
to describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but
just a little more dense. Wow, that sounds bad! Anyhow, that kind of texture. I've tried a
couple of recipes, but they all come out like cookies or biscuits, which is not what I want.

There are a couple of brands of pfeffernusse that you can get in the supermarkets that have the
texture I'm talking about, so maybe someone knows the brands. Fritz is the only one I can think
of at the moment.

Here's a picture of some...

centrafinefoods.com.aupub details.aspOpen ↗

Your first step is to check the ingredient list on those cookies and compare them to your
recipes.

The chief culprit in Gingerbread's softness is Molasses. Honey would give similar softness.

Other culprits are eggs and solid vegetable shortening.

Greg Zywicki

Yeah, but I dont really want them to be 'soft', per se. More of a 'white bread roll' type texture,
i.e. quite light. The 'cookie' type ones that I made previously were soft, but completely the
wrong texture!

If you want gingerbread texture, then you want to consider molasses.

Other than that, no idea.

Greg Zywicki

SJC <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

sc <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hi,

Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how
to describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but just
a little more dense. Wow, that sounds bad! Anyhow, that kind of texture. I've tried a couple of
recipes, but they all come out like cookies or biscuits, which is not what I want.

There are a couple of brands of pfeffernusse that you can get in the supermarkets that have the
texture I'm talking about, so maybe someone knows the brands. Fritz is the only one I can think
of at the moment.

Here's a picture of some...

centrafinefoods.com.aupub details.aspOpen ↗ 8 &path=1,118

I bake pfeffernusse every year around Thanksgiving in order to serve them at Christmas. They are
*not* what you want.

I have bought the type you're talking about and, quite frankly, I think apart from any thing else
that they're stale and certainly not very good.

That said, however, if that's what you like then why not just buy them.

True pfeffernusse start out as very hard and very dense cookies which may vary somewhat in flavor
but not that much in texture. They need to be stored for several weeks to allow them to "ripen"
and "mellow", both in texture and flavor. The result is still probably not what you're looking
for, but they do become much softer and the flavor more complex.

Yup, that's what I said in the other post - I dont know what 'real' pfeffernusse are supposed to
look like, or what they taste like, or what texture they should have... but those light ones are
the ones I like! Maybe they shouldnt be called pfeffernusse... I dont really mind what they get
called, I'd just like to know how to make them!

The 'why not just buy them' idea seems a little strange to me, since this group is called
rec.food.cooking. Why not just buy anything that gets cooked.

Some things you like are not necessarily available for sale, especially the way you might like them.

Wayne Boatwright <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

zxcvbob <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

zxcvbob <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

>Dennis G. wrote:
>
>
>>sc <[email hidden]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>Hi,
>>>
>>>Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know
>>>how to describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls,
>>>but just a little more dense
>>
>>
>>I don't have a recipe but the ones Mum made were hard as rocks and you had to suck them like
>>candy for a while before you could chew them. I have looked for years for a recipe or means to
>>make the same way without success. They were a central part of my Christmas when I was in
>>grade school.
>>
>>Dennis
>
>
>I've made these before; they are just as you described:
>home.earthlink.netcooking.htmlOpen ↗
>
>The recipe is near the bottom of the [very large but entertaining] web page.
>
>Best regards, Bob
>

Where are the spices? I've never seen a recipe or eaten a pfefferneuse that wasn't loaded with
spice. After all, the name does mean "pepper nut". In spite of the honey, these seem dreadfully
bland.

Wayne

Notice how much cloves they have...

Best regards, Bob

I must admit that I missed the quantity on that, for some reason reading it as 1/2 teaspoon. Most
I've seen, however, have more than just cloves and cinnamon, including black pepper, as well as a
small amount of minced peel or citron. Also, this recipe appears to have only a total of 4
teaspoon of spices for *11 cups* of flour, a rather week mix IMHO. I don't think this would make a
very spicy cookie, but perhaps I just crave spices! <G>

Wayne

If you read that page closely, you'll find the guy who wrote it probably doesn't have a very strong
pallete - he reccomends simmering meats in water, then pouring that off into dog food.

But the basic recipe could probably make for great cookies. Just add more spice and the peel
you mention.

Greg Zywicki

SJC said:

zxcvbob said:

Dennis G. said:

sc <[email hidden]> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Does anyone know a recipe for pfeffernusse that has the texture of gingerbread? I dont know how
> to describe what I mean really... kind of like dry, semi-stale white bread dinner rolls, but
> just a little more dense

I don't have a recipe but the ones Mum made were hard as rocks and you had to suck them like
candy for a while before you could chew them. I have looked for years for a recipe or means to
make the same way without success. They were a central part of my Christmas when I was in grade
school.

Dennis

I've made these before; they are just as you described:
home.earthlink.netcooking.htmlOpen ↗

The recipe is near the bottom of the [very large but entertaining] web page.

Hi!

Thanks for the recipe and link.

Hmm... is that them in the picture that you can click on? Do they have a texture more like bread
than biscuit or cookie? They look like the cookie type ones.

That's them in the picture; clicking it as a link isn't working for me. They are hard little rocks,
but chewable if you have strong teeth. I made a half a batch and ate them all within a week or two,
so I don't know what happens if you age them for a few months.

Best regards, Bob