German Spice Cookies are also known as Pfeffernüsse cookies in Germany. This traditional German cookie is served at Christmastime in Germany and is much like our gingerbread cookies. The difference is they are made in the perfect bite size and coated with a heavy coating of sweet powdered sugar.
When you are making and baking these German Spice Cookies your home will smell amazing. These cookies travel well and the flavor of spice cookies just gets better with time.
The outside of spice cookies are firm while the center is tender making German Spice cookies the perfect cookies for shipping because they are not delicate.
German Spice Cookies are the perfect cookie if you are mailing out a box of goodies for a loved one. They also last a very long time before going stale.
Ingredients Needed
- unbleached all purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- ground cinnamon
- ground black pepper
- ground ginger
- ground cardamom
- ground cloves
- softened butter
- granulated sugar
- a large egg
- dark molasses
- powdered sugar
Let's make the recipe
Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices in a bowl and set aside.
Use a whisk to evenly blend the spices with the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until combined.
Add the egg and molasses to the bowl and beat until completely combined.
Beat the flour into the butter mixture. If your mixer starts to strain switch to a wooden spoon.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate so the dough firms up.
Once the dough has firmed up form dough into small balls. Use a dough scoop to make the dough balls the same size. Or use a teaspoon to measure before rolling the balls.
Bake the cookies 12 to 14 minutes or until the cookie is a light golden brown. Remove the baked cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before dusting the warm cookies with sifted powdered sugar.
Use a small fine meshed wire strainer to dust the warm cookies with powdered sugar.
Recipe FAQs
Pfeffernüsse cookies are German Spice cookies a traditional German Christmas cookie recipe that is packed full of flavor of traditional Christmas spices.
German Spice Cookies are made with ground cinnamon, ground black pepper, ground ginger, ground cardamom and ground cloves.
Parchment paper helps cookies bake evenly on the bottom and keeps the cookie from sticking to the pan.
Recipe Expert Tips
- Spices: You can use ground spices from the grocery store or you can grind some of the whole spices yourself. I used a mortar and pestle to grind the whole cloves, whole pepper and whole cardamom pods.
- Parchment Paper: I bake all of my cookies on parchment paper lined cookie sheets except for Almond Spritz cookies. Have you ever baked cookies and one half of the cookies are unevenly baked on the bottom and some of the cookies are baked perfectly golden brown? This is the difference parchment paper makes when you line cookie sheets with it when baking cookies. Parchment paper also makes clean up a breeze. Just discard the parchment paper and rise the cookie sheet well and you are done.
- Forming the cookie balls: A dough scoop comes in very handy when making uniform shaped balls of cookie dough.
- Dusting with sugar: Dust the cookies with sugar while they are still warm or the sugar will not stick to the cookies.
Best Christmas Cookies for Shipping
If you need a Christmas cookie recipe that ships well you can send a box of these Christmas cookies to family and friends.
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German Spice Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamon
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup dark molasses
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined well.
- Add the ground cinnamon. ground cloves, ground cardamon and ground black pepper to bowl and whisk to blend the ground spices with the flour mixture. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and beat for one minute.
- Add the dark molasses to the bowl and beat until the molasses is completely combined with the sugar mixture.
- Add the flour to the bowl with the wet ingredients in increments beating on low with a hand mixer until all of the flour is mixed in. If your mixer begins to strain switch to a wooden spoon.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or can be chilled over night if necessary.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. if using aluminum baking sheets and 350 F. if using dark non-stick cookie sheets.
- Once the dough has chilled form balls with a dough scoop or a tablespoon. Roll into balls and place on a greased or parchment paper covered cookie sheet. allow 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until the cookie is a light golden brown. Remove the baked cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before dusting the warm cookies with sifted powdered sugar.
- Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool.
- Store cooled cookies in an air tight container for up to a week. Freeze cookies for up to three months if needed.
Video
Recipe Expert Tips
- Spices: You can use ground spices from the grocery store or you can grind some of the whole spices yourself. I used a mortar and pestle to grind the whole cloves, whole pepper and whole cardamom pods.
- Parchment Paper: I bake all of my cookies on parchment paper lined cookie sheets except for Almond Spritz cookies. Have you ever baked cookies and one half of the cookies are unevenly baked on the bottom and some of the cookies are baked perfectly golden brown? This is the difference parchment paper makes when you line cookie sheets with it when baking cookies. Parchment paper also makes clean up a breeze. Just discard the parchment paper and rise the cookie sheet well and you are done.
- Forming the cookie balls: A dough scoop comes in very handy when making uniform shaped balls of cookie dough.
- Dusting with sugar: Dust the cookies with sugar while they are still warm or the sugar will not stick to the cookies.
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