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Home » Christmas Cookies » German Spice Cookies Recipe

German Spice Cookies Recipe

Published: Dec 8, 2019 · Modified: Dec 2, 2020 by Arlene Mobley · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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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.

German Pfeffernusse Cookies. on a plate

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.

How To Make German Spice Cookies also known as Pfeffernüsse or pepper nut cookies.

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
5 small bowls filled with the ground spices.

Let's make the recipe

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices in a bowl and set aside.

Adding spices to the dry ingredients.

Use a whisk to evenly blend the spices with the dry ingredients.

Spices and dry ingredients whisked together in a bowl.

In a large bowl beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until combined.

Creaming butter and sugar together in a bowl.

Add the egg and molasses to the bowl and beat until completely combined.

Beating Molasses and egg into the sugar and butter.

Beat the flour into the butter mixture. If your mixer starts to strain switch to a wooden spoon.

Beating flour into cookie dough with a mixer.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate so the dough firms up.

Mixing cookie dough with a wooden spoon.

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.

Rolled cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.

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.

Baked Spice Cookies on a wire cooling rack.

Use a small fine meshed wire strainer to dust the warm cookies with powdered sugar.

Warm cookies dusted with powdered sugar on a wire rack.

Recipe FAQs

What are Pfeffernüsse cookies

Pfeffernüsse cookies are German Spice cookies a traditional German Christmas cookie recipe that is packed full of flavor of traditional Christmas spices.

What spices are in German Pfeffernüsse Spice Cookies?

German Spice Cookies are made with ground cinnamon, ground black pepper, ground ginger, ground cardamom and ground cloves.

Does baking cookies on parchment paper make a difference?

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.

Cookie tins filled with a variety of Christmas Cookies

More Christmas Cookies from FOMF

  • German Spritz Cookies (Butter Cookies)
  • Mexican Wedding Cookies
  • Christmas Sandwich Cookies

More Christmas Cookies from friends of FOMF

  • Walking On Sunshine Recipes: Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Glenda Embree: Checkerboard Sandwich Cookies
  • Fat Dad Foodie: Sugar Roll Cookies

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Pfeffernüsse cookies
A black and red plaid Christmas plate with homemade German Spice Cookies in muffin papers on a Chrstmas dessert table.

German Spice Cookies Recipe

Arlene Mobley - Flour On My Face
German Spice Cookies Recipe are little pillows of a cookie. This German Christmas cookies is slightly crunch, sweet from the powdered sugar and packed full of Christmas spicy flavors.
5 from 5 votes
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Prep Time 18 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine German
Servings 50 Cookies
Calories 66 kcal

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
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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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cookie | Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
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More Christmas Cookies

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About Arlene Mobley

Arlene Mobley author of Flour On My Face-a Food & Lifestyle website helping busy families get dinner on the table by serving easy recipes every week.

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Arlene Mobley Food & Lifestyle Blogger


Hi, I'm Arlene Mobley the cook & photographer here at Flour On My Face. I have been cooking for my family for over 35 years. I love sharing recipes to help busy families get dinner on the table. Learn more here

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