Pfeffernuss

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Pfeffernuss is a spiced German Christmas cookie. Although there is no set recipe and the variations appear throughout the country, the dough is usually heavily spiced with several spices. The list typically includes white pepper, which gives the cookie its name, cinnamon, cardamom, anise, cloves, allspice, ground ginger, and nutmeg. Sometimes, they are made with a gingerbread spice blend known as lebkuchengewürz , while some variations also use orange or lemon zest. These cookies are a Christmas staple, mostly prepared and enjoyed throughout the Christmas period. They are typically round and often dusted in sugar or covered in icing glaze. They share many similarities with Danish ( pebernødder ) and Dutch ( pepernoten ) pepper cookies.