Peppernut cookies are small spiced cookies that are traditional holiday cookies originating from Northern Europe. In the Netherlands, they are called Pepernoten. And in Germany, they are called Pfeffernusse. The Engligh translation is Peppernuts.
When I was growing up, I loved when my dad made my great grandmother's peppernut (or pfeffernusse) cookies during the holiday season. They were always my very favorite holiday cookie. I loved the small size and the spicy flavor, and they were oh so addicting...I usually ate them by the handful.
I knew they were from my family's German side, but that's about all I knew growing up. So fast forward many, many years to my first year living in the Netherlands. I was completely in shock when I walked in to a grocery store during my first November, and there were peppernut cookies everywhere! Rather, pepernoten as they called them. Displays and displays of them! All different kinds too! Pepernotens covered in chocolate and others covered in powdered sugar. I truly couldn't have been more shocked.
Pepernoten Cookies
I was even more shocked to realize this little pepernoten cookie played such a big part in the Dutch holiday traditions. When Sinterklaas arrives by boat from Spain each year, his helpers threw pepernoten in to the crowds of people that lined the canals and streets. Also, the Dutch give presents to their children from Sinterklaas on December 5th not at Christmas. In the town where we lived, it was customary for parents to give a sack filled with their children's gifts to a neighbor. The neighbor would come over, open the door, throw candies and pepernoten to distract the kids while they dropped a bag of gifts from Sinterklaas. And when Sinterklaas left to go back to Spain, he left little candies, fruit and pepenoten in the kids' shoes that they left at the door. Many grocery stores also allowed kids to leave a shoe there, and they would fill it with pepernoten, little candies and treats. I loved learning and experiencing different types of traditions while we lived in the Netherlands. And I loved how this little cookie brought my young life and current life full circle.
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Ingredients
- All purpose flour
- White sugar
- Salted butter
- Dark molasses
- Ground nuts (optional)
- Cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground cloves
- Baking soda
See recipe card for quantities.
Peppernut Cookie Variations
- Nuts - my family almost always made peppernut cookies with actual nuts. Usually ground pecans, as those were my dad's favorite. But sometimes, he used walnuts or a combination of both. Not all peppernut, pfeffernusse or pepernoten recipes have ground nuts. Different regional recipes vary. And some people have come to believe that the nut in the cookie name refers to the shape of the cookie and not the use of actual nuts. Our family version always had nuts, but they are optional.
- Pepper - despite the name, not all peppernut, pfeffernusse or pepernoten recipes use black or white pepper either. Some modern interpretations of this cookie add a small amount of black or white pepper. However, traditionally, pepper was not included in the cookies. The spices in the cookies do create a deep, spicy flavor though. If you want to add pepper, I would suggest ¼ teaspoon of white pepper or ¾ teaspoon of black pepper.
Storage
Store the peppernut cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 weeks. These cookies also freeze well.
Next Level Tips
- These make a fabulous, nostalgic holiday treat for friends and family with a Dutch or German heritage, especially as these cookies are not easily found in stores outside of Europe.
FAQ
This recipe originally calls for dark molasses. I've used all different kinds. My favorite is the Grandma's Original Molasses in the glass jar with yellow accents. Probably because it's the one that is most commonly found in regular grocery stores over the years. You can also use a very dark blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses is considered a healthier molasses, but it's also more bitter. I would only recommend blackstrap molasses only if you've tried it before and know you like it.
No, you can skip the nuts if there's an allergy or you simply don't have or like them.
Take a handful of dough and shape it into a ball-ish shape just so there ar no rough edges. Then start to flatten the ball into to a log (approximately ¾ to 1 inch in thickness) by rolling it back and forth underneath the palm of your hand against the counter or any flat surface. Repeat until all dough is used. They don't have to be perfect. Place the logs on a cookie sheet and cover. Chill for a minimum of two hours up to overnight. 
This recipe is quite old and the cookies are very small. Baking soda was often dissolved in a little water to make sure it was evenly distributed throughout the cookies.
Peppernut Cookies (Pfeffernusse or Pepernoten)
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup dark molasses
- 2 teaspooons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in a little water
- 1 cup nut meats (ex. finely chopped pecans or walnuts)
- 5 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- Ground 1 cup of pecans (or nut of choice) into small nut meat pieces.
- Mix the butter, sugar and molasses together in the stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, until combined.
- Dissolve the baking soda in a small amount of water. Add the cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, dissolved baking soda and nut meats to the mixer and mix until combined.
- Add the flour to the mixer one cup at a time. Mix until fully combined and then an additional 60 seconds.
- Roll the dough into ¾ - 1 inch thick cigar shaped logs. Place the logs on baking sheets, cover and chill for a minimum of 2 hours up to overnight.
- Take the logs out of refrigerator as needed. The logs made need to be lightly reshaped if they settled in the refrigerator. The logs warm up very quickly, so only take a few out of the refrigerator at a time and only handle as necessary. Slice off ¼ inch pieces.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. It is not necessary to use cooking spray or parchment paper. As there is a lot of butter in the recipe, these cookies do not stick.
- Place cookies on cookie sheet at least one inch apart. One half cookie sheet will usually hold approximately 48 cookies (six rows of eight cookies).
- Bake at 350℉ for 7-8 minutes. For a softer cookie, remove from the oven before bottoms are browned. For a harder cookie, bake one minute longer. As this recipe makes hundreds of small cookies, it's best to do a test batch. Allow them to cool before touching or tasting as they do firm up as they cool. They cool quickly.
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