Catholic Recipe: Pepernoten or Pfeffernüsse III (Peppernuts)
INGREDIENTS
- 1-1/2 cups honey
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1 egg
- 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom seed
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground anise seed
- 2 unbeaten egg whites
- 1 tablespoon strained honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom seed
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground anise seed
Details
Yield: 6-7 dozen

Frosting:
Prep Time: 1 1/2 hours
Difficulty: ★★☆☆
Cost: ★★☆☆
For Ages: 15+
Origin: The Netherlands, Germany
Food Categories (3)
Similar Recipes (1)
Feasts (1)
Also Called: Pfeffernuesse
DIRECTIONS
Cookies: Heat honey (do not boil) in saucepan large enough to mix entire dough. Add shortening. Cool. Beat in egg. Sift remaining ingredients together, gradually stirring into honey mixture. Reserve 35 minutes to stiffen. Shape into 1-inch balls. Bake on lightly greased baking sheets 13-15 minutes at 350°.
Frosting: Combine egg whites, honey, spices in 1-quart mixing bowl. Add confectioners' sugar, gradually.
Place 12 to 14 Pfeffernuesse at a time in a smaller bowl with 2 tablespoons of icing. Stir Pfeffernuesse to coat all sides. Repeat. Place to cool on wire rack. Store in tightly closed container.
Yield, 6-7 dozen
Recipe Source: Catholic Cookbook, The by William I. Kaufman, The Citadel Press, New York, 1965
Today is the Optional Memorial of St. Pius V (1504-1572). He joined the Dominicans at the age of fourteen; he was sixty-two when he was elected Pope. His reign, though short, was one of the most fruitful of the sixteenth century. To Protestantism, which had proclaimed the Reformation, St. Pius replied by…
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