I received this recipe from my friend Joanne Kneft, who refers to them as pfefferneuse. They do resemble the hard, pepper-spiced German holiday cookie, but these are softer and more appealing, and they
contain no pepper! Walnuts, almonds, and almond paste give these cookies flavor and moist texture; the addition of dried fruit, spices, and honey makes them very good keeping cookies. While they are Christmassy, they are welcome long after the festive season, perfect for dunking in a cup of strong coffee or a glass of rich white Burgundy.
Makes 75 to 80 cookies
Ingredients:
1¼ pounds (4¼ cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda ½ teaspoon ne sea salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1½ teaspoons freshly ground allspice
1 teaspoon freshly ground cloves
Scant 2½ cups (9 oz/260 g) walnuts, minced (about 2 cups)
Generous 1 cup (120 g) almond flour or nely ground almonds
4 tablespoons (½ stick/60 g) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (100 g) vanilla sugar (Chapter Breakfast)
4 ounces (60 g) almond paste
1 large egg
1 cup (about 8 ounces/250 g) mild honey, such as wildflower or
lavender ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of ½ lemon, minced
¼ cup (60 ml) milk
4 ounces (120 g) candied orange peel, minced
Note: These cookies are infinitely better 2 weeks after they are baked, as the spices have settled and gotten acquainted, the honey has reached out to enfold everything, the flavor is mellowand gentle.
If you don’t have time to bake all the cookies at once, don’t be concerned—the dough keeps well, tightly covered and refrigerated, for almost a week.
Directions:
1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices onto a piece of wax paper or parchment. Using your fingers, mix in the minced walnuts and almond flour.
2. In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, blend the butter, vanilla sugar, and almond paste, mixing until thoroughly combined. Add the egg, mixing well, then add the honey, vanilla extract, and
lemon zest and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in the candied orange peel until it is thoroughly incorporated into the dough. The dough will be quite stiff. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Roll 1 tablespoon of the dough into a ball. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) between balls so the dough has
room to spread.
5. Bake the cookies in the center of the oven until they are puffed and golden and don’t spring back when you touch them, about 17 minutes.
6. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks. When they are completely cool, store them in airtight containers for at least 1 week before eating. Because of the honey in the cookies, which acts as a preservative,
and the low fat content, these cookies keep for months in an airtight container. They won’t stay around that long, of course…
