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Homemade Peppernuts (the best little cookies in the world)

December 7, 2010 by Laura 123 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

PeppernutsThere’s pepper in these cookies? Surely not! Yes, that’s why they’re called Peppernuts. Oh, but there are no nuts in the cookies. They’re called peppernuts because they have pepper in them, they are tiny and you eat them like you would eat a handful of nuts. Thus the name Peppernuts.

The best thing about Peppernuts? They taste just like my Grandma’s. I was so excited after I ate my first one twelve (it’s okay, they’re tiny, remember?). I hadn’t had a peppernut for YEARS, because the only person I ever knew to make them was Grandma and she’s been gone since before my oldest was born.  Peppernuts…such sweet little bites of memories.

Peppernuts had actually fallen off my radar until my friend Gail mentioned them to me a couple of months ago. Suddenly…I NEEDED some peppernuts. Gail found a recipe and emailed it to me. Then of course I “whole wheat floured” and “sucanated” it…and woohoo…just like Grandma’s!

This experience gave me a whole new respect for Grandma because these tiny little cookies are a little bit time intensive. They’re not hard to make mind you…but the recipe makes a HUGE batch of dough, then you roll the dough into teeny tiny snakes and cut off teeny tiny pieces and you bake them into teeny tiny cookie bites. It took two to three hours to get through all of the dough. It was worth the time and effort, but I’m guessing I’ll only be making these a few times a year.

Homemade PeppernutsYum

Homemade Peppernuts (the best little cookies in the world)
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 2-4 cups sucanat
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon real maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 Tablespoon hot water
  • 6-7 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon cloves
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
  1. Beat first five ingredients well.
  2. Dissolve soda in water then add to first five ingredients.
  3. Mix well.
  4. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture.
  5. Knead into firm dough (hand mixing will probably be required.
  6. This dough is too stiff for most electric mixers).
  7. Chill overnight or at least two hours.
  8. Roll into "snake-like rolls" a little smaller than dime size in diameter.
  9. Cut into small pieces about ¼" thick.
  10. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in 350° oven for 7-8 minutes.
  11. Store in an airtight container.
3.4.3177

And now, some Peppernut Pictures…

As you can see from the amount of ingredients, this recipe does make a huge big blob of dough:

If in fact you cut your tiny little pieces not quite tiny enough, they expand and bake together into one huge crazy looking…thing…on your baking pan. You will then learn that your idea of tiny wasn’t tiny enough and you need to cut them even tinier. Take note, the following peppernuts are cut too big (even though they look small) and are too close together on the pan.

Which resulted in something freaky like this:

Instead cut them teeny-tiny like this:

So that they will look like this:

It is a little bit fun if they are too close together on the pan and you get a peppernut snowman:

Or a peppernut worm:

After you have rolled and cut your twenty sixth snake, you will realize that it’s easier to line up a snake or two and cut them at the same time. This revelation saves you 18 precious seconds.

 

 

 

These Peppernuts fill up the biggest bowl you have and then some. They’re great to package up in small bags to give as Christmas time gifts to coworkers and neighbors.

 

But of course, you should put some in cute jars and keep them in your kitchen for family time munching with Hot Cocoa.

You know what’s better than eating  Peppernuts?

Looking at Peppernuts in cute jars.

Or is that just me?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: healthy, peppernuts, recipe, sucanat, whole wheat

Comments

  1. Lisa says

    December 7, 2010 at 9:55 pm

    Those are so cute. I’ve never heard of peppernuts! Pepper in cookies makes me curious. I’ll have to give them a try. And they do look adorable in your jars.

    Reply
    • Mary Lou Yoder says

      June 29, 2011 at 9:03 pm

      In my little Peppernut Cookbook from KS, it says that many many years ago, pepper was a general term for ‘spices’. It it is not referring to ‘black pepper’. Thank you for this recipe. It lookes like one I’ll by trying!

      Reply
      • Karen Funk says

        November 5, 2012 at 8:44 pm

        You’re right, real peppernuts do NOT have black or white pepper
        in them. Pepper means spicy in German. My mother’s recipe calls for
        2 tsps each of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, and ground star
        aniseed per batch and let me tell you they are the best, hands down.

        Reply
  2. Joy says

    December 7, 2010 at 10:54 pm

    I can’t believe you posted this recipe!! This is the recipe I’ve been dreaming of for years! I grew up (in my early years) in a little Mennonite town in Kansas, where the ladies made these every year at Christmas. My mom made them too, so I have happy memories of them. But I always wanted to find a recipe that had healthful ingredients in it. This is wonderful, and I can’t wait to try them! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Amber says

      December 15, 2010 at 8:20 am

      It wasn’t Buhler was it?? This is where my husbands grandparents lived and I have all his grandmothers ‘pfeffernusse’ recipies. They were german mennonite!!

      Reply
      • Keren Beeck says

        February 9, 2012 at 1:40 pm

        My grandparents lived in Buhler, too. I’m probably related to your
        husband. My great-great grandfather, Heinrich B. Friesen, emigrated
        from Alexanderthal, Russia to central Kansas in the 1800’s.

        Reply
        • Leslie Dalton says

          October 31, 2012 at 7:07 am

          I love this, and all the responses. I’m orignally from KS and I grew up in Hutchinson. Birds of a feather are flocking together around the peppernut recipe!

          Reply
  3. Holly in Virginia says

    December 7, 2010 at 11:09 pm

    Those are pepernoten! A little brown cookie of Dutch origins, traditionally served on St Nicolas Day, December 5th. We just had some that my sister-in-law smuggled in from Holland. My in-laws are Dutch and they would flip out for home-made pepernoten! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Melissa VDA says

      December 15, 2016 at 8:28 am

      Yes, these are definitely a Dutch tradition. We can’t do without them at Christmas! ;-)

      Reply
  4. Allison says

    December 7, 2010 at 11:41 pm

    My grandma always made Pfeffernusse at Christmas – hers were bigger though, and rolled in powdered sugar after baking. And really, really peppery. I make them for my dad every year now and they are so nostalgic. :)

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      December 9, 2010 at 4:26 pm

      Same here. My grandmother was german and made them just like yours did.

      Reply
  5. Raine says

    December 8, 2010 at 12:17 am

    I’m going to have to try these. Can you use brown sugar instead of sucanat, because I’m not sure where to buy it around here?

    Reply
    • Christine says

      December 8, 2010 at 1:40 am

      I was wondering also if I would use brown sugar or regular sugar.

      Reply
      • Laura says

        December 8, 2010 at 7:44 am

        Yes, brown sugar will work just fine!

        Reply
  6. Christine says

    December 8, 2010 at 1:57 am

    I’ve seen cloves once and they looked like little sticks. Is that what your talking about? Is there minced or a powder type cloves(like nutmeg, ginger, allspice, etc.).

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 8, 2010 at 7:44 am

      No, I used ground cloves, found in the spice section.

      Reply
  7. kelly says

    December 8, 2010 at 5:37 am

    These are my kiddos favorite thing, my friend gave me a recipe for peppernuts ten years ago and they have become a family favorite. When my kids want them they ask me to make the dogfood cookies!

    Reply
  8. Alison says

    December 8, 2010 at 6:19 am

    How interesting! I’ve been curious about peppernuts since seeing the recipe in Joy of Cooking, and I think your pictures have given me the motivation to try them! I am wondering what the purpose of 1 tsp. maple syrup is… Was that in the original recipe?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 8, 2010 at 7:45 am

      The original recipe just called for “syrup”, which I assumed to mean “corn syrup”. So, I just used maple syrup, but I would imagine you could leave it out of this recipe and be just fine, since it calls for such a small amount!

      Reply
      • Dione says

        December 5, 2012 at 11:36 am

        Honey would work. My very German (off the boat as a little girl) grandma used honey in place of wyrup in many of her recipes. I love seeing so many with similar family memories.

        Reply
  9. Jane says

    December 8, 2010 at 6:38 am

    Ditto Raine’s question…can I use white sugar or brown sugar in place of the sucanat? I haven’t been able to buy sucanat just yet.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 8, 2010 at 7:46 am

      Yep, you can use brown sugar!

      Reply
  10. Michelle T says

    December 8, 2010 at 6:43 am

    LOOOOOOOVE me some peppernuts!!!

    Reply
  11. Amy @ Finer Things says

    December 8, 2010 at 8:10 am

    Awwww, this post makes me smile, and I can actually SMELL them. ;) It’s been years, but yes… grandma made them all the time. I think my mom even made them.

    Reply
  12. Lori says

    December 8, 2010 at 8:44 am

    I grew up on these. I don’t think mine have pepper in them, but they do have anise. When I was young my mom used to make them to sell at bake sales so she came up with a time saving tip. She rolls out the dough and then uses a funnel to cut out the peppernuts. You can get about 50 in the funnel and then tip it out onto the cookie sheet. It was the our job to arrange them on the pan. A metal funnel works best for this.

    Reply
  13. Kimberlee says

    December 8, 2010 at 9:41 am

    Perhaps they should be called PepperNOTS!

    Reply
  14. AllieZirkle says

    December 8, 2010 at 9:50 am

    So I’m wondering, could you just pipe little buttons of the dough onto the baking sheet? That would possibly leave the top with a little curlie-cue like a chocolate chip but that could be cute. Let me know what you think, if the dough is soft enough to pipe. I don’t have enough time to cut snakes but I could pipe them easily…

    :) Allie

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 8, 2010 at 10:17 am

      The dough is awfully stiff. I think it would be tough to pipe them, but you could try it!

      Reply
  15. Jolene says

    December 8, 2010 at 9:53 am

    Not trying to be a pest but your directions say “Beat first six ingredients well. Dissolve soda in water then add to first six ingredients.” Now if I am counting correctly, the baking soda is one of the first 6 ingredients….am I goofing this up somehow or was one of the first 6 ingredients accidentally missed?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 8, 2010 at 10:20 am

      Oops…I edited that to say “FIVE”!! Sorry about that and thanks for pointing that out. Originally, the sucanat was broken down into a measurement of brown sugar and a measurement of white sugar, making it six. THANK YOU for pointing this out!

      Reply
  16. Jessica Nunemaker says

    December 8, 2010 at 10:08 am

    This sounds like something I’d like to try to make! I’ll put in real sugar, though. ;)

    So cute in those jars!

    Reply
  17. Flo says

    December 8, 2010 at 2:19 pm

    WOW! I think I will try this out! Thank you so much for posting it!

    Reply
  18. Rene C says

    December 8, 2010 at 2:46 pm

    I read this post this morning and decided cookies were in order. I did make a few small changes. I didn’t have any allspice so I omitted that. I also added a bit more maple syrup than the recipe called for. I happened to have a 1.7 ounce, sample bottle of Cracker Barrel 100% pure maple syrup. I just went ahead and dumped it all in. ;)
    I only needed about 6 cups of flour plus a little more for rolling it into ropes so it wouldn’t stick to the cutting board. I didn’t chill it at all. They turned out GREAT! They are crispy and sweet with just the perfect spice flavor to them. I already have a few cute little jars that I plan to fill for a few neighbors. Thanks for the recipe! It’s a keeper!

    Reply
    • Rene C says

      December 8, 2010 at 2:49 pm

      Oh, and I used all white sugar.

      Reply
  19. Martha says

    December 8, 2010 at 3:32 pm

    Can’t wait to try these! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  20. Darla says

    December 8, 2010 at 4:40 pm

    Wow, I was not expecting to see a post about peppernuts! Did your grandma have German or Mennonite roots? We had these every Christmas growing up. I rolled plenty of “snakes” and chopped them up! :) They are sooo good dunked in a hot drink! Totally made my day to see this post and they look beautiful in your jars, Laura!!

    Reply
    • Martha says

      December 9, 2010 at 2:26 pm

      That’s funny, because my twins were dunking them in their hot cocoa today! :o)

      Reply
  21. Marsha_M says

    December 8, 2010 at 9:14 pm

    Those are so cute! Are they crispy? I’ve been thinking about cookie crisp cereals and how you could make a healthier substitute. I bet these would be good in milk :-)

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 8, 2010 at 10:09 pm

      Yeah, they’re crispy!! I like your idea of making them into a cereal…I think that’d be yummy!

      Reply
  22. Sara says

    December 9, 2010 at 10:21 am

    Peppernuts are delicious! My husband’s family had Mennonite roots and these were a tradition. They are labor intensive, but one thing to make them a little easier is when you have the dough made, roll it out flat like pie dough. Then with a sharp knife cut them into little squares (all your cuts one way and then all your cuts the other way about 1/2 inch apart) and then transfer a bunch of them to your cookie sheet at one time (on a spatula)and then spread them out.

    Reply
  23. Martha says

    December 9, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    We’ve just finished making these and they are a hit all around!
    After refrigerating them all night, the dough was so hard I didn’t think we’d be able to roll it out, but after working a ball of dough, it rolled great, and we didn’t even need to flour the surface.
    After the first couple cookie sheets full, I lowered the heat to 325 and baked for 7 minutes.

    Hint: These don’t have to be labor intensive. Just sit the children at the table with cutting boards and let them go at it! My kids loved it!

    Laura, do you know it they freeze well?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 9, 2010 at 3:19 pm

      I’ve never frozen them, but I don’t know why it would be a problem. I freeze regular cookies all the time, I think these would work similarly.

      Reply
  24. Lindsay says

    December 9, 2010 at 2:52 pm

    My Grandma was came from a German Mennonite family and made these for Christmas every year. She made the traditional Pfeffernuesz (a lot like this recipe) along with a citron version and a raisin version. I don’t think anybody in our family has attempted these since she passed away almost 10 years ago because they are so very time-intensive. And I think we’re all a bit worried that they won’t end up like Grandma’s!

    I’m definitely inspired now, however! They taste just like Christmas. :)

    Reply
  25. Maggie says

    December 9, 2010 at 3:49 pm

    What a great recipe. I just finished cutting the last of the dough. I left out the ginger as I didn’t have any, but so tasty still. I made some big and the smaller ones are crispier. Love both though. I am going to give these away to my kids preschool teachers and my oldest kids instructors at their activities. Thank you for this recipe, it will be a family tradition now.

    Reply
  26. Laura says

    December 9, 2010 at 7:05 pm

    You just crack me up!

    Reply
  27. Missy says

    December 10, 2010 at 2:56 pm

    Not trying to be petty here, but sucanet is real whole sugar – what you are referring to is refined and processed sugar (regardless of whether it’s white or brown) which has had all of it’s nutritive value removed and a higher sucrose (messes with glycemic index) content.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 10, 2010 at 9:29 pm

      Hmm…I’ve read through the post again and I can’t quite figure out what you’re referring to or “being petty about”?? What am I missing about the sucanat? Sorry, it must be past my bedtime!

      Reply
      • Martha says

        December 12, 2010 at 3:10 pm

        Closer to the top of the thread, Jessica said she would use “real” sugar. I think that’s what the poster is refering to.

        Reply
  28. Brenda says

    December 11, 2010 at 10:41 pm

    We made these tonight! So much fun, rolling and cutting and baking…. 8 pans total! We estimated to have 600 cookies… well, probably only 500 now! They are great!

    Reply
  29. Maggilou says

    December 12, 2010 at 7:09 am

    Wow! With such glowing recommendations I had to try these. I made the dough last night & baked them this morning. My Hubby doesn’t like cloves or ginger, but I thought I’d try them on the boys. They loved them!! And Hubby tried them & asked “why did you think I wouldn’t like these?” Thanks for the recipe & the motivation to try it!! Absolutely a keeper.

    Reply
  30. Gail says

    December 12, 2010 at 1:51 pm

    Pam is going to try and get these made this week. (She saw the recipe on your blog!) So I am hoping there will still be some to bring over here at Christmas. :) Actually, I am thinking about making them–I know, I know you can’t believe it–but they are just so stinking good and I love the idea of giving them as gifts in jars!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 12, 2010 at 3:13 pm

      Go Gail…Go Gail… :)

      Reply
  31. Jen says

    December 12, 2010 at 4:02 pm

    I just made these and they are amazing!!! These are for sure my new favorite Christmas cookie although I would bet I will make them through out the year!!

    Reply
  32. Blair says

    December 14, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    My only question is the flour. It says 6-7 cups…. A cup is a lot of difference! If I start with only 6 cups, how do I tell if I should add more? And one more ?.. I know I said only one, but should I mix it with a fork or what, because if its too stiff for something electric, then its too stiff for a whisk…

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 14, 2010 at 3:07 pm

      Start with six and trust me, you’ll know if the dough can handle more or not! It’ll get stiff and turn into a nice blob of dough…or it will show signs of stickiness, letting you know that you need to add a little more. If you do need more, I say just add a little bit at a time until the dough forms a blob. I used a wooden spoon to mix this and it worked great!

      Reply
    • Andrew Goossen says

      December 16, 2010 at 11:41 am

      I mix my recipe with a heavy Duty Kitchen Aid Mixer and a dough hook. When the mixer starts to bog
      down, I turn the dough onto a floured counter and in 1/3 cup amounts, knead in about 2 to 2 1/2 cups
      more flour. The dough will be MUCH thicker and stiffer than bread dough. It will be a lot more like stiff
      cookie dough. Modeler clay will be just a little stiffer than your peppernut dough.

      Reply
  33. Amy says

    December 15, 2010 at 7:52 am

    Do you think oat flour could be used? I am trying to incorporate oats into my family’s daily diet and it has been hard because only one of the five us likes the traditional oatmeal. We have a family history of high cholestorol it is important to me to get in more oats.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 15, 2010 at 10:36 am

      I would imagine that it would work, but I don’t have any experience with oat flour, so I can’t say for sure.

      Reply
      • Ann says

        December 15, 2010 at 9:28 pm

        I wouldn’t use oat flour alone. It’s a pretty soft grain, and the texture might be off. You might try mixing one or two cups of it in with the wheat flour, though…

        Reply
  34. Mairzie says

    December 15, 2010 at 4:21 pm

    Oh, my goodness! I read the recipe, explained to the children if they wanted these little nuggets, then it was up to them to make the cookies. They did and we are most pleased with them. I’ve never eaten this kind of cookie before, so I have nothing with which to compare them. No matter, THESE are excellent! The children are speaking of “next batches”. Thank you so very much for sharing this recipe. Now we have another yummy choice for our Christmas cookies.

    Reply
  35. Andrew Goossen says

    December 16, 2010 at 8:58 am

    I just made a batch. My recipe is a little different, but I grew up with them. Most of my siblings do not make them anymore because of the work cutting them. It is time consuming. I loved them enough that I invented a multiple cutter. I roll the dough out on a floured counter, 1/4″ thick. Then I use the cutter, which cuts and properly spaces 6 at a time. Once cut, they are delivered to the cookie sheet where a push of a lever delivers all 6, evenly spaced to the cookie sheet. I can get 400 on a cookie sheet in 7 minutes. My recipe uses light brown sugar, flour, molasses, Light syrup and spices. One batch makes 3,250 peppernuts. I made a batch 3 days ago and it is almost gone. These little peppernuts are almost habit forming. Love ’em.

    Reply
    • Marie says

      November 29, 2022 at 10:02 am

      Wow! How do I get a cutter like yours?

      Reply
      • Marie says

        November 29, 2022 at 10:11 am

        Or how did you make your cutter? What does it look like?

        Reply
  36. Shelia says

    December 18, 2010 at 9:22 pm

    I’d never heard if these but was looking for something different for gift baskets for Christmas this year. I just made a batch of these and they will be a perfect addition to the baskets! Warning though – these are highly addictive!!!

    Reply
  37. Jill says

    December 26, 2010 at 10:15 am

    I grew up in a Mennoite family in a Mennonite community and my family has 2 different peppernut recipes. This is close to what we refer to as “soft” peppernuts except our recipe uses anise oil. The other recipe is what we refer to as “hard” peppernuts and uses molasses (results in a darker cookie) and anise seeds. These are not as crispy and are more dense when cooked. I’ll have to try & convert them over to a healthier recipe. I am going without any this year (probably the 1st year ever for me not to have any).

    Reply
    • Linda says

      December 14, 2017 at 10:29 am

      Your recipe is the one I have been looking for! My friend’s grandmother gave me the recipe, but somehow I lost it. I remember it had molasses and anise in it. Could you please post the recipe? I can see it’s been years since you posted this comment, but maybe you will see it and respond?

      Reply
  38. [email protected] says

    December 28, 2010 at 7:41 am

    I’m so surprised that your recipe does not include Anise flavoring. The recipe from my German grandma includes it, and I’d say it’s the strongest flavor. I don’t think Pfefferneuse would taste like Pfefferneuse to me without it!

    Reply
  39. Tammy says

    January 9, 2011 at 11:00 pm

    I’m curious about rolling into snakes. Is there a particular reason you have to do this step? I was thinking of rolling out the dough to 1/4″ and cut strips then smaller pieces with a pizza cutter. Or even a pastry cutter – that might give them a nice, pretty edge?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      January 16, 2011 at 1:58 pm

      I think that would work just fine. The point is to make them into tiny cookies, so that’s a great idea!

      Reply
  40. Meredith McG says

    February 9, 2011 at 9:01 pm

    my hips are growing wider just READING your recipes ! I cant wait to try these.. though i think I’l cut the recipe in half just for starters :D

    Reply
  41. Susan Robinson says

    December 11, 2011 at 6:44 pm

    Laura, I have to tell you—-I read and re-read every post you have about your jar obsession. I, too, love my jars and anything I put in them. I love having them, looking at them, and I get such a kick when I find a new, oddly shaped one. What is wrong with us?? God’s blessing to you and your family at this Christmas season and in the new year to come. Love everything about your site~

    Reply
  42. Jody Snow says

    December 12, 2011 at 11:02 am

    I have been reading through the posts and are lot say its too time consuming and that you remember your grandmothers making them. PLEASE think ahead to when you will have grandchildren to make these with and the “time consuming” will be time spent with loved ones.

    Reply
  43. Jesse says

    December 13, 2011 at 6:05 am

    Sweet to see these as they are definitely a German treat. i lived in Germany and these are on every Christmas cookie plate! Pfeffernusse! Fun to see how things like this are still being used years after our ancestors came here.

    Reply
  44. Dara says

    December 14, 2011 at 1:52 pm

    mmm, I know what I’m making for our day-after-Christmas family get together! How many days in advance do you think I could make these that they would still be “fresh”? I did see the above comment about freezing them, and might do that tho I hesitate since Ive never even had peppernuts before, i wouldnt want to experiment on my extended family like that. They already think I’m strange! Wouldnt want to bring an experiment-gone-wrong to feed them ;)

    Reply
    • AllieZirkle says

      December 14, 2011 at 2:53 pm

      Dara, we made these last year and LOVED them! You can make these at any point this month and store in a sealed container or ziptop bags with great results. These cookies have a crunch to them and since they are on the small side (think size of a penny or nickel and puffed up), they retain their texture quite well. The flavor stays too. We kept some in the fridge and some on the counter. I can’t remember having an issue with either. Good luck and enjoy!

      ~Allie

      Reply
      • Dara says

        December 14, 2011 at 6:45 pm

        thanks Allie! I’m very excited to make these… and glad to know I can do them ahead of time! :)

        Reply
    • [email protected] says

      December 19, 2011 at 1:29 pm

      These should last for around 2 days. :)

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        December 19, 2011 at 1:30 pm

        Sorry! I meant to write 2 weeks!!!

        Reply
  45. Sarah Mulholland says

    December 15, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    I couldn’t get the dough to come together on these even after adding two extra eggs. I used evaporated cane juice sugar so maybe that made a difference? I was able to scoop them out into regular sized cookies and they are delicious. I guess my mess up saved me a lot of time not being able to make little cookies!

    Reply
  46. Linda Crews says

    December 19, 2011 at 12:36 am

    A friend posted this… might make preparation simpler?
    http://davispeppernutmaker.webs.com/

    Reply
  47. Rebecca says

    December 19, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    These were delicious. I just made a half recipe, but used the butter for a full recipe. It worked out quite well.

    Reply
  48. Keren Beeck says

    February 9, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    My German Mennonite great-great grandparents immigrated from Russia to central Kansas in the 1800’s. My grandparents ended up living in Buhler. Grandma Friesen used to bake these cookies, and my mom got the recipe from her. My parents were missionaries in Japan, but while I was in college in the States my mom would bake these cookies at Christmastime and send them to me in a reused cookie tin. They were so hard, they kept for months!

    Reply
  49. Luella Dirks says

    November 15, 2012 at 3:18 pm

    I am Mennonite too, and we have peppernuts EVERY Christmas. They are definitely worth the time to keep the tradition going! Actually I make the first batch in early November and try to keep some around til after New Years day! This sometimes requires several batches! My recipe is very similar, only it calls for some different spices and anise oil or extract. I thought all peppernuts were flavored with anise. I use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon anise extract- this will be quite mild, but they just aren’t the same without! I know because I’ve forgot it before! My recipe also calls for 1 1/2 c finely chopped pecans and we really would miss them…;)
    My husband must eat gluten-free, so I make him a 1/2 batch using gluten-free flour and they are good!
    An easier way to make the snakes: Put 1/2 the dough in a gallon size ziploc bag and smash it out flat. Use a rolling pin to get it even and smooth. Freeze. When you want to bake some, Use a big ol’ knife and cut the dough into square ‘snakes’ (I cut right through the bag.)Roll them just a bit to make them round. Then proceed as usual.

    Reply
    • Jessica H. says

      December 5, 2012 at 9:56 am

      Luella, Yes I agree they aren’t the same without anise.

      Reply
  50. Jessica H. says

    December 5, 2012 at 9:54 am

    Yay! These are my most favorite thing to eat at Christmas time!! It’s a family tradition to make these each year. You are the first person outside my family to have ever heard of these or make them for that matter. My recipe is different in that we put molasses in it and lots of pepper and ginger….mmmm. I will try a batch using your recipe.

    Reply
  51. Kathy says

    December 5, 2012 at 11:54 am

    I think there are as many peppernut recipes as there are families who make them! Your recipe looks very similar to mine (minus the healthy subs, of course), so I approve! Mine does not have pepper, but it does have 1 tsp. anise seed. My favorite Christmas memory is of helping my grandma roll and cut peppernuts while my mom kept the pans moving through the oven. Grandma taught me how to make the “snakes” small and even (about the diameter of a dime), cut them evenly (about 1/4″), and lay them flat. It helps them to stay nice and round if you freeze the snakes before cutting them. That’s the “pretty” way. If looks don’t matter to you, whack ’em up and throw them on the pan–they’ll still taste GREAT!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      December 5, 2012 at 11:57 am

      Oh, and if you line your baking pan with parchment paper, they come off so easily & no sticking to the pan.

      Reply
    • Judith Stewart says

      December 7, 2013 at 6:46 pm

      I guess I’m out of the loop…What is sucanat? Judy

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        January 20, 2014 at 3:26 pm

        Laura wrote about sucanat here: https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/the-most-nutritious-sweeteners. That should fill you in. :)

        Reply
        • Judith Stewart says

          January 20, 2014 at 4:11 pm

          Thanks, Lindsey! Got it Now! Judy

          Reply
  52. BETTY M ICHELS says

    December 7, 2012 at 1:34 pm

    ARE THESE TOO HARD TO BITE? THAT’S WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR. YOU HAVE TO DUNK THEM OR SUCK ON THEM LIKE HARD CANDY.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 8, 2012 at 9:10 pm

      No, but if you bake them for just a bit longer than the recipe calls for, they would probably get that crunchy. :)

      Reply
  53. Analisa says

    December 17, 2012 at 4:33 pm

    If I used sugar instead of sucanat would it be the same amount?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 18, 2012 at 3:26 pm

      Yep!

      Reply
  54. Natacia says

    December 19, 2012 at 4:41 pm

    Would you suggest sugaror brown sugar for a sucanat subsitutue?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 20, 2012 at 10:26 am

      Brown sugar. :)

      Reply
  55. Heather says

    December 20, 2012 at 12:27 pm

    Laura, I baked these today… How yummy! I made up a shortcut and it turned out wonderful! Instead of rolling in the dough into snakes, I cut the dough into quarter-inch slabs, then I cut those slabs into tiny squares. When they bake, the square edges round out and most of them look circular… it totally saves all the time spent rolling in the dough into snakes! Thank you for the great recipe… I like to drink chai tea & these are kind of like chai cookies with the similar spices! Mmmmmmmmmmm….

    Reply
  56. Diana says

    February 21, 2013 at 1:43 am

    I haven’t made these yet, I was waiting for a friend of mine to send me her recipe because they were the first peppernuts I ever tried. I’d never heard of them before. Her’s uses anise, and in my research I did indeed find a whole bunch of recipes and not one exactly the same. I did notice that the ones with anise didn’t have ginger. I intend to use your recipe with the anise instead of ginger, and I’m thinking of using my pizza cutter to slice the dough. I’m sad if I can’t use my Kitchen Aide mixer, it is supposed to be professional grade, but I don’t want to take a chance on breaking it.

    Reply
  57. Mary Lou Yoder says

    November 19, 2013 at 12:34 am

    For a large recipe (7-8 cups flour), it takes me about 15 minutes to make the ropes. I use the Kitchen Aide grinder attachment, although this is not a grinding operation. The grind worm is inserted into the grinder body and a small metal funnel with a flat edge is placed against the opening of the grinder body. The ring is added, tightening it to secure the funnel. The Peppernut dough should be cold, but not hard hard. This works best with two people, one feeding the dough in at the top and one catching the ropes, pinching them off at the desired length. The ropes come out of the funnel slightly bigger around than a pencil, and are placed side by side on a flat surface, without sides, to facilitate cutting. The only attachmen t parts used are the grinder body, the worm, the funnel and the ring. Feel free to contact me to see pictures or for more information.

    Reply
    • Shawn says

      December 7, 2013 at 11:01 am

      Thanks for this tip! I would appreciate photos as I’m not sure about the funnel configuration. Thank you!

      Reply
    • Jim Curtis says

      December 29, 2013 at 3:38 pm

      I have a kitchen aid and use if for lots of things, but never thought of this.
      I would really like to see a picture of your setup and any other
      information you might have. Where did you obtain a funnel?
      Your help would really be appreciated.
      Thanks so much.

      Reply
  58. Susan says

    December 6, 2013 at 2:48 pm

    I have never tried these. They look good though. Are they similiar to pepper biscuits (just smaller and bite size)?

    Susan

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 6, 2013 at 3:04 pm

      I’ve never heard of pepper biscuits so I’m not sure!

      Reply
  59. Rachel Q says

    December 7, 2013 at 10:14 am

    Never heard of these, but I think I will try them this year. I wonder if my kitchen aid pasta attachment would work.

    Reply
  60. Amy says

    December 7, 2013 at 10:30 am

    Oh my goodness!! Thank you for this post and recipe. Our good friend used to make these and give as gifts every year. It was her grandma’s recipe and something she used to make every Christmas with her. We have since moved away, and I haven’t had them before or since. I think I’m going to start a new tradition with my kids and future grandkids and be that grandma everyone talks about who made those awesome peppernuts!!

    Reply
  61. Karen Smith says

    December 7, 2013 at 4:02 pm

    FYI: In Wis., they’re known by their original name – Pfeffernüsse, and pronounced that way.

    Reply
  62. Jo-Anne says

    December 9, 2013 at 4:57 pm

    Hi there,

    I know this sounds like a stupid question, but when you say 1 cup butter (melted), do you mean like mircowave melted? Or just very soft butter.

    I’ve been begging my sister-in-law for her family recipe for years and she’d never provided it. I’m so anxious to try this one. I love these little tasty bites.
    Jo-Anne

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 9, 2013 at 6:39 pm

      I melt butter in a small saucepan on the stovetop until it is liquid. :)

      Reply
  63. Matt says

    December 21, 2013 at 8:19 am

    Thanks for the recipe! I’m attempting to make these up as gifts for the family this year, and I’m trying to figure out quantities. About how many cups of peppernuts will this recipe yield?

    Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 21, 2013 at 8:23 am

      It’s tough to know exactly as it makes a LOT and I’ve never measured. But I’d say it probably makes about a gallon of peppernuts, give or take.

      Reply
  64. Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says

    January 14, 2015 at 12:01 pm

    These sound wonderful! Thanks so much for the recipe, Laura.

    I’m pinning and trying these soon.

    Reply
  65. Linda H. says

    January 14, 2015 at 5:39 pm

    Originally called Pfeffernüsse cookies (they’re a German cookie), these delightful tasty treats are a Christmas tradition in my husband’s family. Their recipe is slightly different (uses all honey and some molasses for sweetener & has both pepper and anise oil, which is traditional for these cookies) & it doesn’t require rolling the cookies out into logs. Instead you can use a small cookie scoop (1 tsp. size) & drop onto trays. So much quicker & easier! :-) Please let me know if you’d like the recipe!

    Reply
    • Linda H. says

      January 14, 2015 at 5:42 pm

      I meant a Thanksgiving tradition, not Christmas tradition, though they usually last until Christmas, since it makes so many! ;-)

      Reply
  66. Brigett says

    May 11, 2015 at 11:55 pm

    I love these cookies, but the two times I have made them I have had trouble with the consistency. Mine is extremely crumbly and it forces me to resort to balling them up. They taste fine, but it becomes quite tedious. I have never used the 7 cups of flour because it seems like when I get to 6 that I already have that problem. Anyone else experience this or know what I should do?
    Thanks, Brigett

    Reply
  67. Shelley says

    November 23, 2015 at 3:05 pm

    My family has made pfeffernusse cookies for generations! I love them fresh and warm and soft out of the oven – if they make it that far!! Seems most of my family (husband, kids, nephews and nieces) like them even better as just plain frozen dough sticks! Yuck! ah well, to each his/her own. Still one of the best mennonite/german cookies there is!

    Reply
  68. Ana says

    December 9, 2015 at 8:08 pm

    About how long do peppernuts stay fresh?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 10, 2015 at 8:46 am

      Over a month in my experience. :)

      Reply
  69. Betty says

    December 8, 2016 at 7:14 pm

    WHAT MAKES THESE EVEN BETTER ROLL THEM IN POWDERSUGAR. That’s how my German 3greatgrandmas did it and each year for our birthday (2days before Christmas)for me and just holiday treat for the rest of family.we would get our tins from Nebraska to Calif every year. Now all are gone..

    Reply
  70. Brandi Loding says

    December 15, 2016 at 9:37 pm

    Do you, or would you be willing to, make these and sell them? Please say yes, please say yes please say yes!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 19, 2016 at 1:54 pm

      I’ve never done that, but it sounds like fun. (Do you live close to me?)

      Reply
  71. Abner Schmucker says

    December 23, 2016 at 1:19 pm

    Would you be interested in selling our peppernuts. Many Kansans know us by our noodles and peppernuts.
    Abner Schmucker

    Reply
  72. Laura says

    December 13, 2017 at 7:56 am

    I’m so eager to try these. The recipe says 2-4 cups sucanat/sugar. What amount do you usually use? I’d like to go with the lower amount, but I still want them to taste good.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      December 16, 2017 at 10:43 am

      I usually go with just 2 cups. :)

      Reply

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