Pfefferneusse

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Title: Pfefferneusse
Categories: Polkadot, Epona, Cookies, German
Yield: 84 Cookies

1/2 c Molasses
1/2 c Lt. corn syrup
1/4 lb Lt. brown sugar
1/2 c Margarine or butter
1/2 ts Cinnamon
1/2 ts Crushed anise seed
1/4 ts Allspice
1/4 ts Black pepper
1 Egg, well beaten
3 1/2 c Flour
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
1 1/2 ts Baking powder

In a small saucepan over low heat, mix first 4 ingredients until
blended. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then stir in spices.
Stir in egg. Pour into very large non-metallic bowl.

Sift together dry ingredients and add, in fourths, to liquid mixture,
mixing well after each addition. (Dough will be VERY stiff.) Cover
dough with plastic wrap and allow to stand over night at room
temperature to blend flavours.

Preheat oven to 350. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on
ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 12 minutes, or until bottoms are
lightly browned. Cool momentarily on sheets, then remove to cooling
rack. (Cookies will stick to baking sheet, so use a firm hand on the
spatula when removing.) While still hot, shake in powdered sugar to
coat. (I used about 1/2 C. of sugar for the whole batch.) Store in
covered containers with piece of orange or apple peel for several
weeks to mellow. (Change peel every third day or so.) Makes 84-106
cookies, depending on size. (I got 106 this year. Last year, it was
only 98. If you end up with less than 84, the balls of dough are too
large and the centers won't bake through.)

This was my grandmother's recipe. Theoretically, this is the way these
cookies are made in the Baden region of Germany, which is a bit
different from other variants of these cookies. Oh, and I generally
let them mellow 3-4 weeks before eating. Don't store them in tins or
glass -- they end up with an odd taste. Stoneware or ceramic storage
containers seem to work best.

* The Polka Dot Palace BBS 1-201-822-3627. Posted by EPONA

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