Scotch Bonet Pfeffernusse

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Scotch Bonet Pfeffernusse
Categories: Cookies
Yield: 48 servings

2 Eggs
3/4 c Dark brown sugar
3/4 c Granulated sugar
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2 tb Finely chopped mixed
Candied fruit
1/4 c Finely chopped almonds
1 ts Ground cinnamon
1/2 ts Ground cloves
1/2 ts Ground allspice
1/4 ts Ground cardamom
1/2 ts Ground black pepper
1 ts Ground scotch bonnet pepper
3 1/2 c (approx) all purpose flour
1 ts Baking soda
Light rum
Confectioners' sugar

Instead of being hard, dry spice cookies, these are soft, moist spicy
cookies with a medium hot disposition. Their heat is derived from ground
Jamaican Scotch Bonnet peppers. (Note: The European/Scandinavian versions
of this cookie do NOT call for Scotch Bonnet pepper. That is my
contribution.) You can control the heat to make these milder or hotter as
you desire by varying the amount of ground Scotch Bonnet Pepper you use. If
you want them really mild, you can leave out the ground Scotch Bonnet
altogether or if you like them blazin', try 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons of ground
Scotch Bonnet instead of the 1 teaspoon called for in the recipe.
Beat the eggs with both sugars until the mixture is very thick and
almost white. Add lemon rind, candied fruit, almonds, baking soda and
spices. Mix well. Add flour a little at a time and stir in thoroughly
until mixture is very heavy and will form a ball when kneaded in the hand
without sticking to the hand. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board
and form into several rolls, approximately 1 inch in diameter. Cut the
rolls into 3/4 inch slices. Arrange the slices on a buttered cookie sheet,
leaving approximateluy 2 inches between cookies in all directions. Bake in
a 300 degree F. oven for approximatley 15 minutes or until the bottom of
the cookies brown.
Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool for approximately 5
minutes. Remove cookies from cookie sheet one at a time and dunk in a bowl
of light rum for 3 seconds. Drain each cookie briefly and then coat with
confectioners' sugar. Place cookies in single layers on racks or cookie
sheets or cardboard covered with aluminum foil and allow cookies to dry for
several hours (overnight is best). Carefully remove cookies and place in
plastic bags or other airtight containers for storage. These cookies will
remain delightful for at least a month if they are stored in airtight
containers. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

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