janradder

Today the boys and I mixed up a batch of pfeffernüsse dough. It's currently chilling in the fridge -- we'll bake them tomorrow. This is always the first of the Christmas cookies I make since they get better with age (they're kind of hard at first, but they soften as they sit in the canister, and the spices get a bit stronger). Here's the recipe (from a book called Christmas Cookies: Classic Recipes):

3 1/2 c. white flour
2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground cardamom
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1 c. softened butter
1 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg
powdered sugar

Mix the first 9 ingredients in a bowl and set it aside. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the molasses and egg. Slowly add the flour/spice mixture and beat at a low speed until the dough forms (you'll have to scrape the sides a lot -- the dough is fairly dry. Also, you'll have better luck with it the slower you add the flour mixture). Shape the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (you supposedly can leave it for up to 3 days but I've never tried).

Preheat oven to 350˚F and grease the cookie sheets. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls (if you've left it in the fridge for longer than 30 minutes, let it warm up for about 10 minutes before rolling them into balls -- the muscles in your hands will thank you) and place them about 2 inches apart on the greased cookie sheets (you'll have enough dough to make about 5 dozen cookies or more)

Bake 12-14 minutes (or until golden brown). Cool cookies on racks and dust them with sifted powdered sugar.