Pfeffernüsse

With a frost on the ground, and bitter winds outside, we are well into the middle of winter. I am getting over the annual cold, and glad to be indoors. However, christmas baking stops for no woman - cold, or no cold. So today, in between sneezing fits, I have been baking Pfeffernüsse as another component of my edible gifts hamper.

Pfeffernüsse (pepper nuts in German and Dutch) are small spicy biscuits that do usually contain a little pepper, and in some cases, nuts. The recipe below, instead of ground almonds (which I have seen in other versions) they contain a small amount of marzipan.  Don't worry if you are not a fan of black pepper. I don't like it, but these biscuits are certainly pleasant to eat and the pepper leaves just a slight warmth on the tongue.

Once baked, you can either dust them liberally with icing sugar, or in the case below, glaze them in a slightly runny royal icing. They start off quite hard, but will soften and the flavours will develop and improve.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 230g light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp marzipan
• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Glaze:

• 3 egg whites
• approx 480g icing sugar
• (optional) 1 tsp Kirsch

Method:

1. Beat the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy
2. Fork in the softened marzipan, then beat until combined
3. Sieve the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add to the egg mixture
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead into a soft dough. 
5. Cover in clingfilm, and chill in the fridge for an hour
6. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3 / 325°F / 160°C
7. With lightly floured hands, roll the mixture into small balls (approx 3cm across)
8. Bake for about 16-18 minutes until starting to turn golden. I baked for 16 minutes, then turned the tray for another 2 minutes.


9. For the glaze, you will need 1 part egg white to 4 parts icing sugar, so weigh your egg whites.
10. In a scrupulously clean bowl, beat the egg whites until white and stiff.
11. Gradually fold in the icing sugar until smooth and add the Kirsh if you are using it
12. Dip each biscuit and shake off any excess. There really is no getting around it - its much easier to just get your fingers right in there.
13. Place on a cooling rack that has kitchen roll underneath to catch the drips, and allow a few hours for it to dry

Once completely dry top and bottom, you can store them for upto 8 weeks in an airtight container.

TIPS:
You can make the dough in advance, and freeze it for months. I am a big fan of Make.Form.Freeze.Bake.  I made the balls weeks ago, froze them on a baking tray, then when fully frozen you can 'decant' into a freezer bag, removing as much air as possible.
Ensure your bowl for the egg whites is completely free of fat, or egg yolk, or your egg whites will not hold their foam and not form the stiff peaks you are looking for.
If you find your glaze is a bit on the thick side, just add a spot of water a teaspoon at a time until you have the thickness of single cream

Difficulty	Easy
Servings	40-45
Calories per serving (unglazed)	42 kcal