Raw Spiced German Christmas Cookies
I’m lucky enough to live close by a unique foodie supermarket with German owners. I love it there! Besides supporting local farmers and having an amazing artisan bakery they also store a bunch of unique products from Europe, mostly Germany, and other parts of the world. I stumbled across a packet of these “Pfeffernusse” cookies while I was shopping and I couldn’t help remembering how much I used to love these when I was a kid. I think they must be a pretty popular treat in Romania (where I am originally from) and other parts of Europe because I seem to remember always having them in the house especially around Christmas time. I immediately picked them up to read the ingredients to see if I could re create them at home, funnily enough there were no English ingredients to be found but they did write them in Romanian so I was able to figure them out in the end. I was so disappointed in the ingredients! Besides “wheat flour” there were no other ingredients in there that were not chemical in nature. I wasn’t overly surprised but did expect them to at least use some real spices. Needless to say, I put the packet down and headed home to brainstorm for a more wholesome take on these cookies.
I have to admit I did try a more traditional baked recipe first but it ended up being a huge disaster. They melted into each other in the oven and then I burnt them. Did I mention I’m not all that good at baking? So I decided to invent a nice, safe, raw version instead. They texture is a little different but all in all they taste exactly the same and are so much easier and quicker to make. Traditionally these cookies are tossed in powdered sugar or a tough glazed icing sugar coating. I am used to eating them with icing so I tried to replicate them that way. I also was trying to stay away from using refined sugar but if you prefer, it is a lot quicker to roll them around in some powdered sugar.
I’m also pretty excited to be able to share a few photo’s from our trip to Germany! We loved Germany, it was full of beautiful forests, castles and cute German lattice houses. It was by far the most fairy tale place in all of Europe. Hope you enjoy this recipe. As always please adjust spices to taste.
| Raw Spiced German Christmas Cookies (Pfeffurnusse) | Print |
- Cookies:
- 1 cup almonds
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 TBSP molasses
- ½ tsp each: anise, cinnamon, cardammon
- ¼ tsp each: allspice, nutmeg, cloves, ground black pepper
- icing:
- ¼ cup soaked cashews
- 1 TBSP maple syrup
- 2 TBSP plant milk of choice ( I used soy)
- 1 TBSP water
- ½ TBSP fresh lemon juice
- 1 TBSP coconut oil
- drop of vanilla extract
- For the cookies: begin by processing the almonds and oats in a food processor until they turn into flour consistency.
- Add the dates, molasses and spices and process until sticky
- Roll 1-2 TBSP amounts into balls and then flatten into cookie shape (they are quite sticky)
- Place in fridge to set while you make the icing
- For Icing: place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. About 1-2 minutes.
- Dunk cookies into icing to get even coverage
- Set in freezer for at least an hour (preferably in a container with a lid as the icing can turn brown when it dries out). Enjoy!
