National Pfeffernusse Day
Celebrate this German spiced cookie on #National PfeffernusseDay
23 December is National Pfeffernusse Day, a day reserved for the celebration of the very popular German spiced cookie.
This cookie is a popular snack during the holidays. It’s a fluffy cookie, made with ground nuts and spices, and covered in powdered sugar.
Although the exact origin of the cookie is unknown, the Dutch believe that the pfeffernusse (or pepernoten) can be linked to the feast of Sinterklaas that is celebrated on 5 December in Netherland and on 6 December in Germany and Belgium. This holiday is the time when children receive gifts from St Nicholas, who is partially the inspiration for the Santa Claus tradition.
The pfeffernusse recipe has been around for quite a long time, but many bakers have strayed from the traditional way of baking these cookies, and created their own versions of the recipe. Traditional methods included various nuts like almonds and walnuts, but some modern recipes exclude both the nuts and the black pepper. These recipes retain only only cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and cardamom as flavouring. To sweeten the cookie, molasses and honey are often used.
Celebrate today by baking your own pfeffernusse cookies to enjoy during the holiday season. If you do not have a recipe, try one of the following:
https://allrecipes.com/recipe/pfeffernusse/
https://www.food.com/recipe/pfeffernusse-german-pepper-nut-cookies-79103
Post on social media using #NationalPfeffernusseDay.
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