Pfefferneusse

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.04
  
       Title: Pfefferneusse
  Categories: Polkadot, Epona, Cookies, German
       Yield: 84 Cookies
  
     1/2 c  Molasses
     1/2 c  Lt. corn syrup
     1/4 lb Lt. brown sugar
     1/2 c  Margarine or butter
     1/2 ts Cinnamon
     1/2 ts Crushed anise seed
     1/4 ts Allspice
     1/4 ts Black pepper
       1    Egg, well beaten
   3 1/2 c  Flour
   1 1/2 ts Baking powder
   1 1/2 ts Baking powder
  
   In a small saucepan over low heat, mix first 4 ingredients until
   blended. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then stir in spices.
   Stir in egg. Pour into very large non-metallic bowl.
   
   Sift together dry ingredients and add, in fourths, to liquid mixture,
   mixing well after each addition. (Dough will be VERY stiff.)  Cover
   dough with plastic wrap and allow to stand over night at room
   temperature to blend flavours.
   
   Preheat oven to 350. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on
   ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 12 minutes, or until bottoms are
   lightly browned. Cool momentarily on sheets, then remove to cooling
   rack.  (Cookies will stick to baking sheet, so use a firm hand on the
   spatula when removing.) While still hot, shake in powdered sugar to
   coat.  (I used about 1/2 C. of sugar for the whole batch.)  Store in
   covered containers with piece of orange or apple peel for several
   weeks to mellow.  (Change peel every third day or so.) Makes 84-106
   cookies, depending on size.  (I got 106 this year. Last year, it was
   only 98.  If you end up with less than 84, the balls of dough are too
   large and the centers won't bake through.)
   
   This was my grandmother's recipe. Theoretically, this is the way these
   cookies are made in the Baden region of Germany, which is a bit
   different from other variants of these cookies. Oh, and I generally
   let them mellow 3-4 weeks before eating.  Don't store them in tins or
   glass -- they end up with an odd taste. Stoneware or ceramic storage
   containers seem to work best.
   
   * The Polka Dot Palace BBS 1-201-822-3627.  Posted by EPONA
  
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