Hubby loves these German biscuits, but I must confess, I’m not a huge fan. A bit too much cinnamon for me! Anyway, I was looking forward to baking them to see if I liked them better if I’d made them myself.*

This recipe is based on this one from London Eats. I’ve changed the ingredients slightly, but they’re still packed with spice. The Spice Mix will make more mix than needed, so store the remainder in an air-tight jar. You can use the mix when flavouring gingerbread, or making Ice Cream. Just substitute the spices in the recipe for an equal amount of your Spice Mix.

Pfeffernüsse
makes 20-25
125g honey
50g brown sugar
25g butter
225g plain flour
50g ground almonds
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 level tsp Spice Mix
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg

Spice Mix
1/4 cup + 2 tsp ground cinnamon (yes, that’s a 1/4 CUP)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground star anise
1/4 tsp ground cardamom

First, combine all the spices to make the spice mix. Pass through a sieve to remove any lumps and to make sure the spices are evenly combined.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Put the honey, sugar and butter in a small saucepan and stir over gentle heat until the sugar has melted. Leave for a couple of minutes to cool slightly.

In a large bowl sift to combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda, spice mix and pepper. Stir in the honey mixture and mix well. Add the egg and combine to give a smooth but sticky dough.

Using damp hands, roll heaped teaspoons of mixture into balls. Place on baking sheet about 5cm (2″) apart. Keep moistening the palms of your hands between rolling each cookie. This will stop the mixture sticking to your palms.