Pfefferneuse cookies

[LiberalElite]

No, this OP is not in the wrong forum.

I went grocery shopping today and as I had the last couple of trips looked for pfefferneuse cookies (for those who don't know, they're only available at Christmas/holiday time.) This time they had them! Two brands to choose from, both 2/$6.00. I compared package size, ingredients, nutritional info. All exactly the same. Even the distributor was the same. I love these cookies but wasn't about to purchase $12.00 of them so I had to choose. Archway or Stella D'oro? I wasn't aware of any labor wrongdoing by Archway but Stella D'Oro for many years had had a bakery in the Bronx, NYC and they moved out of state. I live in NYC so I purchased the Archway cookies.

I don't claim perfect consistency in this regard, but to the extent I know some corporation fkd over the workers here, I do my own little one-person boycott.

[TheBlackAdder]

1. I bought Archways the other day, they were OK, but the box seemed incredibly downsized.

.


I think I only got 10-12 cookies in the package for $3.49. The package seemed a lot smaller than last year, with a plastic shell protecting them now.


There is this other brand that is sold in the bakery section of the food stores that are slightly smaller in size, but have more flavor to them, with a slightly crunchy exterior and a nice moist interior. I can't recall who makes them, but it might be a regional Tri-State (DE-NJ-PA) bakery.


Hmm. I love these cookies.


.

[DURHAM D]

2. I didn't realize you could buy them at the store.

I have only had home made. The main spice (in my family) is anise and clove and they are very small, about the size of three nickles stacked together.

Is that what you buy in the store?

[LiberalElite]

3. I would expect that

store bought can't compete with home made. Looking at the ingredient list now, besides the flour and oil, there's raisin paste... molasses and "spices." Store bought is also small.

[1monster]

4. I love Pfeffernusse Cookies!

Here's a recipe so you don't have to worry about which brand to buy.

Pfeffernusse Cookies

For the spiced sugar:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

For the cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
2 teaspoons packed finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 medium lemons)
2 teaspoons packed finely grated orange zest (from 1 medium orange)
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup finely chopped candied lemon or orange peel (or a combination)


To make the spiced sugar:
Sift all ingredients together into a large bowl; set aside.

To make the cookies:
Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, salt, allspice, and pepper into a large bowl; set aside.

Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and process until finely ground, about 25 to 30 seconds. Add the almonds to the flour mixture and stir to combine; set aside.

Place the butter, lemon zest, and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until fluffy and combined, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat until incorporated and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Add the egg and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds more. Add the honey and candied lemon or orange peel (or mixture thereof) and beat until just incorporated, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula
.
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing until just combined, about 1 1/2 minutes total. (Do not overmix.) Cover and refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Roll the chilled dough into 24 (3/4-inch) balls and space them 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 8 minutes, then rotate the sheets from front to back and top to bottom. Continue baking until the cookies are very lightly browned around the edges, about 5 to 6 minutes more. (The tops will be soft, but they will firm up as the cookies stand.) Transfer the baking sheets to 2 wire racks and let the cookies sit until cool enough to handle but still warm, about 3 minutes.

Drop the warm cookies into the spiced sugar, making sure to coat them all over, then shake off any excess sugar and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Repeat baking and sugarcoating with the remaining dough. Store the cookies in an airtight container, layered between pieces of waxed paper, for up to 3 weeks.

[Omaha Steve]

5. Stella D'oro was a nasty screwing of the workers

Thanks for the post.

K&R!

OS