FAMOUS FAMILY RECIPE SERIES
RECIPE #32 PEPPERNUTS
This Famous Family Recipe is a very memory filled recipe. It is from my Grandma Jessie Freeman. She wrote in her recipe about it: “This old, old recipe was over a hundred years old when given to me by a very good German lady. It was over a hundred years old then and I am now 78 years old now. I used to bake these at Christmas time during the Depression years for my children. I used a knife to cut them in little blocks. This is one of my treasured recipes.” My mother also made these special little cookies around Christmas time when we were growing up. (Grandma Freeman had five children including my mother. She died in 1988 at age 95).
(Note: Peppernuts have a history of replacing actual nuts during times when nuts were unavailable and/or unaffordable. Thus their size and shape.)
Peppernut Ingredients: (Instructions modified to allow for a standing mixer)
3/4 cup Molasses
3/4 cup Dark Karo Syrup
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 cup Butter – softened (or margarine or Crisco)
1/2 cup Hot Water
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom
1/2 teaspoon Anise Oil Extract
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper
7 cups of Flour
Instructions:
1.In a standing mixer mix together the syrup, molasses, butter, sugar and hot water until well combined. If you lack a standing mixer, you can do this with a large bowl and a hand mixer.
2. Add everything else but the flour and continue mixing until combined.
3. Start adding the flour, about a cup at a time, mixing each time until the flour is well incorporated. If you have a standing mixer, lucky you! You can keep mixing this until all seven cups of flour are combined. Shift from the regular mixing paddle to the bread hook attachment after the fifth cup of flour.
If you don’t have a standing mixer (unlucky you!), you’ll probably have to give up on the hand mixer after the fourth or fifth cup of flour and knead the rest of the flour in as you might with the making of bread or pizza dough.
Either way, you may have to add a little more or a little less flour to get dough that is moist but not sticky.
4. Shape into long rolls the size of your little finger.
5. Place long rolls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, cover and refrigerate (overnight is recommended) or 1-2 hours in the freezer.
6. On a cutting board, cut the rolls into small 1/4” slices, scatter on a cookie sheet spacing slices so they do not touch and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown (10 minutes, but watch closely so they don’t get too brown).
Notes: After they cool, cookies should be somewhat hard and crunchy, almost like mini biscotti. They are good fresh…but they are even better after a few days in an airtight container.
Pairs well with Hot Coffee, Hot Tea, Cold Milk or Pepsi Cola.
I don’t share these recipes with just anyone.
“I have food to eat that you do not know about.” Jesus