Peanut Butter Cookie Additions

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StormyToo

Assistant Cook
Joined
Nov 17, 2019
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5
Location
KY
My husband's mother was German and apparently she had some secret to her peanut butter cookies recipe that I can't figure out or find. I have tried numerous recipes and most are pretty basically the same. I have tried different brands of peanut butter. Chunky, creamed, extra chunky and mixed chunky and creamed. He says they are good but there is something missing and he doesn't know what it is. She had a lot of flavoring vials so it could be anything.

Are there any cooks out there with any passed down information on any secret ingredient German cooks out in their peanut butter cookies? I had a great uncle who was German and a baker. He has passed away but he told me about using chicken fat in pie crust but I never thought peanut butter cookies would be an issue.
 
try a smidge of bakers ammonia / hartshorn - it's a 'classic' old German flavor for many cookies.


peanut butter is not as popular in Germany as in USA - frankly, can't recall ever seeing one in Germany -
 
Some of the old peanut butter cookie recipes use a combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar. I would try replacing approx. 1/3 of the sugar in the recipe with tightly packed light brown sugar.

It could also be as simple as an elusive food memory from your husband's childhood. I have a couple of food memories that I have never been able to replicate.

Good luck!
 
My husbands father was German. I made several German cookies and was surprised to see ground black pepper, anise and cardamom in Pfeffernusse cookies.



I have no clue where the recipes have gone.
 
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I have a recipe for pfeffernüsse cookies from my German-descent MIL if anyone wants it.
My husbands father was German. I made several German cookies and was surprised to see ground black pepper and cardamom in Pfeffernusse cookies.



I have no clue where the recipes have gone.
 
I like a little cinnamon in my peanut butter cookies.
I had thought of that. I thought about putting it in the sugar mix before I rolled them then he told me she didn't roll her PB cookies in sugar. But I could try a little in the batter. Thanks.
 
try a smidge of bakers ammonia / hartshorn - it's a 'classic' old German flavor for many cookies.


peanut butter is not as popular in Germany as in USA - frankly, can't recall ever seeing one in Germany -
She came her after the war but I have a basket full of some of her Christmas cookie baking goods. Must be something she experimented with.
 
Two suggestions:

Maybe add a little nutmeg - it will deepen the flavor a bit.

Consider using creamy (no sugar added) peanut butter and then adding finely chopped WALNUTS to the cookies. This makes a seriously delicious cookies with a more complex flavor.
 
Not a fan of walnuts with peanut butter. If I were to add nuts I would use honey roasted peanuts.

For me, making your own peanut butter will help big time, if you have a capable blender/food processor. I made my first batch in my Vitamix over the weekend (based on a batch of Tahini I made earlier in the week from roasted sesame seeds) and OMG!
 
i add some coffee whenever i make a chocolate item to increase its flavor. but i think it'd work in this case, too.

i add coffee or cocoa to stews, too. gives a dark color.
 
i add some coffee whenever i make a chocolate item to increase its flavor. but i think it'd work in this case, too.

i add coffee or cocoa to stews, too. gives a dark color.

Cocoa powder added to chili is really good (tastes best the next day).

I add coffee to chocolate recipes whenever possible. My favorites are my mocha brownies and Katie's devils food cake.
 
My husband's mother was German and apparently she had some secret to her peanut butter cookies recipe that I can't figure out or find. I have tried numerous recipes and most are pretty basically the same. I have tried different brands of peanut butter. Chunky, creamed, extra chunky and mixed chunky and creamed. He says they are good but there is something missing and he doesn't know what it is. She had a lot of flavoring vials so it could be anything.

Ask your husband to close his eyes, think about his mothers cookies, then one by one, take some of the suggestions here and pass them under his nose. If none of them trigger his memory, try other different spices, extracts and such. You never know, it just might work. It's a lot cheaper and easier than making a batch of cookies for each suggestion.
 
A number of my Grandma's Swedish recipes that contain almonds include toasting some almonds and grinding them as well...wonder if taking some roasted peanuts and converting them to "flour" would up the ante or peanut butter powder in place of some of the flour? What about a pinch of cayenne? (And yes, pepper is always in Pfeffernuesse and in Grandma's ginger cookies, as well as grated orange zest).
 
My husbands father was German. I made several German cookies and was surprised to see ground black pepper, anise and cardamom in Pfeffernusse cookies.



I have no clue where the recipes have gone.

Esas especias son primordiales en la cocina alemana

(Those spices are paramount in German cuisine)
 
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German Peanut Butter Cookies

My late Grandmother, my dad's mom, was from Alsace Lorraine and this is her recipe.
German Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients German Peanut Cookies
(makes 80- cookies)
300 g flour
1 heaped tbsp baking powder
1 egg
150 g walnuts
1 dash salt
200 g soft butter
75 g peanut butter
2 vanilla beans
175 g raw sugar
250 g dark baking chocolate chips
150 g peanuts, salted, roasted, roughly chopped

Directions:
– Sieve flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl.
– Whisk the egg; chop walnuts coarsely.
– Mix butter, peanut butter and vanilla seeds until foamy (use hand mixer for about 8 minutes), add sugar and mix for another 4 minutes; at last add the egg and mix it.
– Add the flour mix; add 175g chocolate chips, peanuts and walnuts and with a wooden spoon mix the dough.
– Layer baking tray with baking paper.
-Pre-heat oven to 360 F.
– With a wet teaspoon place little dough heaps on the tray (distance 2 inches, 5 cm) and flatten them a bit. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top of them.
– Bake for 12-14 minutes on 170 C or 360 F.
– Let them cool off on the tray then place them on a cooling grid to cool off completely.
https://www.calculator.net/conversion-calculator.html
 
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