AllenOK
Executive Chef
Ok, here's the recipe I have:
Pepper Nuts
Yields: about 9 dz cookies
3 eggs
¼ c dark brown sugar, packed tightly
¾ c white sugar
zest of one lemon
1 T finely minced citron (optional)
1 T finely minced candied orange peel (optional)
½ c grated blanched almonds
2 ½ c flour, approximately
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
½ t ground cloves
½ t ground allspice
¼ t powdered cardamom
½ t finely ground black pepper
rum, brandy, or arrack
Confectioner’s sugar or white sugar glaze
Beat the eggs with both sugars until mixture is very thick and almost white. Add lemon rind, fruit, peel, and almonds and mix well. Sift flour with baking powder and spices and stir into egg mixtures. Knead on a floured board until smooth. Shape into long rolls about 1” in diameter and cut into ½” to ¾” slices. Arrange on 3 or 4 large buttered cookie sheets and let dry uncovered in a cool room or refrigerator overnight. Just before baking, turn over each cookie and sprinkle with rum, brandy, or arrack. Bake for about 20 minutes. Roll each cookie in confectioner’s sugar while warm, or let cool and ice. These cookies last for weeks if stored in an airtight container.
I haven't actually baked them yet, as they're still in my fridge drying. I've got to process some fresh chicken stock for freezing, then I'll bake the cookies.
A couple things I've noticed:
1) There is no baking temp indicated in the recipe. I'm going to assume 350°F.
2) When I rolled the dough in preparation for cutting the cookies, I noticed that the dough was rather soft, and didn't cut very well.
3) 9 dozen! Yeah right! I got about 3 dz out of this. I may not have rolled the dough into a small enough cylinder.
Now, the recipe didn't call for me to chill the dough any. I'm pretty sure that if I had chilled the dough, covered, I could have sliced some very nice cookies out of it, especially if I had kept rinsing the knife off with hot water when it started to stick. Also, unflavored dental floss works good, as I use both of these techniques when I'm cutting cheese for cheese displays at work. Unfortunately, we're fresh out of dental floss!
What are your thoughts? Should I have chilled the dough, then sliced? Would I have achieved a thinner cookie? Or will the dental floss work?
I'll post results of my cookies after I bake them in a little while. Wish me luck!
Pepper Nuts
Yields: about 9 dz cookies
3 eggs
¼ c dark brown sugar, packed tightly
¾ c white sugar
zest of one lemon
1 T finely minced citron (optional)
1 T finely minced candied orange peel (optional)
½ c grated blanched almonds
2 ½ c flour, approximately
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
½ t ground cloves
½ t ground allspice
¼ t powdered cardamom
½ t finely ground black pepper
rum, brandy, or arrack
Confectioner’s sugar or white sugar glaze
Beat the eggs with both sugars until mixture is very thick and almost white. Add lemon rind, fruit, peel, and almonds and mix well. Sift flour with baking powder and spices and stir into egg mixtures. Knead on a floured board until smooth. Shape into long rolls about 1” in diameter and cut into ½” to ¾” slices. Arrange on 3 or 4 large buttered cookie sheets and let dry uncovered in a cool room or refrigerator overnight. Just before baking, turn over each cookie and sprinkle with rum, brandy, or arrack. Bake for about 20 minutes. Roll each cookie in confectioner’s sugar while warm, or let cool and ice. These cookies last for weeks if stored in an airtight container.
I haven't actually baked them yet, as they're still in my fridge drying. I've got to process some fresh chicken stock for freezing, then I'll bake the cookies.
A couple things I've noticed:
1) There is no baking temp indicated in the recipe. I'm going to assume 350°F.
2) When I rolled the dough in preparation for cutting the cookies, I noticed that the dough was rather soft, and didn't cut very well.
3) 9 dozen! Yeah right! I got about 3 dz out of this. I may not have rolled the dough into a small enough cylinder.
Now, the recipe didn't call for me to chill the dough any. I'm pretty sure that if I had chilled the dough, covered, I could have sliced some very nice cookies out of it, especially if I had kept rinsing the knife off with hot water when it started to stick. Also, unflavored dental floss works good, as I use both of these techniques when I'm cutting cheese for cheese displays at work. Unfortunately, we're fresh out of dental floss!
What are your thoughts? Should I have chilled the dough, then sliced? Would I have achieved a thinner cookie? Or will the dental floss work?
I'll post results of my cookies after I bake them in a little while. Wish me luck!