Black Pepper Christmas Cookies Recipes

CHOCOLATE-BLACK PEPPER COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, pepper, espresso powder, and cinnamon into a large bowl; set aside.
• Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined.
• Turn out dough onto a piece of parchment paper, and roll into a 2-inch-diameter log. Roll log in the parchment. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove log from parchment paper. Let soften slightly at room temperature, about 5 minutes. Roll log in sanding sugar, gently pressing down to adhere sugar to dough. Transfer log to a cutting board, and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 1 inch apart. Sprinkle each round with freshly ground pepper.
• Bake cookies until there is slight resistance when you lightly touch centers, about 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

GRANDMA ANNA'S ITALIAN PEPPER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, pepper, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and cloves for cookies together into a large bowl.
• Place shortening in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second increments until melted. Pour into dry ingredients and mix with a spoon.
• Add milk, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla; mix with a spoon to combine. Add raisins, chopped walnuts, and finely chopped walnuts and mix with your hands to combine. Roll dough into small balls and set 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in batches in the preheated oven until edges are golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet briefly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Prepare glaze while cookies cool. Place confectioners' sugar in a bowl. Add milk, orange juice, and orange zest and mix until smooth.
• Brush glaze onto cooled cookies or spread with a spoon. Decorate with sprinkles.

BLACK PEPPER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in center. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; cream on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and salt. Beat in egg whites until incorporated. Combine flour and pepper in a small bowl; add to butter mixture in 3 batches, mixing until just combined.
• Put dough in a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch round tip (such as Ateco #804). Pipe 3-inch strips about 1/2 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet, keeping tip close to sheet for thin cookies. Bake until edges are golden and centers are set, about 7 minutes. Let cool on sheet 5 minutes before transferring with a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.

BLACK PEPPER BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients (except for the extra sugar for dipping the glass) together well using a heavy duty mixer.
• Roll into 1/2 inch size balls-you will need three large ungreased cookie sheets, 16 balls per sheet.
• Use the flat base of a drinking glass that has been dipped into sugar to flatten each dough ball on the cookie sheets.
• Bake in a preheated 350 F (or 180 C) oven for 8-11 minutes or until lighly browned on the edges- do not overbake.
• Remove to wire racks to cool.

THE SPICIEST GINGERBREAD COOKIES EVER

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, salt, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg, cayenne, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes (scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed). Beat in the molasses until combined, then the egg (the mixture will look curdled). Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in 2 pieces, flatten each half into a disk and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Position 2 racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Keeping one disk refrigerated, roll the other disk on a well-floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick, sprinkling flour on and under the dough as needed and sliding a spatula underneath every so often to prevent sticking (If the dough looks crackly or breaks apart, press it back together from the outside edge in). Using cookie cutters, cut out gingerbread shapes as close together as possible. Pull away the extra dough around each shape then use a small offset spatula to transfer the shapes to the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Freeze the cookies until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through cooking, until they are slightly firm to the touch but not browned at the edges, about 12 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting and baking with the remaining dough disk.
• Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes (The cookies will continue to firm as they cool).
• Make the icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 3 tablespoons water in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the frosting thickens, trying not to incorporate too much air. (The icing should be pure white and thick, but not fluffy and bubbly.)
• Scrape the icing into a resealable plastic bag and snip the corner to the desired size. Pipe the icing onto the cookies to decorate, as desired, sticking the candy onto the icing while it is still wet. Let the cookies stand at room temperature until the icing hardens, at least 1 hour.

TARALLI PUGLIESI - ITALIAN BLACK PEPPER COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Create a well in the middle to add the wet ingredients.
• Slowly pour the water and oil into the well of the flour. Blend together and gradually incorporate into the flour using your hands. The dough will be dense.
• Dust a working surface or cutting board with flour, To the stiff dough, knead for about 3 minutes to develop the gluten.
• Preheat oven to 400º.
• Pull off small pieces of dough about 1 Tablespoon in size. Next, roll into ropes about 6 inches long and very narrow. Form a ring and then pinch the edges together.
• Place them on a prepared baking sheet, nonstick or with cooking spray. Leave space between each tarallo, they do not expand very much but will a little bit.You can get a dozen on each baking sheet. You can bake one at a time or both at once - just be sure to rotate the pans halfway through and keep them as close to the center of the oven as you can.
• Brush with oil and bake 20 minutes in the middle of your oven. The bottoms will be lightly browned.
• Remove carefully from the baking sheet and let cool on a baking rack.
• Enjoy immediately as a snack, appetizer, or small bite. Serve with wine or other small bites like cheese, fruit, or salumi. Great to serve on a charcuterie board or in a breadbasket.

PFEFFERNUSSE COOKIES

Steps:

• Stir together the molasses, honey, shortening, and margarine in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until creamy. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in the eggs.
• Combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, anise, cinnamon, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Add the molasses mixture and stir until thoroughly combines. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Roll the dough into acorn-sized balls. Arrange on baking sheets, spacing at least 1 inch apart.
• Bake in preheated oven 10 to 15 minutes. Move to a rack to cool. Dust cooled cookies with confectioners' sugar.

BLACK PEPPER CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift flour, baking powder and set aside.
• Mix the spices into the butter. Blend in the sugar. Beat in the egg.
• Stir in the flour mixture.
• Chill at least several hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll on a lightly floured board to 1/8 inch. Cut with cookie cutter.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned around the edges.
• Cool and ice.
• Store in an air tight container.
• Glaze:.
• Stir water into sugar and mix well.