The Pfeffernüsse are German Christmas cookies and more broadly in Northern Europe, along with other classics like Lebkuchen, sharing the honey and a mix of aromatic spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger.
The name literally means “pepper nuts”, but historically and symbolically, not necessarily because the cookie is strongly peppery.
• ”Pfeffer” in German means pepper.
• In past centuries, “pepper” was used as a generic term for exotic and expensive spices from the East (like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, etc.).
• Some modern versions, especially in Northern Europe or Anabaptist tradition countries (or among immigrants), keep a pinch of pepper for that typical spicy contrast, but it isn’t necessarily present in all variants.
So “Pfeffernüsse” = “spiced nuts”, where “nuts” refers to the round shape of the cookie, and “pepper” to the spices in general.
The texture is generally firm, slightly spicy, and aromatic; after baking, they can be coated with powdered sugar or icing.
This version of Low Fodmap Pfeffernüsse is based on the traditional recipe from Northern Germany where some use molasses instead of honey and the spices may vary: cardamom, anise, allspice are common variants.
For a Low Fodmap diet, I used rice flour, making the recipe also gluten-free, lactose-free butter, and maple syrup instead of honey.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 40 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: German
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups rice flour
- to taste spices (cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, white pepper, ground ginger, and optional ground coriander)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 6 1/3 oz lactose-free butter
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 egg
- to taste powdered sugar
Steps
1. In a bowl, mix flour, salt, baking soda, and all the spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, coriander).
2. In another bowl, beat butter + sugar + maple syrup until smooth. Add the egg and mix well.
3. Combine the liquid mixture with the dry ingredients: knead until you get a homogeneous dough.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours (ideally 1–2 days because traditionally Pfeffernüsse “mature” the spices over time).
5. Preheat the oven to 320-330 °F.
6. Shape dough into balls (diameter ~2‑2.5 cm); place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, well spaced.
7. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the edges start to harden and the surface cracks slightly; cookies should remain dark and aromatic.I simply coated them with powdered sugar, but if you like, you can make a white icing with powdered sugar and a little water.
Low Fodmap and Myrea
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FAQ (Questions and Answers)
For the low FODMAP diet, is white sugar or raw cane sugar better?
For the Low FODMAP diet, both white sugar and raw cane sugar are primarily sucrose, which contains both glucose and fructose, so in large amounts they should be limited; however, small quantities (1-2 teaspoons) are generally tolerated, and sometimes cane sugar is mentioned as allowed because it is perceived as less processed, but the minimal nutritional difference for FODMAPs is negligible.
The best choice is to opt for Low FODMAP alternative sweeteners like pure maple syrup or glucose, stevia or erythritol, and anyway, moderate the use of sugars in general.
