Aunt Barbara's Peppernuts

Left: Our Christmas tree is loaded with sentimental ornaments, many made by our children and grandchildren; Upper Right: Aunt Barbara's Peppernut recipe; Middle Right: our mantle decor...I felt conflicted about Santa being there but made a creche the centerpiece for the grandchildren to arrange in front of the fireplace; Bottom right:  A stained glass Christmas tree made by our daughter, Mindy, when she was about 8.  The frosted window in the background show the results of our November 25 blizzard; we had about 3 to 4 inches of drifted snow here and the Interstate highway a mile south of our house closed for a few hours due to low visibility.  

Farmer John has fond memories of his Aunt Barbara, who each year makes a batch of Peppernuts:  spicy, crunchy, bite-sized cookies.  John has adopted his Aunt Barbara's tradition and earlier this week he used her recipe to make a batch of his own.  They are a little bit addictive (no one can eat just one).

Here is Aunt Barbara's recipe:

Peppernuts

1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 and 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon anise oil

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or English walnuts, optional (John does not use)

5 cups flour--or more

In a large bowl, mix flour, spices, and baking soda together with a whisk.  In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the sugars and margarine together until well blended, add egg and anise oil, beat until fluffy. Add the flour/spice mixture a half cup at a time, alternating with small amounts of the water.  Refrigerate dough overnight.  Roll into long ropes (you may need to add more flour to handle dough), then use a sharp knife to cut 1/8th inch thick, thumbprint-sized pieces.  Bake 8-10 minutes at 350º until light brown.  Cookies should be crunchy when cooled.