Pfefferneuse Pfun

I have a strong Pennsylvania Dutch heritage (of which I'm quite proud) and collect cookbooks from that culture. One of the best is the Mennonite Community Cookbook, which has two recipes for Pfefferneuse cookies, a traditional Christmastime favorite. I cranked out a batch today - a perfect occupation for a cloudy, windy and frigid near-winter afternoon. I'd never made Pfefferneuse from this recipe before, and I doctored it a little to add some additional spices and a bit of fresh ground black pepper. I like them a tad heavy on the cardamom with that subtle but snappy little undertone of pepper. It gives these cookies a very special je ne sais quoi - people find them intriguing because they can taste that little peppery note but not enough to actually tell that it's pepper. They are pretty hard when you first bake them, but they soften up a bit, eventually. Snappy! And perfect with a cup of hot cocoa.