The Cookbook Junkie: Christmas in September?

By Gini Rainey

Had you stopped by my house a couple of days this week, you would have thought I had lost my mind! You would have found me in the kitchen baking Christmas cookies! Not just any Christmas cookies, but cookies rich with German heritage. Why, you might ask! Well, you see, every fall for the past several years I have gone home to my roots in Moorhead, Minnesota to help celebrate the annual Harvest Festival at the Probstfield Farm.

Now, why would I travel all that way with German cookies to visit a farm, you might ask? Well, the Probstfield Farm, the oldest standing structure in the Red River Valley (yes, dear readers there is a Red River in Minnesota) and is listed in the National Directory of Historic Places. Randolph Probstfield was my great-grandfather and was not only a pioneer and settler, but also worked with the Department of Agriculture to prove that the area’s soil was fertile and rich by growing tobacco, sugar beets, and tomatoes. He was also involved with the development of educational and social activities for the other settlers that followed him into the area. He built the first schoolhouse and served as teacher for the “community organized” school. Additionally, he was instrumental in formally organizing both the school district and the township, helped to establish the Farmers Alliance Party and served in the Minnesota State Senate. If you are a history buff and want to know more, you can visit https://www.mnopedia.org/person/probstfield-randolph-m-1832-1911. You’ll find that his life was very interesting. (Picture in your mind, if you will,  the opening scene of Dances With Wolves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnffktauNZw)…my great grandfather – well, at least in my mind.

Back to the cookies! I made a double batch of Spritz cookies, which are a rich, buttery little mouthful made with a cookie press and decorated with sprinkles. I make these every Christmas. I also made Pfeffernüsse, which I’ve never done before, but have always been intrigued with the recipe which calls for pepper. Pepper in a cookie? Interesting concept! The English for the German name is pepper nuts. Let me tell you, they are very good! If you’ve not had them before, I would urge you to give them a try!

The recipe I used for the Pfeffernüsse is from The Betty Crocker Cookbook, one of my old standby cookbooks. You’ll first want to preheat your oven to 350°. Then into a large mixing bowl, measure out ½ c. shortening, ¼ c. brown sugar, 1 egg, ½ c molasses, 3 drops of anise oil, and 1 tbsp of hot water. Mix everything thoroughly together. Then blend into it 3 1/3 c. flour, ½ tsp soda, ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp salt and 1/8 tsp white pepper. Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and knead together until everything is combined. Then, shape the dough into 1” balls and place 1” inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake about 12 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom and store in an air-tight container. Hint: for a softer cookie, put a slice of apple in the container.

They smell great while baking and I kept imaging my great grandmother filling her little house with warmth and happiness while she baked them. They are a close relative to gingerbread and ginger snaps, but I think the flavor is a bit more complex. As always, enjoy! If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please contact me at: thecookbookjunkie@aol.com