OC stands for Original Cookies

This is not dog kibble.

These are peppernuts (pfeffernüsse), a traditional German Christmas cookie. They are crunchy, spiced, lightly sweet, and great with coffee or tea. This recipe is my grandma's.

Ingredients assemble!

I have tried to find equivalents and metric measurements for all ingredients. If I miss anything, let me know. Teaspoon measurements seem to be universal, so I left those alone.
You will need a LOT of flour: 8 cups (806 g)

Step one: Butter, White Sugar, & Brown Sugar

In a bowl, mix together:
1 cup (226 g) butter
1 ½ cups (290 g) white sugar (granulated sugar)
1 ½ cups (300 g) brown sugar

Step two: Corn Syrup, Whipping Cream, & Eggs

Add to your bowl:
1 cup (235 ml) dark corn syrup
1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream (whipping cream, full cream, or single cream)
2 eggs lightly beaten

Corn Syrup and Eggs

To all of you going "What the heck is corn syrup?" It's sugar in liquid form. You can substitute an equal amount of honey, light molasses, or golden syrup. I've tried this recipe with honey and with molasses, and both worked fine.

As for "lightly beaten eggs", just get a fork and break up the yolks a bit.

Step three: The Spice Must Flow

Add to your mix:
2 teaspoons baking powder (do not confuse with baking soda)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground star anise
¼ teaspoon ground clove
¼ teaspoon cardamom

Ground star anise is hard to find here in 'Murica, but common in Asia, especially India and China. So if you're American like me, your best bet is an Asian grocery.

Flour!

Remember that 8 cups of flour? That's next.

I'm just showing off my gigantic (4 cup) measuring cup which really comes in handy here.

Step four: adding flour

Gradually add 8 cups (806 g) of all-purpose flour (plain flour).

The dough gets really stiff and has been known to break mixers. So when I add the last four cups, I use a heavy-duty steel spoon, and then my own hands.

Saran-Wrap and Chill

The dough is easier to work with when it's cold. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

They see me rollin'...

Once the dough is cold, take out a handful or two. Scatter some flour on your countertop, and get some on your hands, too. Roll the dough into a snake, about half an inch (1.5 cm) thick.

Use a sharp knife to cut the snake into pieces, maybe ¼ inch (1 cm) wide. (Don't worry about making them perfect!) Put the peppernuts on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Repeat until you've filled up a cookie sheet or two.

Get baked

Bake at 300º F (150º C) for 25-30 minutes. Peppernuts should be a little bit brown at the edges.

Yield: 5 quarts (4.8 liters)

For best results, wait a couple days before eating them. The spice flavor will be a little stronger, for some reason. Store them in an airtight container, and they'll keep indefinitely. (Our record is 1 year.)

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