• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

HealthyHappyLife.com logo

  • about
  • RECIPES
  • LIFESTYLE
  • BLOGGING
  • VIDEO
  • SHOP
  • Cookbooks
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • My Books
  • Videos
  • About
  • holiday
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » recipes » holiday » Christmas » Christmas Desserts » Vegan Pfeffernüsse Cookies

    by Kathy Patalsky · updated: Jun 26, 2020 · published: Dec 4, 2017 · About 5 minutes to read this article. Leave a Comment

    Vegan Pfeffernüsse Cookies

    Jump to Recipe

    This might be one of my very favorite Christmas cookies to make in December. Pfeffernüsse cookies, gone vegan! These traditional German holiday cookies have a snowy white exterior and a spiced, tender interior. I love the peppery flavors of nutmeg, clove, allspice and cinnamon combined with molasses and a hint of citrus zest.

    Since S N O W is the number one thing I miss about holidays in California compared to back east, these cookies give a little snoystorm-y atmosphere to my holiday treats platter…

    Pfeffernüsse, aka Snowball Cookies (with a Matcha Spin!)

    “I’m making Pfeffernüsse! Pfeffernüsse. Pfeffernüsse.”

    I promise you, these Pfeffernüsse cookies are sun to eat, but also pretty fun to say. I have seemed to pronounce it, instinctively, as Fuffer-nussen. Which, from my research, isn’t too far off from the correct German pronunciation. That silent “p” and “fuffer” part just make this like the best word ever for a holiday cookie.

    “Pfeffernüsse all around!”

    After browsing online, I adapted my Pfeffernüsse cookie recipe from a Martha Stewart recipe. Which btw, she calls Pfeffernussen, not sure which spelling is correct, especially since Martha is never wrong, but who knows. I looked at a few recipes online, and many of them had a much longer ingredients list than the one by Martha. I liked this one because it seemed relatively easy to adapt.

    Vegan Pfeffernüsse Cookies

    Vegan Egg replacer.

    For my cookies, I used pumpkin puree as the egg replacer. I chose pumpkin for a few reasons, it isn’t sweet – which an egg is not sweet – so they have very similar flavor properties. And I also love pumpkin as an egg replacer because it adds a lot of body to my baking projects, without interfering with the flavor too much. Unsweetened pumpkin doesn’t have much flavor.

    Other options for the egg replacement?
    Silken tofu. Apple sauce (though this will add a tiny bit more sweetness). Or even a flax or chia “egg.”

    snowball cookies

    Sugar + SPICE.

    I added a heavier hand of spices for my Pfeffernüsse cookies because I really love the spicy flavor. And even with a slightly heavier does of a few of the spices, they still were not spicy enough for me, ha. So these should be good for the average cookie-loving party guest. Otherwise, you could go crazy and bump up the cayenne or ginger or pepper even more!

    Pfeffernüsse Cookies
    Vegan Pfeffernüsse Cookies
    snowball cookies

    Snowball Cookies, aka Pfeffernüsse

    These pretty white, fluffy, powdery cookies could also simply be called snowball cookies. Easier to pronounce and easier to say, but yes, a bit less exotic. But if I was making this with kiddos, I’d probably throw the title ‘snowball cookies’ somewhere in there.

    Traditional Preparation: Additional Heating?

    Some of the recipes used a second step of applying heat to the butter + sugar mixture. I skipped this and just whisked things together at a slightly warmed temp and that worked perfectly. Maybe heating the egg does something? But I found with my ingredients, no additional pot + heat was necessary.

    New Favorite Christmas Cookie!

    So overall, I am in love with this new holiday cookie recipe! It is definitely a new holiday fave that I plan on making every year. I crave them! That powdery white coating, tender spiced center. I hope you give them a try for your next holiday party or cookie gift..

    Christmas Recipes

    Snag more of my Christmas recipes here.

    VEGAN PFEFFERNÜSSE COOKIES

    Vegan Pfeffernüsse Cookies

    These tender, spiced Pfeffernüsse cookies are easily made vegan with a few traditional recipe tweaks. Snowy powdered sugar on top.
    4.60 from 5 votes
    click the stars to rate
    Print Pin
    Prep: 15 mins
    Cook: 15 mins
    Total: 30 mins
    Servings: 14

    Ingredients

    Wet Mixture:

    • ⅓ cup brown sugar, organic
    • 3 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
    • ¼ cup vegan butter, softened
    • 3 tablespoon pumpkin puree, unsweetened – or another egg replacer
    • 1 teaspoon citrus zest, I did a combo of lemon and tangerine
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Dry Mixture:

    • 1 cup all purpose flour, + 1 Tbsp
    • ½ teaspoon ground AllSpice
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
    • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon ginger powder or a few pinches of cayenne powder
    • ⅓ cup almond meal, or ⅓ cup whole almonds -> processed into flour
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

    Sugar Coating:

    • ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ⅛ teaspoon AllSpice
    • ¾ cup powdered sugar, organic
    • pinch of cayenne or finely ground black pepper, optional

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • Add the wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl, blend until combined, using a hand or stand mixer.
    • Add in the dry ingredients and combine using your mixer on low. Blend until smooth, but to not overbeat, you want the dough to be fluffy and easy to handle.
    • Roll the dough into small balls, about 1 ½ tablespoon of dough each. Place on parchment, continue placing until all the dough has been used up.
    • Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until the tops begin to plump up and crack a bit along the sides and middle.
    • In a small bowl or a sandwich-sized plastic bag, combine the powdered sugar with the sugar spices.
    • Pull the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes on the sheet. When they are cool enough to handle, dip them into the sugar mixture and coat well. Place the cookies on a cooling rack – tip: place a baking sheet under the cooling rack to catch the sugar that falls. Repeat until all the cookies are coated. then repeat the coating to get a double dipped effect. Allow the cookies to fully cool, then dip them again for an extra white coating. I let my cookies chill in the fridge overnight, then dipped them a second time and that worked perfectly for a bright white color.
    • These cookies are delicious served warm or cool. They also make perfect gifting cookies because they do well in the fridge and/or wrapped in a plastic gifting bag – and can be made a few days ahead of time.

    Equipment

    • baking sheet
    • mixer
    • small bowl

    Video

    nutrition estimate | per serving

    Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 654IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
    Dessert
    American
    baking, christmas, christmas cookies, cookies, vegan
    Did you make this?Snap a pic + tag me! @KathyPatalsky


    More Christmas Desserts

    • Cloud Cocoa
    • Vegan Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
    • Peanut Butter Banana Cookies with Chocolate Swirls, vegan + gf
    • Vegan Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze

    About Kathy Patalsky

    Hey there! I'm Kathy, lover of kitty cats, weekend baking, 90's movies, travel, beach fog and foamy lattes. Since 2007, I have been sharing my vegan recipes and photos. My goal is to make your cooking life a little easier, delicious - and plant-loaded - while sharing some LIFE and conversation along the way.

    Vegan Linzer Cookies

    5 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Pie

    Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping

    Vegan Oatmeal Cookies, Lunchbox-Ready

    Primary Sidebar

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    newsletter:

    Trending

    my cookbooks

    my cookbooks

    Disqus Latest Comments

    1. s

      s: Absolutely one of the best things I've ever baked. Used dairy butter…

      Commented on: Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

    2. JanetS

      JanetS: Neither of those non-grain flours will substitute for oats or wheat. As…

      Commented on: Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

    3. disqus_LfP7ofaP87

      disqus_LfP7ofaP87: Earth Balance brand HAS PALM OIL, as do most of the vegan…

      Commented on: Sticky Banana Bread Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

    about kathy

    kathy patalsky

    featured: peach coconut water smoothie

    browse recipes

    Breakfast  |  Entrees  |  Desserts  |  Smoothies  |  Sandwiches  |  Salads  |  Beverages  |  Soups |  Appetizers |  Snacks  |  Sauces  |  Sides   /  Cooking Videos  |  Round-Ups  |  Fan Favorites  |  Holiday  /  All the Recipes

    browse:

    • reviews
    • travel
    • vegan topics
    • people
    • videos
    • beauty
    • wellness
    • Mom Life

    my ttc + baby journey

    Footer

    BROWSE BY:

    Category:

    DATE:

    looking for something?

    contact   |   about   |   kathy’s cookbooks  |  press  |  findingvegan  |  meal plans  |  shop  |  vegan recipe index  |  privacy policy  | start a blog

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Services | Work with me