Pfeffernusse Cookies
My Mom’s beautiful father, Frank Marshall Volberg. Everyone called him Marshall. He was half German and grew up in Atlanta.
My Volberg grandparents (Marshall and my “Nonnie” Phyllis) when they were dating. So dang cute!
My Mom’s parents’ honeymoon in 1937. I want that dress!
Granddaddy Volberg receives the Legion of Merit in WW2. My stunning Nonnie on the left. Granddaddy was something like the youngest Lieutenant Colonel in the Army? I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong.
Baby Dale! So stinking cute!
Mom on the right with her brother, Frank, and their father. They lived in DC during WW2.
The extended Volberg clan at my Granddaddy Volberg’s funeral in Kingsport, Tennessee. 1991. I’m on the right wearing a jumpsuit (why?) and holding a glass of wine. ha ha
Dad enjoys a Czech kolache during a visit to Central Texas.
Mom and Dad with their granddaughters at Christmas in Chapel Hill. There definitely would have been some Pfeffernusse Cookies lying around.
Christmas. It looks like my niece, Leah, may have had too many cookies! :)
Die Toten Hosen, the infamous German punk rock band. Read the story below and you’ll understand.
I spent the weekend celebrating a friend’s birthday in the Texas Hill Country. For those who don’t know, the Hill Country is green and lush with frigid rivers and rolling hills. When I visited Texas for the first time, I was, frankly, disappointed that the entire state wasn’t dusty and dry like it was in the movies. It didn’t look that different from my native North Carolina. However, after spending spending 25 summers here, I have cultivated an appreciation for the geography of the Hill Country! It doesn’t matter how hot it is as long as there is cool water and a cold beer nearby.
When I moved here in the 90s, I was surprised to find that there were still active German and Czech communities in Texas. Settlers came in the early 1800s bringing their traditions and cuisines with them (hello, kolaches!). Those traditions are still going strong. There is a VERY enthusiastic Oktoberfest scene around here. (I mean, Texans don’t really need any nudging to drink beer and eat sausage.)
This is of interest to me because, well, it is INTERESTING. There are gorgeous little painted churches scattered around central Texas. But, this is also of interest to me because I’m a good bit German. I’ve got it on both sides of the family. Mom’s maiden name was Volberg. Her father, Frank Marshall Volberg (called Marshall), while from Georgia, was half German. His father, Frederick "Fritz" Ludwig Volberg III (can you get more German than that?!) came to America as a boy in 1881. I always wondered why there were so many Freds in our family. It turns out they were named after Frederick Ludwig, the head of the village in Germany that took in our French Huguenot family after they were forced to flee France due to the Edict of Nantes. I grew up singing “O Tannenbaum” and “Stille Nacht” at Christmas. And my Volberg Grandparents’ tree had actual candles on it, although I never saw them lit. (Talk about a death trap!)
This all readied me – sort of? – for my first adult encounter with Germans outside of the family. In the 90s, after college, I worked for a Dutch photographer in New York named Hans Neleman. I was twenty one years old. Hans was known for his commercial still-life work but was starting to venture into video. Those from the MTV generation may remember the music video for Toad the Wet Sprocket’s “All I Want”. That was his. Right when I first started the job Hans got the invitation to go on tour with Germany’s Die Toten Hosen (which translates to The Dead Trousers) to get some footage for some videos. Die Toten Hosen were loosely known as “the Sex Pistols of Germany”. They were somewhat less controversial than the Pistols but were from the same generation and genre. So, Hans befriended these guys on the road and offered up an “if you’re ever in New York …..”. And guess what? Die Toten Hosen came to New York for something and Hans offered to host them at his weekend place in Woodstock. Now, this job of mine was already insane. I worked all the time. My roommates never saw me. They could tell if I’d been home by the level of the shampoo in the bottle. I barely got time off for my birthday or a friend’s wedding and I eventually quit over having to handle snakes for a photo shoot. (I loathe snakes and Hans wouldn’t hire a trainer. He had me loading sheet film in a pitch black cabinet with snakes wrapped around my wrists because “it calmed them”. What about calming me?! How about that?!) Anyway, there was no way I was going to get out of that weekend in Woodstock with the German punk rock band. I figured I might have to help in the kitchen and play tour guide but what I didn’t bargain for was Hans insisting that I play goalie in a soccer game against the band. Um, what?!! I was a photo major, man. Anyway, dutiful as I was (this was pre-snake incident), I got into position in front of the goal and at least tried to protect my face against the zooming soccer balls. Those guys might have been middle aged rock stars but they still had some pepper in them! Die Toten Hosen were actually pretty nice guys and later, around the campfire, I compared notes with them on all things German. It turns out they grew up eating Stollen Bread at Christmas, too.
Today I’m sharing Mom’s recipe for Pfeffernusse Cookies. Spicy and chewy, they were her favorite. I remember wishing we could just have “normal cookies” when I was young. But, now I appreciate the effort and flavor! In fact, when I first started dating my husband in late 1998 he went home to be with his Mom for Christmas and she sent him back with a bag of Pfeffernusse cookies as a gift for me. I wrote her a note telling her that they were my Mom’s preferred cookies and that, for some reason, I hadn’t had them that year. My mother-in-law would later say that she could tell by that note that I was serious about her son.
It’s not really cookie baking season but if you are hankering for a German sweet treat, I’ve got you covered. I’ve got to sign off and tune into Carolina beating Kansas in the NCAA championship (let’s hope).
PFEFFERNUSSE COOKIES
1 cup almonds or pecans
1 box seedless raisins
2 Tbsp citron
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 eggs, separated
2 cups light brown sugar
confectioners sugar (for coating)
Grind nuts and fruit with coarse blade grinder (I use a hand one). Sarah’s note: I’m sure you can use a food processor now.
Add sifted flour and spices and mix.
In electric mixer, beat whites of eggs until stiff. Add yolks one at a time, beating well.
Add brown sugar while beating to make a thick sponge.
Pour this mixture over fruits and flour, stir to make thick dough.
With flour, roll into small balls. (May chill first. I drop into small bowl of flour by teaspoonfuls. Do not get too floury.)
Put on greased cookie sheet, 2” apart. Bake 10 minutes at 375. You want them to hold shape, but not be hard or dry. Moist inside. While warm, coat with confectioners sugar in a small bag.
Stores at least a week, air-tight. Makes about 6 dozen. May be frozen or shipped.
AS USUAL, KEEP ME POSTED!
Email and subscription button below.