Skip to main content

Pfefferkuchen

"This is a German spice cookie recipe, similar to gingerbread, which I received from my mother, Sabine Muller. I have been making these for over 20 years. I looked online at other Pfefferkuchen recipes and none were like this one. I thought that I would share it with you. The literal translation is 'pepper cakes', I always ice them with a lemon glaze."

By allrecipes · From Open Recipes · 18 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓
Pfefferkuchen

Why it works: Nutmeg and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,686 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Pfefferkuchen

9 dozen cookies
Prep1 hr
Cook20 min

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1006Calories
22 gProtein
28 gFat
168 gCarbs

Counts 13 of 16 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Chocolate1 oz (28g) semisweet155
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Honey1 tbsp (21g)64
Molasses1 tbsp (20g)58
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Cloves1 tsp ground (2g)7
Cardamom1 tsp ground (2g)6
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Anisenot in our table0
Seednot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By allrecipes. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Nutmeg + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,686 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Cardamom + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,114 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Cardamom + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,114 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Cardamom + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together249 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the anise

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, honey, sugar, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, clove):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Allspicefits better
  3. Turmericfits about as well
  4. Anisethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, honey, sugar, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, clove. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.