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National Pfeffernüsse Day

Food · December 23

Pfeffernüsse are small spiced cookies from German and Dutch baking traditions, often dusted with powdered sugar and loved for their peppery warmth.

National Pfeffernüsse Day falls on Wednesday, December 23, 2026. That is 57 days away.

Pfeffernüsse are small, round spice cookies with roots in German, Dutch and Danish baking. The name translates roughly to "pepper nuts," and the pepper is real. A pinch of black pepper sits alongside cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and sometimes anise or cardamom.

They are about the size of a large marble, and most versions are firm rather than chewy. Many are rolled in powdered sugar or dipped in a thin white glaze. Others are left plain. The dough is often sweetened with molasses or honey, which gives the cookies a dark color and a flavor that lands somewhere between gingerbread and a warm drink.

Bakers who make them from scratch tend to let the dough rest before shaping, so the spices have time to settle in. The cookies also keep well in a tin, and some people say they taste better after a few days, once they soften slightly. Store-bought bags are easy to find in many American grocery stores, especially near the holiday baking aisle.

If you bake a batch, the raw dough contains flour and often egg, so wait for the finished cookies instead of tasting the dough. A cup of coffee or tea is the usual partner, and dunking is allowed.

That little bite of pepper at the end is the part people remember.

Ways to celebrate

• Bake a small batch of pfeffernüsse and roll them in powdered sugar.
• Try them with coffee or tea and notice the pepper at the finish.
• Share a tin of cookies with a neighbor or coworker.
• Look for pfeffernüsse at a local bakery or grocery store.
• Ask an older relative whether they remember a family spice cookie recipe.

Dates

All national days on December 23

Also on December 23

• Festivus
• National Christmas Movie Marathon Day
• National Roots Day

Categories: Food days