A Traditional Farm Life - Peppernuts

A Traditional Farm Life - Peppernuts

By Shasta Hamilton

Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends!   A new “crop” of seed catalogs has been “sprouting” in our mailbox recently.

This winter rite of “traditional farm life” is an exciting time for the rural gardener.  Typically, it is a time curled up in a favorite chair with a cup of hot cocoa, snow swirling around outside--a time of dreaming of neat green rows of the best garden crops ever.

However, this week when the catalogs came, it was shirtsleeves weather in Kansas in the middle of December. I think we better put those catalogs away until the next snow or ice storm. 

This time of year also means a new “crop” of socks, pajamas, etc. for our children.  I eagerly anticipate this new crop of socks “volunteering” and popping up in unexpected places all over the house.

In addition to new socks, our six-year-old son is very excited to have new overalls.  Bright navy blue and with a little room for growth, for a limited time only his “home clothes” are just as nice as his “town clothes.”  This is an exiting moment for me as well, as it signifies a short break from mending his knees and applying those “posterior patches” that have so often been necessary for this active little boy.

For folks with Russian Mennonite background, this time of year means peppernuts.  For more than a century, Mennonite women have baked these spicy little bite-sized cookies for the Christmas holiday.

Norma Jost Voth presents the history of peppernuts in pages 7 and 8 of her book, “Peppernuts:  Plain and Fancy.”  (If you’re interested obtaining your own copy, mine was printed in 1978 by the Bethel College Women’s Association of North Newton, Kansas, but I’m sure there are still copies in print.)  Her description fits the way my own grandparents would have made and enjoyed peppernuts a century ago.

 “When Grandmother was young, peppernut dough was stirred soon after Thanksgiving.  Little girls were given the task of grinding spices powder-fine with mortar and pestle, or pounding them in small bags out on the cement.

“Packed in five gallon crocks, the dough was stored in the dark, cool fruitroom of the cellar.  Left to stand a week or more, the spices blended smoothly with sugar and flour.

“Happy were those baking days, sharing the work of rolling, slicing, peeking in the oven, or chasing away pesky brothers who crept in to fill their pockets with warm, spicy peppernuts.

“Finally, gallons of peppernuts were stored n jars to mellow, or hung in flour sacks on a peg in the pantry until Christmas.  However, there was usually a jar on a shelf nearby where the children could grab a handful to munch while walking to school or taking a sleigh ride in the snow.

“On Christmas Eve the children set their plates on the kitchen table before going to bed.  It was not the custom, then, to exchange gifts, so their only surprise would be on the plate—an orange (the only one they might get all year), candy, nuts, and peppernuts covered with a bright, new handkerchief.”

In my childhood, we skipped the cellar and stored our peppernut dough in the refrigerator overnight to mellow and ease cutting.  (Pesky brothers were still known to fill their pockets and make a fast getaway, however.)

The following recipe was used by my grandmother, Lena (Penner) Schmidt, and after all these years remains my favorite of all the peppernut variations still finding their way into children’s pockets today.

Mariam Schmidt’s Quick Peppernuts

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon oil of anise or powder

2 tablespoons white corn syrup

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon ginger

3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1.  Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.

2.  Add egg, oil of anise, and corn syrup and beat well.

3.  Sift flour, baking soda, and spices; add to creamed mixture; mix well. 

4.  Roll fistfuls of dough into 1/2-inch wide “ropes.”  Place on waxed paper or parchment-lined baking sheets.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly or overnight. 

5.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6.  Cut into 3/8 to 1/2-inch pieces and place cut side down on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake until lightly browned, about 9 minutes.

7.  Cool several minutes on baking sheet before removing to cool completely.  Store in airtight container.

Yield:  Lots and lots of peppernuts.

Copyright © 2015 by Shasta Hamilton

Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in Enterprise, Kansas.  She and her husband own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled children.  You can reach The Buggy Stop by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com. 

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