Dept of Holiday Baking: Airborne Cookies

If you have wanted to see cookies flying through the air, you have just enough time to book a flight for Amsterdam to join the Sinterklaas parade on December 5. Sinterklaas is a majestic Santa, patron saint of children, who arrives by canal boat and rides an equally majestic white stallion through town while his attendants throw spice cookies into the crowd.  That night he fills the shoes of good little boys and girls with these crisp little treats called kruidnoten.  The next morning, it’s customary to toss them around, then quickly retrieve and eat them. I am not recommending you try this at home.

I do recommend that you bake these ‘spice nuts’ and eat them right off the bake sheet to fully enjoy a surprising flavor blend of sugar, spice and pepper. Along with the anticipated aroma of anise seeds, cinnamon and ginger, the addition of ground white pepper makes the kruidnoten unique among European holiday treats. You can mix them in among the sugar cookies, with or without a spoiler alert, or save this intense taste treat to share with a friend over a cup of tea or coffee.

Kruidnoten became a popular gingerbread nugget during the 17^th century when the Netherlands dominated the spice trade in India and Indonesia. The rarity and expense of peppercorns made them a prized holiday ingredient. Both white and black peppercorns trigger heat sensitive taste buds in the mouth, but the white one is milder and plays well with other spices. Let’s not forget that powdered ginger root also packs some heat.

We have my friend Jeff Abell, to thank for this recipe for kruidnoten. He gives credit to Chicago chef David de Quay who originally dictated the ingredients to him. Jeff experimented until he found just the right the balance of sweet and hot flavors. You may do the same. For the best results, I advise that you replace last year's powdered spices with new containers.

Happy Holidays!