I have made a lot of cookies over the years and yet there are still probably thousands I still haven’t made. (This is a good problem to have.) So, naturally, I was delighted when I came across this old recipe card for a cookie I’ve never made or even tasted — Mrs. Horn’s Soft Peppernuts. Peppernuts, or Pfeffernusse, are a German cookie, full of honey and warm spices that are perfect for Christmas, but delicious anytime of year.

This card came to me through the Recipe Tin Project, which is a project where I cook my way through an old recipe tin full of vintage recipes. But you might have already guessed that. It’s chock full of old recipe cards, most of which seem to be from the ’60s and ’70s, though some are older. I love food history, and the idea is to breathe new life into these recipes from the past and maybe learn a technique or two from them along the way. The recipes come from different people with different handwriting; some have sweet illustrations while others are on plain (often smudged and stained) index cards.

This recipe is written on an unlined index card that’s darkened with age and picked up a few smudges and scuffs through the years. The cursive is casual and loose and while there are ingredients, the instructions are pretty much limited to “mix this together and then bake it.” But I’d do my best!

The recipe calls for flour, sugar, baking soda, and eggs. The more unique ingredients are black coffee, honey, and anise seeds, cloves, and nutmeg. (So sure to be a well-spiced cookie!)

The card says to just mix everything together in a large bowl. I started with the black coffee, honey, and sugar, added the eggs, followed by the spices, and then added the flour last. (I halved this because eight cups is A LOT of flour.) And then it went into the fridge overnight.

The card then tells you to shape the dough into balls the size of a walnut. Some say that’s where “peppernuts” get their name — they’re the size of a nut.

And then you bake up for about twelve minutes. They expand A LOT and are puffy and pillowy and soft.

From there they get dusted in a generous coating of powdered sugar.

So they’re then snowy and lovely and sweet. The texture is cakey and soft with a pretty open crumb, and they have so much delicious warming spice. If you like things like gingerbread, you’ll love these. I’m not a big fan of gingerbread, and even I loved them.