Peppernuts, tiny, spice cookies, a Mennonite holiday favourite

CBC Toronto reporters share their favourite Christmas treatsin our Holiday Eats series.

The name ofthese tiny, crunchy cookies is deceivingsince they don't contain pepper or nuts.

You never eat just one and eat them like you would a handful of nuts.They do have a somewhat peppery taste. Recipes vary, but it usually comes from a mix of cloves, ginger, mace,nutmeg or star anise.

How to make such cute little cookies? My mom rolls the cooked mixture into long, thin tubes, freezes them and thencuts off little pieces before baking the next day.

They're a North American Mennonite tradition andalso popular in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark.

I grew up also knowing the name for them in Low German orPlautdietsch, which is ppant (pronounced pay-pa-nate.)

In my extended family, my mom is the peppernut queen. They'realways a hit when she gives out small bags or jars to everyone in the family.