Black pepper Keto cookies with joyful rainbow icing
Black pepper Keto cookies taste so good that I can’t stop eating them. Ohh, that is because I ate them after a light dinner. Of course, they are 100% Keto and if you enjoy them after a propper Keto dinner, you will not be tempted to overeat! However, judging from the texture, black pepper Keto cookies or biscuits are the best Christmas cookies I made so far!
Black pepper in cookies, where does this tradition come from?
In Croatia, they are called Paprenjaci, and they could be one of my favourite Christmas treats if we don’t forget Breskvice. But, since I ketonised Breskvice 2 years ago, it was about time to Ketonise the mighty Paprenjaci.
Black pepper cookies are traditional in many European countries. You might know them under the name Pfeffernusse. They are dry, crunchy and aromatic! These biscuits are prepared using special wooden moulds or by shaping them with your hands. There’s a long history connected with Black pepper cookies or biscuits!
I keep using both expressions, cookies and biscuits but I prefer to call them biscuits 😉
They are known to have been prepared since the Renaissance and today they are most commonly made at Christmas time.
The addition of fragrant, aromatic spices make these cookies special and irresistible! They can last for weeks if you store them in a cool place. Of course, the Ketonisation will exclude the main sweetener (honey) and the addition of sugar. But everything else will be pretty much the same. My version is also a bit chewy but the icing on the second day becomes crunchy and melts in the mouth!
Be prepared for the explosion of flavour and taste in Black pepper Keto cookies
Black pepper as a spice has a rich history and there was a time when it was used as a payment method. In Europe, every country has a specific Christmas treat that includes various expensive spices, but also pepper. The biscuits that I am going to Ketonise for you, tastes divine even after several days. As they say in England:
The biscuits are not good if they don’t contain Love
Well, trust me – these contain loads of love and explosion of emotions.
Why did I use this crazy psychedelic icing technique?
Well, I was making them live in front of the Ketonian audience and I did not prepare the piping bags. So I had to improvise! You can use propper decorating tools and have amazing looking Black pepper Keto cookies or biscuits. On the other side, you can just go crazy (as I did) and make some artistic expression! The flavour and smell of these cookies will bring you to another level of positive emotions!
A Timeline of the black pepper trade
1000 B.C. – Arabian merchants owned a large monopoly in the spice trade. To preserve their precious sources, they invented legends of monsters overlooking the pepper groves.
40 A.D. – The Romans had a flourishing business in black pepper from India to Alexandria. They were not afraid of the monsters and dragons Arabs invented.
476 A.D. – With the downfall of the Roman Empire, Arabs once again established their domination in the commerce of black pepper.
10th Century A.D. – By this time black pepper had grown to be a significant spice in Europe. It is reported that English King Ethelred II (978-1016) ordered 10 pounds of pepper from German spice merchants as a fee for making a profit in London.
15th Century A.D. – By the end of this century, spice merchants from Alexandria were bringing tones black, red, and white pepper to Venice. Venice grew to be the distribution heart for pepper in Europe. The price sky-rocketed. This Venetian price-gouging inspired the travels of Christopher Columbus, Vasco de Gama, Sir Francis Drake and all other explorers.
1500 to 1600 A.D. – de Gama was the initial person to arrive in India by navigating around Africa. The Portuguese dominated the spice trade, shipping about 2 million kilograms of pepper yearly.
17th Century – The Dutch founded colonies in Bantam, Ceylon, Java, Lompong, and Malabar and therefore grew to be the kings of pepper!
Black pepper Keto cookies (biscuits)
25
servings25
minutes17
minutes45
kcalIngredients
2 whole eggs
2 yolks
2 tbsp stevia or monk fruit blend sweetener
2/3 Ceylon cinnamon powder
2/3 powdered orange zest (or freshly grated)
1/2 tsp mahlep (use nutmeg instead)
2 tsp natural rum flavouring (Or just use rum)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp citric acid (or 2 tbsp of lemon juice)
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp melted tallow (you can use butter)
1,5 tsp psyllium powder (or ground chia seeds)
6 tbsp almond flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
- Icing
2 egg whites (Large)
1/3 tsp citric acid
100g powdered stevia or monk fruit blend sweetener
Natural food colouring or natural colourful aroma*
Directions
- Place the eggs in a deep mixing bowl.
- Melt the tallow over medium temperature. You will use 6 tablespoons after it’s melted.
- Add salt, sweetener and all the spices to the eggs and whisk. Now add baking soda and citric acid.
- Add tallow spoon by spoon and keep whisking. Add psyllium powder.
- Add almond flour and coconut flour. Mix with your hands.
- Place the dough in the refrigerator for 7-10 minutes.
- In the meantime, beat the eggwhite with citric acid until you get a soft peak. Using a whisk, add all the powdered sweetener bit by bit and mix to unify. You can divide the mixture and add various natural colourings or flavouring. Place it in the refrigerator.
- After the dough has been chilled a bit, make 25 different shapes by using your hands or cookie cutters/moulds. Place them on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes at 150ºC (300ºF)
- Let the cookies cool down before you start applying the icing. you can use piping bags or just splash some icing on and sprinkle with chopped nuts of your choice.
Notes
- If you want to go 100% natural, you can read our article about homemade natural food colours and use those.
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