Easier Pfeffernusse Kuchen

sometimes recipes call for anise seeds and cardamom. The old fasioned ones I used to eat as a girl has anise seeds in them, not sure about the cardamom.

Note: I started out making these and got sidetracked. I forgot to whip the eggs with the sugar. I had to add half a cup of Karo syrup to bing them. I also added 2 teaspoons cracked fennel seeds and grated rind of one orange. I laid the balls out on waxpaper overnight and flattened them down a little after a couple of hours.


* 4 eggs
* 2 1/4 cups white sugar
* 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1 tablespoon ground black pepper

I like to roll these in powdered sugar but the original recipe did not call for that.

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together with an electric mixer for 20 minutes. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves and pepper and stir them into the egg mixture. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Let the cookies sit out overnight to dry.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake the cookies for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container for a week to blend the flavors.