Spicy and subtly sweet, these traditional Norwegian gingerbread cookies known as pepperkaker are sure to bring joy to your kitchen this holiday season.
Sure, you've had gingerbread, but have you had Norwegian gingerbread?
When I first moved to Norway, I remember being surprised by the unusually beige gingerbread people dotting the grocery store aisles around the holidays.
Before living abroad, I assumed gingerbread was pretty similar the world over.
But if you've never had Norwegian pepperkaker this is one cookie you're going to want to add to your holiday cookie baking list STAT.
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What are pepperkaker?
Pepperkaker are a subtly sweet, spicy cookie that are particularly popular around the holidays.
It's believed these cookies got their start in Norway around the 1650s when some 200 tons appeared in a crate in the city of Bergen.
Although Christmas cookies are a relatively new concept in Norway (dating back to just the 1800s), pepperkaker have become the ubiquitous Norwegian Christmas cookie and can be found on nearly every store shelf. Gingerbread hearts (pepperkakehjerter) are one of the more popular shapes.
How is it different from other gingerbread?
Don't let the name fool you. These pepperkaker cookies are deliciously different from other kinds of gingerbread. Namely:
- They have a light, golden syrup in place of the molasses. This allows the delicious combination of warm spices to sing through.
- The texture is somehow crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
- And, I can't stress this enough: It has REAL PEPPER.
Like the name suggests (the direct translation would be "pepper cookies"), these cookies have actual pepper in them, and it's the spicy kick you never knew your cookies needed.
Ingredients
Below are helpful recommendations for key ingredients. A full list of ingredients and measurements is available in the recipe card.
- Golden syrup: This syrup is a staple of European baking. If you can't find it locally, it's available on Amazon (affiliate link) or you can try making your own.
- Butter: Unsalted works best as it allows us to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Ginger, cinnamon, pepper and cloves: These spices give this cookie its signature flavor.
- Egg: Provides stability and richness.
- Baking soda: Reacts with the syrup to make the cookies rise.
Step-by-step instructions
First, make the hot syrup.
Combine the butter, sugar and syrup.
Cook over low-medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.
Remove and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Second, make the dough (pepperkakedeig).
Whisk the eggs and spices into the cooled syrup. Fold in the flour and baking soda until a cohesive dough forms.
Refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours).
Third, cut out and bake cookies.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to ¼" thick.
Cut out desired shapes and bake at 350F for 10-11 minutes or until lightly browned.
Note: These cookies don't hold their shape like traditional sugar cookie cutouts. If you're looking for something more along those lines, I recommend trying my favorite sugar cookie recipe or my chocolate peppermint sugar cookies.
Working ahead
If you want to work ahead, you can mix up the dough all the way to refrigeration, where it'll keep for up to 5 days.
This dough can also be frozen as a log for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, roll out and bake per the directions.
Icing for gingerbread cookies
While you can use many kinds of icing for these cookies, I personally like to use royal icing. Royal icing dries hard, comes in multiple consistencies, and is great for all kinds of designs.
If you're looking for some inspiration, here are some easy royal icing dipped cookies and a few ways to decorate snowflake cookies to get you started.
You can also use buttercream or store-bought frosting, which will help keep your cookies soft. Unlike royal icing, the buttercream will not completely harden so it can be prone to smudging, particularly during transportation.
If you're looking for inspiration for buttercream-decorated cookies, here's one of my favorite ways to decorate tree-shaped cookies.
Expert tips
- Golden syrup substitute: If you don't have or don't want to use golden syrup, you can substitute dark corn syrup at a 1:1 ratio.
- Checking for doneness: These cookies are done when they are a light golden brown and puffy.
Scaling
While this recipe can easily be doubled to make more cookies, it doesn't halve well (it's hard to split an egg, which will result in the ratio of egg to other ingredients being off).
If this recipe makes more than you need, I recommend splitting and freezing the dough.
Storage
These cookies should be stored in a metal or glass container (storing them in plastic will cause them to become soft) at room temperature and will keep for up to 2 weeks.
More Norwegian cookies
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below! I regularly update these posts and feedback from wonderful readers like you helps me improve them.
Recipe
Pepperkaker (Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies)
Pepperkaker are a traditional Norwegian cookie known for their spicy and subtly sweet flavor.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 21 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (80ml) golden syrup
- ¾ tsp ground ginger
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp finely ground pepper
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 ⅓ cup (300g) all purpose flour
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- In a medium size saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and golden syrup.
- Cook over low-medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Whisk in the egg and spices until just combined.
- Using a spatula, fold in the flour and baking soda until a ball of dough forms.
- The dough will be warm and slightly sticky, but should easily pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it's about ¼" thick.
- Cut out with desired shapes and bake at 350F for 10-11 minutes.
- The cookies are done when they've slightly browned and are puffy.
Notes
-
- Golden syrup substitute: If you don't have or don't want to use golden syrup, you can substitute dark corn syrup at a 1:1 ratio.
-
- Checking for doneness: These cookies are done when they are a light golden brown and puffy.
-
- Working ahead: If you want to work ahead, you can mix up the dough all the way to refrigeration, where it'll keep for up to 5 days.
-
- Storage: These cookies should be stored in a metal or glass container (storing them in plastic will cause them to become soft) at room temperature and will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 8.1g
- Sodium: 115mg
- Fat: 3.4g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 25.7g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Protein: 2.3g
- Cholesterol: 19mg
Sue says
I love these! You do beautiful work 😀