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.
Like many things before I lived abroad, I assumed gingerbread was pretty similar the world over.
But if you’ve never had Norwegian gingerbread (known as pepperkaker) this is one cookie you’re going to want to add to your holiday cookie bake list STAT.
What makes pepperkaker different?
— A light, golden syrup in place of the molasses that allows the spices to really sing through
— A texture that’s somehow crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside
— REAL PEPPER
Like the name suggests, these cookies have actually pepper in them, and it’s the spicy kick that you never knew your cookies needed.
Here’s how to make pepperkaker
First, make the hot syrup.
In a medium size saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and golden syrup. You want to make sure to use a pot that will accommodate all the ingredients (including flour), as we’ll eventually be mixing everything together right in the pot.
A quick note on golden syrup: Golden syrup is the closest equivalent to light syrup used to make these cookies in Norway. If you can’t find golden syrup, you can use dark corn syrup as a substitute.
Cook the mixture over low-medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.
Second, make the dough.
Whisk in the egg and spices until just combined
Using a spatula, fold in the flour and baking soda until a cohesive ball of dough forms. The dough will be warm and slightly sticky, but should easily pull away from the sides of the pan.
If it’s still clinging to the sides of the pan, add one tablespoon of flour at a time until it easily pulls away.
Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or until chilled through).
Finally, cut out and bake your cookies.
Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly flour surface until it’s about 1/4″ thick.
Cut out using the desired shapes and bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 10-11 minutes.
The cookies are done when they’ve slightly browned and are puffy.
Note: These cookies don’t hold their shape like a traditional sugar cookie cut out. If you’re looking for a festive cookie that holds its shape, I recommend trying my favorite sugar cookie recipe or my chocolate peppermint sugar cookies.
Icing for gingerbread cookies
While you can use many kinds of icing for these Norwegian gingerbread 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 never 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.
- 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.
Pepperkaker (Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies)
Spicy and subtly sweet, these traditional Norwegian gingerbread cookies known as pepperkaker are sure to bring joy to your kitchen this holiday season.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 21 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (80ml) golden syrup
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp finely ground pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/3 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 1/4″ 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
Keywords: pepperkaker, norwegian gingerbread, gingerbread cookies
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