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You are here: Home / Recipes / Cookies / Norwegian Pepperkaker

Norwegian Pepperkaker

December 15, 2014 Updated December 7, 2020 27 Comments

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The Christmas cookies I remember most are those that were given to our family by my best friend’s mother.  In fact, the only cookies I make at Christmas are from Laila.  I’m so grateful I took the time one day to write down her recipes.  Her Norwegian Pepperkaker was always so crunchy and had a bit of spicy heat to them.
 
 
Pepperkaker is perfect for shipping.  They will last stored in tins for weeks.  The flavor lasts as long as the cookie.
 
 
They are so simple to make.  You will want to add them to your Christmas cookie exchange list and that’s why I decided to make them for The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap.  The cookie swap brings food bloggers from around the world and creates a huge cookie exchange to raise funds for Cookies For Kids Cancer.  This is the third time I have been involved.  I send one dozen cookies to three selected food bloggers.  In return, I receive a dozen cookies from three different food bloggers and end up receiving 3 dozen cookies.  How fun is that?
 
 
 
 
 
 
You will need:
 
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup or golden syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar
1 egg
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoons cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
 
In a small saucepan combine 1/2 cup sugar.
 

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

stirring to incorporate the butter.

Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl.

Allow to cool for about 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, prepare dry ingredients.  Begin by freshly grinding 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

I’m sure you all know by now that I’m not a fan of canned black pepper.  Canned ground black pepper will over power the spice flavors in this cookie.  Try not to use it unless you absolutely have to.  The cookie should have a subtle pepper flavor.

Sift 2 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon soda, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon cloves.

and 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper.

Add 1 egg to the slightly cool sugar mixture.

Add the flour spice mixture.

 

Beat until smooth.

Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap.

Wrap tightly.

 

 
Form the dough into a square to make roll out more simple.
 
Place in refrigerator dough for several hours or overnight.
 

After dough has chilled for several hours, remove from the refrigerator and place on a floured surface.

I think putting a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the dough helps to roll the dough thin.

 

 

 

 

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 7-8 minutes or until golden and browning on the sides.

 
Remove from oven and cool.
 
Layer Pepperkaker in tins and store in a cool place.
 

 

 
 
 
4.26 from 27 votes
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Norwegian Pepperkaker

Pepperkaker are traditional Norwegian Christmas cookies that you definitely want to make part of your holiday traditions! These cookies have a lovely crisp snap and just the right amount of sweetness, with lots of festive and delicious gingerbread flavor. They're perfect to share for cookie swaps and are even great to ship as tasty gifts!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Christmas cookies, gingerbread cookies, Norwegian Pepperkaker, Norwegian Pepperkaker recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill 8 hours
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 36 cookies
Calories 77 kcal
Author Janet Barton

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark corn syrup or golden syrup
  • 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoons cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan add sugar, corn syrup, butter and vinegar to a simmer.  Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl.  Set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.

  2. Mix in egg. Sift together the flour, soda, pepper, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

  3. Once the dough has chilled, roll the dough very thin on a floured surface. Cut into any desired shapes. Bake at 350℉ on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 7-8 minutes. Remove cookies from the baking sheet immediately and allow to cool. Store in airtight tins.

Recipe Notes

Layer the Norwegian Christmas cookies in tins and store in a cool place. Pepperkaker will keep well for up to 3 weeks when kept in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts
Norwegian Pepperkaker
Amount Per Serving
Calories 77 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 11mg4%
Sodium 31mg1%
Potassium 12mg0%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 0g0%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 0g0%
Vitamin A 85IU2%
Calcium 3mg0%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Filed Under: Cookies Tagged With: christmas cookies, norwegian pepperkaker

Previous Post: « It’s a Chocolate Dipping Party and Candy Giveaway
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Romina says

    January 3, 2023 at 3:38 am

    Hi! Are these MEASUREMENTS in european or AMERICAN cups? Can you provide weight or butter? the stick in mexico looks way smaller and its 90gr. Missed theese Cookies from erasmus days and want to recreate

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      January 3, 2023 at 3:44 am

      The measurements are in American cups. 1/2 cup of butter = 113.4 grams or 4 ounces (American measurements) I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

      Reply
  2. iNGE van Gelder says

    December 19, 2022 at 10:57 am

    5 stars
    Dear Janet,
    The recipe is perfect!
    On the pictures it looks like you use a cloth to roll the dough on and cut the shapes? I was wondering if it is a special cloth and where you could buy such a sheet?
    Christmas wishes from the Netherlands!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 19, 2022 at 11:31 pm

      It is a pastry cloth made of thick muslin fabric with edges that have been serged. I purchased the cloth at a cooking store many years ago. Just dust the cloth with a little flour to prevent pastry or cookie dough from sticking. I love it!

      Reply
  3. SShadoww says

    December 26, 2021 at 5:42 am

    5 stars
    I’ve only made the dough, but by the smell of it, I can tell it’s the same Christmas Cookie I helped to make in my childhood. Thanks for posting the recipe.

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 28, 2021 at 6:01 am

      I hope you loved the pepperkaker. It’s one of my favorites.

      Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      January 5, 2022 at 6:57 pm

      Please let me know how you like Pepperkaker. It’s definitely one of my favorite Christmas treats.

      Reply
  4. Brooke Schelar says

    December 15, 2021 at 9:43 pm

    Hi! Im excited to try this recipe. If i choose to make ot wIthout vinegar, do you Recommend me Adding anything To make up for That lack of liquid? Thanks and happy holidays!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 17, 2021 at 3:05 am

      I think you could just omit it. If you feel you want to replace the acid, you could use lemon juice as a substitute. Please let me know if you have any more questions.
      Sorry to respond so late. I’ve mom has been very ill and I’ve had to spend time at the hospital. Have a wonderful holiday season! Happy baking!

      Reply
  5. Liz Simpson says

    December 31, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    Hi Janet. Merry Christmas and a blessed New year to you. What kind of stand mixer to you use. I’ve never seen a beater attachment like the one in the pictures.
    Thanks – Liz

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      January 1, 2021 at 9:37 pm

      Hi Liz, Yes, I have a KitchenAid. The beater attachment you see is a scraper beater. I found it on Amazon. They have a variety of sizes depending on what brand of stand mixer you have. I love the rubber scrapers attached to the beater. However, they do eventually wear out and start to fall off. I had to replace mine after about 5 years of use…hard use.

      Reply
  6. Mary S says

    December 19, 2020 at 4:41 pm

    Tried this recipe twice, and unfortunately, this is just not the move imo. I ended up using a recipe that didn’t use ground pepper and vinegar (although IDK if the vinegar changed much) and it turned out much better and my friend from Norway said those were perfect. I’m sure this recipe works for some people just not me.

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 19, 2020 at 7:32 pm

      I’m sorry you didn’t have success with this recipe. This is the recipe of my childhood from my best friend’s mother who was from Norway. She made it for me every Christmas and passed on her recipe.
      Thank you for your comment. I’m glad you found a recipe that you like for gingerbread.

      Reply
  7. Laurie says

    December 18, 2019 at 5:47 pm

    Pepparkakor should have cardamom in them. My recipe is Swedish and very different than yours, but key to all pepparkakor is cardamom. Mine also calls for molasses. They need to be rolled extremely thin. Many don’t do this, but your photo shows you did. Well done!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 18, 2019 at 10:02 pm

      Thank you Laurie. I love cardamom and will try adding it to my next batch. My dear friend, who is from Norway, gave me her recipe. No mention of the cardamom.

      Reply
      • Laurie says

        December 19, 2019 at 2:24 am

        You won need much – 1/4 teaspoon shoukd do it.

        Reply
  8. cassie haw says

    December 10, 2016 at 6:47 pm

    I'm so looking forward to making these! I'm wondering about freezing the dough… Have you tried that? Perhaps if I chill the dough, then cut the cookies out and flash freeze? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 10, 2016 at 9:08 pm

      I have never frozen the dough, but I think it's a fabulous idea. I even think cutting the dough and freezing would work great too. The cookies freeze great after they have been baked. I'm a fan of freezing everything and anything to help with time. I hope you love the cookies.

      Reply
    • cassie haw says

      December 13, 2016 at 7:00 pm

      It worked! I refrigerated the dough, rolled it out, cut out the cookies, then froze them. I just baked them off now, and while I don't know how they'd be if I hadn't frozen them, they taste and look great! My tree cutter is larger than yours, that with the cookies being frozen, they took about 10 minutes in the oven. Lovely – peppery and crisp!

      Reply
  9. Karen and Cerys says

    October 16, 2016 at 9:01 pm

    So my daughter for homework had to make a foreign food (her teacher added they should maybe bring some for him to try too, I'm not sure he gets fed at home lol) When we came across this recipe my initial thought was "at least we have all the ingredients". We got almost 100 out of the batch of dough (enough for the whole school if she wanted as she attends a small village school) Sadly they are too nice to share so she's just taking enough for her class and the remaining 80 are going into our bellies ๐Ÿ™‚ Life's hard lol These will definitely be made in our house again in the run up to Yuletide. My great grandma was Norwegian but she died many years ago so I don't remember if she ever made these but I am so glad we found your recipe. Many thanks!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      October 21, 2016 at 12:05 am

      I think I'd rather have them in my belly too. I'm so happy you like the cookies and now you have an authentic Norwegian recipe. Thanks for sharing this fun story.

      Reply
  10. Marcia says

    December 21, 2015 at 12:39 am

    Hi Janet, thanks for the recipe. I'm not a very experienced baker, and my dough wound up really sticky. It had chilled doe about 5 hours. Couldn't have been not quite chilled enough, or should I add some extra flour…?

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 21, 2015 at 4:32 am

      Oh no. That's not good. You can try refrigerating overnight. If the dough is still too sticky, you made need to add an additional 2 tablespoons flour. I hope this helps

      Reply
  11. rls @ FirstTimeFoods says

    December 17, 2014 at 10:38 pm

    I can attest to how good these little cookies are, and how adorable, too! Thanks for sharing them, Janet – I brought them into the office, and everyone loved them!

    Reply
  12. SpicySweet15 says

    December 17, 2014 at 5:12 pm

    Hey Janet, love your blog! Is this a true Norwegian recipe? The reason I ask is that my husbands family do a Christmas theme each year, blue jean, cowboy, mickey mouse, etc. You get the idea, and this year because they do in fact have Norwegian ancestry they are doing a Norwegian Christmas, and I would love to bring something that is Norwegian.

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 17, 2014 at 7:10 pm

      It is authentic. They make them in Sweden as well. My best friends mom was Norwegian and she would make these along with the Berlinerkranser and Almond tartletts, both recipes are on my blog. Look in the recipe search or recipe index. Berlinerkranser are really easy and my favorite. I think your themed Christmas idea is awesome.

      Reply
    • SpicySweet15 says

      December 19, 2014 at 2:01 pm

      Great, now I want to make them both! I hope the actual relatives from Norway will be nicely surprised…I hope.

      Reply
4.26 from 27 votes (25 ratings without comment)

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About Me

Janet Barton

Hi I'm Janet and this is where I share my delicious made-from-scratch seasonal recipes that I make at home for my family every day.

I believe cooking from scratch, using unprocessed and whole foods is an important part of healthy eating. My goal is to help you create amazing recipes by providing easy step-by-step photos and instructions.

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