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Norwegian pepperkaker

Spiced gingerbread dough

I have used this recipe diligently in recent years. It yields 1 kg of dough, but is easy to double. So once you're up and running, go for it!

Frida Anker Kulmus

Cookbook author

Pepperkaker

Frida Kulmus Anker is a Norwegian baker and the founder of Gladbakst, known for her buttery pastries and playful approach to flavours. Frida is also the author of Jul med Frida ("Christmas with Frida"), where she reimagines classic Norwegian Christmas cookies with a fresh, modern twist.

Adjust the spices to suit your taste. I love a good punch of pepper and use coarsely ground pepper, but play around and find your own favourite mix!

Frida Anker Kulmus

Ingredients:

250 g butter
250 g sugar
90 g dark syrup
500 g wheat flour
1.5 tsp ground cloves
1.5 tsp ground cardamom
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
1.5 tsp ground ginger
1.5 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp baking soda
2 eggs

Method:

Equipment: Gingerbread cookie cutters

1. Put the butter, sugar and syrup into a saucepan and melt over low heat.
2, Add the flour, baking soda and spices to a bowl.
3. Add the eggs to the pan and stir to combine.
4. Pour the syrup mixture into the bowl and stir together until smooth.
5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours, or overnight.
6. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and cover baking sheet with baking paper.
7. Cut the dough into shapes and place the cookies onto the baking tray.
8. Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes, depending on their thickness. Keep an eye on the cookies along the way.

The dough will keep fine for at least a week in the fridge, if you want to bake in several batches. It can also be frozen, in which cakes it keeps for two months.

Tip: If you are going to bake these gingerbread cookies with children, you can replace coarsely ground pepper with 1 tsp finely ground pepper and skip the fresh ginger.

Source: Frida Anker Kulmus

Bonus tip! Wrap 1 kg in plastic wrap, tie a red silk ribbon around it and take it with you as a gift for your host at your next Christmas dinner. I promise it will be much appreciated!

Frida Anker Kulmus

The taste of Norwegian Christmas

Christmas traditions in Norway are as varied as the country itself. Here are some of the tastiest Norwegian holiday treats.

The Norwegian Cookbook

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