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Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies (pepperkaker)

Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies are spiced, snappy cookies that make your house smell divine when they bake. They are perfect for kids and adults to decorate and you can shape them into whatever you please - such as a gingerbread house!

 

Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies (pepperkaker)

 

I love this time of year. All the spiced cookies, gingerbread cupcakes, the soft Christmas Men (ahh no, it's cookies, sorry to disappoint), saffron buns for St. Lucy's Day, and all the hot chocolate your heart desires.

 

I love any excuse to eat, and now I have a month of excuses. Love it!

 

However, if you want some cookies that are 'acceptable' to be made all year round, I can recommend these popular banana snickerdoodles or my new favorite white chocolate macadamia nut cookies made with brown butter!

 

Each year we make a double batch of this recipe. And half is used to make a gingerbread house. We haven't been all satisfied with the gingerbread houses in former years, so last year we decided to try something new. This is much grander, but our decorating skills are still sub-par so sorry about that.

 

Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies (pepperkaker)

 

Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies (pepperkaker)

 

The Norwegian translation for gingerbread cookies is pepperkaker - pepper cakes. This is funny, as there traditionally isn't any pepper in them (although many have begun adding pepper to them).

 

In the old days, to 'pepper the food' really meant to spice it up. Hence the name. And unmarried women should eat gingerbread men in order to increase their chances of getting a good man. Hah, all the strange things I learn (and you!) by showing you traditional Norwegian recipes.

 

The Norwegian gingerbread cookies are very similar to other cookies. They absolutely need to chill overnight. Which is the worst part of cookie baking. Other than that, it's a super simple recipe.

 

Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies (pepperkaker)

 

Instructions

 

Melt butter, light syrup, heavy cream, and powdered sugar in a medium saucepan. Cool this mixture a little before adding in all the other ingredients; flour, baking soda, and spices. Mix/knead well before covering and chill overnight.

 

The next day, knead some more and roll out your dough on a floured surface. Roll to 3 mm (0.12 inches) thick and cut out using various cookie cutters.

 

If it's very sticky, you may want to place the dough inside two layers of parchment paper before you roll it out.

 

I prefer gingerbread men (Yes, I am technically unmarried but not without a good man, still prefer them though), Christmas trees, stars, and snowflakes. Place the cut-out cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

 

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 175C (350F).  Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before cooling them completely on a cooling rack. For gingerbread house parts you may want to bake them for a little longer, but not by much.

 

Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies (pepperkaker)

 

Light Syrup and Other Norwegian Goodnesses!

 

There's one ingredient that isn't that common in the US (I didn't know!). And that is the light syrup (lys sirup in Norwegian). It tastes a little like brown sugar, but one could use corn syrup in a pinch. However, because this is a spiced cookie, I wouldn't recommend corn syrup at all. Maybe you could try light molasses.

 

BUT, I found the most amazing website for you guys. An online store that sells Scandinavian specialties (no affiliate, just loved it). How about that!

 

So since you will already be ordering light syrup, go ahead and try brown cheese (brunost, my favorite is geitost), NORWEGIAN CHOCOLATE (the best thing ever. Try the Freia Melkesjokolade), Laban Seigmenn (Sweet jelly candy), vanilla sugar and licorice (Skipper, IFA or Tyrkisk Pepper or better yet - all of them).

 

Apparently, licorice is a much bigger thing here in Scandinavia than in other places. I didn't realize that until one day I saw (a ton of) youtube videos where Americans try Scandinavian candies. Sorry, this turned out to be about something completely different than Norwegian gingerbread cookies - I was just so excited!

 

So there you have it. Impress your family and friends with these spiced, snappy Norwegian gingerbread cookies. And remember the smell when baking truly is divine. If that doesn't give you Christmas spirit, nothing will. For dinner, I recommend this traditional Norwegian halibut recipe with whipped sour cream and a vinegary cucumber salad - so good even the fish haters (like me!) love it!

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies (pepperkaker)

 

Get ready for Christmas

 

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Either in the comment section below, or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don't forget to Pin it for later!

 

 

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📖 Recipe

Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies (pepperkaker)

Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies (pepperkaker)

Yield: 40 ish, depends on the cookie cutter
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 40 minutes

Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies are spiced, snappy cookies that make your house smell divine when they bake. They are perfect for kids and adults to decorate and you can shape them into whatever you please!

Ingredients

Norwegian Gingerbread Cookies

  • 250 gr butter, 1 cup + 2 tbsp
  • 250 gr powdered sugar, 2 cups
  • 125 gr light syrup, * see link below ¼ cup + 2 tbsp. May sub for light molasses
  • 100 ml heavy cream, 3.4 oz
  • 400 gr flour, 3 cups + 1 tbsp
  • 2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, less is also okay, but I love it spiced

Icing

  • 3 egg whites, reserve egg yolks for eggnog! Link below**
  • 1 tablespoon lemon, juice
  • 500 gr powdered sugar, 4 cups

Instructions

  1. Melt butter, light syrup, heavy cream and powdered sugar in a medium saucepan. Cool this mixture for 5 minutes before adding in all the other ingredients; flour, baking soda, spices. Mix/knead well before covering and chill overnight. I mix it with the spatula attachment in my stand mixer, for about 10 minutes.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 175C (350F) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Roll out your dough on a floured surface. Roll to 3 mm (0.12 inches) thick and cut out using various cookie cutters. If it's a very sticky dough, you may want to place the dough inside two layers of parchment paper before you roll out. Place the cut out cookies on the parchment lined baking sheets.
  4. Bake on the middle rack for 10 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before cooling them completely on a cooling rack.
  5. For the icing: Just mix everything together and pour into piping bags to decorate as you please. Too stiff? More lemon juice or water. Too runny? More powdered sugar.

Notes

* You may find light syrup in Scandinavian specialty stores, such as in this link.

** Recipe for Dasher's Creamy Eggnog

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 50 Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 96Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 71mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 0gSugar: 19gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information isn't always accurate, estimate for informational purposes only.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or tag @thegingerwithspice on Instagram, I'd love to see!

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Tonje Marie

Thursday 17th of December 2020

This is the second year in a row that I've made these gingerbread cookies, and I absolutely love them! They always turn out beautiful, and sooooo tasty!

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Saturday 19th of December 2020

Thank you so much, Tonje Marie! Merry Christmas!

Ve

Tuesday 15th of December 2020

Came out fantastic, and just in time too. I've been procrastinating too much, and I finally decided to make gingerbread cookies yesterday, and thank god I ended up here! I have never even tasted better gingerbread cookies anywhere else, and I made these ones! Thank you so much.

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Tuesday 15th of December 2020

Procrastination or not, I'm glad you came to it. Thank you!

Ingvild

Tuesday 15th of December 2020

This has to be the best gingerbread recipe! We use this recipe every year now and the result is crunchy tasty cookies. The dough is very sticky so it needs to be cold when rolling it out. I don't know about the crumbles Chris got though, that seems very strange to me and has never happened at our house! :)

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Tuesday 15th of December 2020

Thank you, Ingvild! It's news to me as well, I'll make a troubleshooting for this post to ensure it won't happen again. :)

Chris

Monday 14th of December 2020

This was a complete disaster. Was it supposed to have eggs? I made the dough yesterday and left it in the fridge overnight. I let it sit out for about 10 min and went to roll it and it turned to crumbles. Will not hold a shape. Tried to gather into a ball and it just wants to turn to dirt. Waste of time and ingredients unfortunately.

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Tuesday 15th of December 2020

Hello Chris. I'm sorry it didn't work out. Did you measure the ingredients by weight? Cups can tend to be inaccurate, so I recommend using the weight measurements. I will double-check the measurements when I make the dough later this week. I have made it countless times, and never had this issue before.

There are mainly 6 reasons why it was crumbly: 1. The dough was too dry, namely too much flour. This recipe actually has little flour compared to many others, so it shouldn't be that. 2. Too much salt, which absorbs moisture. This recipe has no salt. 3. Old dough. It can be in the fridge for a few days, so overnight is fine. 4. Not mixed enough. The gluten in the flour may not have developed, which is what holds the dough together. This is a plausible solution. 5. Different kinds of flour - did you use all purpose flour? I should have specified that, and I will fix it. 6. The weather. The moisture level in the air can make a big difference. The dough crumbles easier on a dry day.

To fix a crumbly dough, you can knead it with wet fingers to moisten it back up. Flick water droplets over the dough, a total of about 1 tsp of water at the time, knead, and repeat until you get a smooth dough.

Hope this helps.

Stephanie Simmons

Thursday 20th of December 2018

These look so delicious and adorable! I absolutely love gingerbread - it's my favorite type of cookie!

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Wednesday 26th of December 2018

Thank you so much, Stephanie! Happy Holidays!

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