Pepperkaker
Norwegian ginger cookies- Yield
- About 40 thin cookies
- Active
- 30 minutes
- Total
- 1 hour, plus chilling
- Difficulty
- Medium
The story
Thin, crisp pepperkaker belong to the same “seven kinds of cookies” tradition as krumkake, the unwritten rule that a Norwegian home must offer at least seven different baked treats at Christmas, a custom usually traced to the second half of the 19th century, when sugar and wheat flour became easier to come by and abundance on the table became a symbol of progress. The dough is spiced with ginger, cloves, and cinnamon and, as in neighboring Sweden, is often left to rest in the refrigerator for days before baking so the flavor can mature. Children cut it into stars, hearts, and gingerbread men and decorate them with white icing made of sugar and egg white, and more recently they build whole gingerbread houses too, much like the Swedish pepparkakshus. Although the shape and texture are nearly identical to Swedish pepparkakor, Norwegians insist on their own name and their own, often thinner, version. For the diaspora, baking pepperkaker with children is one of the easiest traditions to pass along. Nobody needs to know a word of Norwegian to shape and decorate cookies together at the kitchen table.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup dark corn syrup or golden syrup
- 1 egg
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Method
- Cream the butter and brown sugar, then beat in the syrup and egg.
- Whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt, and mix in to form a smooth dough.
- Wrap and chill at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll the dough very thin and cut into shapes.
- Bake 6–8 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Cool completely — they crisp as they cool.