Norwegian Pepperkaker to kick off Christmas

The first Christmas cookies I typically eat, are pepperkaker.

These crispy, flavorful gingerbread cookies are seen everywhere across Norway from early December on to the end of the year and are a clear favorite among many kids and grown-ups alike. 

Nothing creates the feeling of Christmas quite like the smell of these aromatic cookies baking in the oven. Gingerbread houses are also common to make, particularly in households with small children. In fact, the world’s largest gingerbread city is located in Bergen, Norway and opens every year during this time of year.

Pepperkaker have a tried and true companion, which is gløgg. Gløgg is the Scandinavian word for and version of mulled red wine, often spiked with anything from port wine, aquavit, vodka or brandy and garnished with sliced almonds and raisins.

The spices in gløgg are often the same as in the pepperkaker: cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise. My very own recipe for gløgg will come in a separate blog post soon, so stay tuned!

Norwegians enjoy pepperkaker and gløgg while decorating the Christmas tree, which traditionally we never did until December 23rd, or what we call “little Christmas Eve”.

We would leave early in the morning and drive up to our cabin in the mountains where my family owns some land, and chop down a fresh tree, bring it home and be super excited that Christmas was finally in the house. Such glorious memories of the smell of pine and the anticipation of Christmas Eve and what was to come.

This is the easiest recipe to make vegan, because the only ingredient that is not vegan is butter, and we have many amazing versions of vegan butter now which acts and tastes the same. Some recipes include egg, but you can either omit them completely and just add a little liquid like plant-based milk or like I did in this recipe, add a bit of applesauce. 

In Scandinavia, we have a special light syrup (you can buy it at Ikea!) but you can easily add in a syrup such as maple, agave, or even light corn syrup if you want.

It is best to make your pepperkaker dough the day before you intend to bake them, or at the very least, keep the dough in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours before rolling it out.

The reason is, there is quite a bit of butter in it, so it becomes difficult to handle if not chilled. Take small pieces out of the fridge at a time, and roll them out in batches.

Make sure the cookies are cut out at an even thickness, or they will bake unevenly (it’s super easy to over bake them—I’ve done it multiple times!).

You can decorate them with a confectioner’s glaze if you want, or not – it’s a fun activity to do with kids or friends and family.

A little extra work, but absolutely worth it!

Norwegian Pepperkaker

Ingredients

1¼ cup (250 g) sugar
8.5 ounces (2.5 dl) light syrup
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp + 2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp baking soda
9 oz (2 sticks + 2 tbps or 250 g) butter
⅓ cup + 2 ss (about 1 dl) applesauce
about 12 dl (5 cups) all purpose flour

Confectioner’s glaze:
1½ cups (3.5 dl) confectioners sugar
2 tbsp light syrup
about 2 tbsp almond milk (add more as needed)

Directions

To make gingerbread dough:
Cut up the butter and place in the bowl of a stand mixer.

In a small pot, combine the sugar and the light syrup and bring to a gentle boil while stirring. Add the spices and keep stirring for a minute or so. Add the baking soda, keep stirring quickly to combine well. You’ll see the mixture lighten a bit and also foam and expand.

Quickly pour the sugar-spice mixture over the butter, add the dough hook, and combine until the butter is incorporated and the mixture has cooled off.

Add the applesauce and combine.

Slowly add the flour, little by little, and knead the dough until it firms up.

Remove from bowl, knead into a ball, and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

When ready to roll out your dough, preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit (200° Celcius).

Prepare several cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silpats.

Sprinkle a clean surface with a little flour, cut off dough in pieces (I cut mine into three parts) and roll out until about ¼-inch thick. Using your favorite cookie cutters, cut out pieces, and place cookies on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for about 7-9 minutes until slightly golden.

For confectioner’s glaze:
Combine the confectioners sugar, light syrup, and almond milk in a small bowl and stir with a fork. You may need to add a tiny bit more almond milk, do so about ½ tsp at a time.

Place the glaze in a piping bag and decorate your cookies as you wish.

Serve cookies with a hot cup of gløgg, preferably with good friends and family, near your Christmas tree!

2 Comments

  1. Connie Bowers

    So many recipes do not have an easy PRINT option……….makes it so much easier if they do!

    Reply
    • Sunny Gandara

      Hi Connie, I’m updating my site and all the new recipes going forward will have a print option. Thanks!

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Connie Bowers Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Pin It on Pinterest

Arctic Grub
My Norwegian Bread Baking course is opening next week, and I’m busting all the myths that might be holding you back from bread bliss. Swipe through to read more! 

Have you ever tried making Norwegian bread before? 

Drop a comment and let me know how it went! If you haven’t tried yet, what’s holding you back? I’d love to know.

Click the link in bio or comment VIP to join the VIP waitlist and get early access + a special bonus when enrollment opens!

#NorwegianBread #HomeBaking #BreadMaking #FoodFromScratch #SlowFermentation #BakingCourse #NordicBaking #HealthyBread”
#arcticgrub
𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 🙅‍♀️”

Tired of being told bread is the enemy? Spoiler: it’s not the bread—it’s WHICH bread.

This isn’t your sad grocery store sandwich loaf. 

This is Norwegian seed bread. THE. REAL. DEAL. 👊

Swipe through the below photos to see why this bread is actually your body’s BFF ➡️

And the FLAVOR? 

We’re talking next-level bread experience. 

That nutty richness from toasted seeds. 

The subtle tang from slow fermentation. 

The deep earthiness of whole grains. 

Once you taste this, that flavorless white foam masquerading as bread will never satisfy you again.

Want to learn how to make this life-changing loaf yourself? 

Waitlist for my Norwegian Bread Baking course is NOW OPEN!

Early birds get a secret VIP bonus you won’t want to miss!

Comment VIP to get the link for the waitlist and be the first to know when doors open and be eligible for the free bonus!

 #NorwegianBread #RealFood #NutritionMyths #wholegrainbread #bakebread #onlinebreadbakingcourse #norwegianrecipes #arcticgrub
There’s nothing quite like the comfort of traditional 𝒔𝒎ø𝒓𝒃𝒓ø𝒅 topped with pickled herring.

It’s the ultimate Nordic flavor experience!

Capture the essence of classic sild (herring) while bringing a fresh contemporary Norwegian taste to your table with my 𝐕𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 “𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠” 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐝.

Drawing on my experience at Manhattan’s Aquavit restaurant, this recipe balances the three crucial elements of traditional sild: acid, salt, and sweetness.

The magic happens when my secret substitute for herring is transformed through careful marination, creating that distinctive texture we associate with pickled herring. 

Combined with earthy roasted beets, crisp green apple, and a creamy mustard dressing, this salad delivers Norwegian cuisine’s distinctive complex flavors.

Get the recipe link for this salad in my bio 🙂

This salad shines as part of a traditional 𝘴𝘮ø𝘳𝘨å𝘴𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘥 and 𝘬𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘵𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘥 or as a stand-alone 𝘱å𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘨 for your daily bread. 

I particularly love this salad on Norwegian 𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐛𝐫ø𝐝.

Recipes for this ‘cabin loaf’ are hard to come by but I share my special recipe in my 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, which will be relaunching later month. 

Get on the VIP list for early access to the course and special perks!  Comment VIP to get the link! 🍞🥖

#norwegianbreadcourse #norwegianrecipes #veganbeetandherringsalad #nordicplantbasedkitchen #veganizingscandinavianfood #arcticgrub
𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲! 

Today we celebrate the strength, resilience, and creativity of women everywhere, especially those who have shaped Norwegian food culture through generations.

I share quotes from Pippi yearly on this day, and I especially love this one: “𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒂, 𝒏𝒐𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒔 𝒎𝒆.”

Like the untamed sea, women’s contributions to our culinary traditions have been powerful, boundless, and essential. 

From grandmothers passing down secret family recipes to innovative female chefs redefining Nordic cuisine today.

What’s your favorite dish passed down from a strong woman in your life? 

Share in the comments below!

#InternationalWomensDay #WomenInFood #NorwegianCuisine #PippiLongstocking #WomensEmpowerment #ArcticGrub
Have you ever wondered what happens when you combine the earthy warmth of Norwegian root vegetables with the bright, tangy zip of dill pickles? 

Let me introduce you to my Broccoli Dill Pickle Soup, inspired by Norwegian traditions and Eastern European cuisine.

This soup is a celebration of Norwegian ingredients—abundant broccoli that thrives in our cold climate, hearty root vegetables, and fresh dill—transformed into a vibrant green bowl of comfort perfect for chilly winter days.

Now you might be thinking “Dill pickles in soup? I don’t think so.”

But trust me. Dill pickles and their brine add depth to this soup making it truly unforgettable (in the best possible way!).

Rich, satisfying and completely plant-based- this soup comes together in 30 minutes and goes perfectly with a slice (or two)of homemade Norwegian seeded whole-grain bread...

By the way if you want to learn how to make the most authentic. delicious Norwegian bread, be sure to get on my wait list for when my best-selling online Norwegian bread course opens later this month...

Get both links in bio or comment “DILL PICKLE” to get all the info sent to you!

#broccolisoup #dill #norwegianrecipes #nordiccomfortfood #vegansouprecipes #arcticgrub #soupandbread
🇳🇴 FASTELAVN IS THIS WEEKEND! 🇩🇰 

Time for the most irresistible Nordic treat you’ll ever taste - fastelavnsboller! 

These heavenly cardamom-spiced buns filled with vanilla cream and berry jam are a centuries-old tradition I simply can’t get enough of. 

In this week’s new blog post, I’m sharing dairy-free versions  of both the Norwegian and Danish versions of fastelavnsboller that are just as pillowy-soft and decadent as their conventional counterparts.

Click the link in bio or comment CREAM BUNS to get the recipes and discover why even professional chefs struggle to stop at just one! 

🇳🇴🇩🇰

#Fastelavn #NordicBaking #FastelavnsBoller #ArcticGrub #vegancreambuns #NorwegianTraditions #Nordicrecipes