Pepparkakor
Thin gingerbread biscuits
Pepparkakor: thin, crisp Swedish and Norwegian gingerbread biscuits
Pepparkakor, pepperkaker in Norway, are the thin, snappy spiced biscuits of the Scandinavian Christmas, cut into hearts, stars and pigs, hung on trees and eaten with glögg and blue cheese. Families make the dough in early December and bake through Advent; Swedish tradition says if you break a biscuit into three pieces with a press of your finger, you may make a wish. A common mistake is rolling the dough thick, which makes soft biscuits. Chef's tip: rest the dough overnight in the fridge, then roll it paper-thin, 2 mm, between sheets of baking paper.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the dough
- 5 ½ oz butter
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 3 ½ tbsp water
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 14 oz plain flour
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 5 ½ oz butter, 5 ½ oz sugar, ½ cup golden syrup or dark syrup and 3 ½ tbsp water until melted. Stir in 2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground cloves and ½ tsp ground cardamom and cool.
Step 2: Mix in 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda and 14 oz plain flour until smooth. Wrap and chill overnight.
Step 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (fan 350°F). Roll small portions of dough very thin, 2 mm, between baking paper. Common mistake: thick dough; soft biscuits.
Step 4: Cut shapes and lay on lined trays. Bake for 5–6 minutes, until darker at the edges.
30 minStep 5: Cool on the tray, then store in a tin for up to a month.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pepparkakor take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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