Pebernødder

Pebernødder—or "pepper cakes," are among the oldest Danish cookies, with a history going back to the Middle Ages. Only from sometime in the 1700s did they become a traditional Christmas treat, although they were made all year round. The term "pepper cakes" doesn’t just refer to cookies with pepper in them; it also encompasses any spiced cookies, as “peber” (pepper) was commonly used to describe all types of spices back then. In Denmark, children often play games with them during holiday celebrations.

I bake them here over the winter, and after showing the in my Instagram stories, quite a few of you asked for the recipe. So I translated my version of these tiny cookies.

Ingredients:

250 gr. Soft butter

1 cup white sugar

2 medium eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 pinches of white peber

4 cups all-purpose white flour

1. Mix butter and sugar well in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each to be absorbed into the butter mixture. Combine baking soda and spices with the flour, and mix it into the mixture. Knead everything together until you have a fine and smooth dough.

   
   

2. Roll the dough into finger-thick rolls on a floured surface, and cut them into small pieces about ½–2 cm in length, depending on how big or small you want the pebernødder. They will rise slightly in the oven, so keep that in mind when rolling them out.

   
   

3. Preheat the oven to 200°C (about 390°F) with fan setting. Roll the pebernødder into round shapes, and place them on baking trays lined with parchment paper—they need plenty of space. Bake the pebernødder for 10–15 minutes, until golden and delicious. Keep a close eye on them—they can get burned quickly. Take the pebernødder out of the oven and let them cool on the tray before placing them in an airtight container.

   
   

4. Continue baking until all the pebernødder are baked and ready to be packed in airtight containers. Stored well, the cookies can last several weeks, unless eaten before that.

   
   

Tip: You can start your pebernødder baking well in advance by preparing the dough, rolling it, and freeze them a few weeks ahead. When baking day arrives, take out the amount of dough you need, slice it into “nuts,” and bake!

Enjoy the baking! There is a lot of rolling to be done and here my boys like to help out.