It’s almost December and the holidays are definitely around the corner. I love this season where we go from Autumn to Winter, where we can see our own breath a little more, where we put on an extra sweater and extra thick socks. I love it. This is also the time of year where we eat more cookies, and we should!
Some holiday treats are the same all over the world, but I’m sure most of them are very specific to the country you’re from and the culture you grew up in. Pebernødder (plural) are one of the most popular cookies in Denmark in all of December. There’s even a children’s game that revolves around and includes pebernødder. We can’t get enough.
Pebernød means pepper nut, because, you know, it has white pepper in it. Don’t be alarmed. It’s awesome.
Danish pebernødder;
– 50 grams of vegan margarine
– 50 grams of organic cane sugar
– 100 grams of spelt flour
– 2 teaspoons vegan milk
– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean
– 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
– 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
The directions;
– Preheat your oven to 175 / 350.
– Cream together the margarine and sugar.
– Add the milk, vanilla bean, white pepper, cinnamon, cardamon & nutmeg. Mix.
– Add the flour; 80 grams first, then the rest gradually to adjust consistency whilst quickly kneading by hand. The dough is allowed to stick to the work surface slightly, but should not stick to your fingers.
– Roll little dough balls that should weigh around 5-6 grams each.
– Place on a parchment paper lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.
– Let cool on a wire rack and enjoy! Preferably with mulled wine.
#scandinavian
In the Netherlands we have pepernoten, which means exactly the same. They have everything to do with the Saint Nicholas holiday. I’m guessing this recipe will be a little bit different in taste though. Would like to try it and compare!
That’s so interesting. I always thought pebernødder was such a Danish thing, but since posting this I have heard that they are very common in Germany and the Netherlands as well. You are right though; they may be slightly different in each country.
This looks so easy and lovely! I converted to US measurements and have this on my list to possibly bake tomorrow for Thanksgiving!
xx
Most storebought peppernuts around here aren’t vegan and your recipe sounds so simple to make I might just try it once I remember to pick up the right kind of pepper.
Yeah, most of the store-bought ones here in Denmark have butter or other dairy products in them as well. No problem though; they are so easy to make 🙂
Actually, the ones we get around here are usually glazed and contain gelatin … gross.