Pepperkaker are Norwegian Christmas biscuits. Tradition dictates that each housewife should bake no fewer than seven different kinds for Christmas, although in practice most people nowadays bake one sort, and buy the rest. Here is a fool-proof recipe that even novice bakers can successfully pull off. An ideal one to try with the little ones.

You will need:

660g flour, 220g thick dark syrup, 220g sugar, 220g butter, 2 eggs, 1ts cinnamon, 1ts cloves, 1ts ginger, 1/4ts pepper, 1ts baking soda

Melt the butter and add the sirup while stirring. Mix this with the whisked eggs, sugar and spices, then sieve in the flour and baking soda. Your dough should rest in a cold place for a few hours, or overnight if possible.

Roll out the dough. Use shapes to cut your biscuits, and remember to make a hole in them if you are planning on hanging some of them.

Cook at 210°C for 8-10 minutes, or a little bit less if the dough is thin and your biscuits small.