My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar – 11 December

Welcome to My Danish Christmas Advent Calendar!  Join me every day in opening a new door.  Just like last year, I’ve got a host of goodies to share with you – traditional Danish Christmas recipes, traditions, songs, games, decorations, crafts and landscapes…  So sit back, relax and enjoy!

11 DECEMBER

Okay, it’s time to get your pinnies back on – we’re baking again!

Today we’re making pebernødder – ‘pepper nuts’.  Small, spicy, crunchy biscuits that are a) good to eat and b) an essential ingredient in a Danish kids’ Christmas game.  But more on that another day!

You can – selvfølgelig – buy pebernødder in any supermarket.  But last year we decided to make them ourselves…

First of all you’ll need:

• one egg (1 æg)
• 125g of granulated or caster sugar (sukker)

.

Beat these together in a bowl until you get a pale yellow frothy mixture.

Then add this lot to the bowl:

• 250g plain flour (mel)
• 125g butter (I always use Kærgården)
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda (natron)
• ½ teaspoon of cardemom (stødt kardemomme)
• ½ teaspoon of ground ginger (ingefær)
• ½ teaspoon of cinammon (kanel)
• ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper (sort peber)

Beat again and then scrape the mixture out of the bowl…

…and into a plastic bag.  Throw it in the fridge for an hour or so until the dough hardens up.

Cut off chunks of dough, then roll them into long sausage/worm shapes.  Take a knife and cut the sausage into small pieces (about the size of a small cherry).  Roll them into little balls.  Or get some little nisser (remember those?)to roll them into balls…

 

Place them on a baking tray (I always use baking paper for easy clean up) and pop them into a warm oven – 200c/400f. 

Bake them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until they look dry and are beginning to turn a pale golden brown.  Let them cool off and then you can a) eat them b) play with them (more on that another day) or c) put them in little cellophone bag or boxes to give away as presents.

Velbekomme!  And don’t forget to check back here tomorrow when we open the next door!

Diane