First Sunday in Advent

♥  December 1st 2019 ♥

And so it begins...the Christmas countdown, Day 1 of this blog's daily December postings.  Welcome new and old friends to this the fifth year of blogging in December.  For those new and a little reminder to all as to the origins of this blog which began five years ago...
I LOVE CHRISTMAS.

I love the lead up to it, the warmth, the busyness, the family time, the friends you try to reconnect with, the looking back over the year, the looking forward and the making and baking either shared or made with love alone for others.  I wanted my children to have the family recipes all in one place, the patterns for the Norwegian hanging baskets I made as a child and I wanted to know that when the day came I was no longer here, they could look back at this blog and feel the love and warmth of my favourite time of year.  It was meant to be a private thing for my children but soon grew into something else as well.  What has remained constant is my love of Christmas, the homemade, the warmth and the sharing.  I hope in the coming days I can sprinkle a little of this with you all... ♥  

Norwegian tradition is that we bake 7 varieties of biscuits in the lead up to Christmas, the kitchen is decorated from December 1st and the hub of the home begins to smell of spices such as cinnamon and cardamom to name a few.  We have our favourites as does each household and there are no 'fast' seven biscuits.  Over the years I have mixed it up a bit and each year I try out one or two new ones.  One biscuit however that we have to make every year and those of you familiar with my December posts will know only too well our favourite are Pepperkake.  Today as in previous years I share with you our version which if you make will have your home smelling of Christmas in no time.  Read the recipe the whole way through before you begin, good things are worth waiting for and you need to begin this recipe the day before you wish to bake.  Enjoy!

These biscuits have a gentle warming flavour, those wanting a 

more of a spicy kick can just adjust the quantities of the spices.  

♥  Melt the syrup, sugar and butter on low heat, stirring so as not to burn the sugar.  

♥  Allow to cool slightly and then add egg beating it in well.

♥  Sift the flour, spices and baking powder into the mixture, stirring well.  

♥  You will end up with a gloopy mixture.  Either transfer to a bowl or place the pan with the mixture in and put in the fridge to harden overnight.

♥  Remove from the fridge.  The dough will be very hard, but only cut off a small amount to roll out at a time as the dough softens very quickly.



♥  Roll out to a biscuit type thickness, personal preference but about 3-5 mm.  Use shapes to cut out (I nearly always only use heart cutters)

 ♥  Place biscuits on a lined baking tray and bake in a preheated oven of 175 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until slightly golden brown.

♥  Cool on a wire rack, store in an airtight box and enjoy.

You can of course ice them too in any colour but for traditional Scandinavian feel they should be iced wuth a white outline. 

It is really imperative to put the DOUGH MIXTURE into the fridge overnight, therefore MAKE IT THE DAY BEFORE you need to bake the biscuits.  This mixture also freezes very well, so you could freeze half the dough if you so wished.  I never do, as the biscuits keep well in an airtight container and actually I tend to have to make a second or third batch during this Advent season.  They seem to be so popular that the children used to take them in tins to school.  This year, my son who is in his first semester of university has asked me to send him a batch to his halls so he can share the pepperkake love with his fellow housemates! 

First Sunday in Advent, have you lit your candle?

 ♥ From my home to yours with love ♥