SPICE AND RYE PEPPERKAKER These gingerbread cutouts are especially fun to make with kids. This recipe incorporates rye flour, which gives the dough a nutty flavor, and white pepper. It's best to make the dough and then refrigerate it overnight. Cut the dough into your favorite shapes, such as polar bears, sweaters and nisser, and decorate with your favorite royal icing. Yield: Depends on size of cookie cutter used. Approximately 4 dozen smaller cookies and 2 dozen larger cookies. ¾ cup unsalted butter ½ cup granulated sugar ⅓ cup honey 2 Tbsp. molasses ¼ cup heavy cream Zest of one orange 3 tsp. ground cinnamon 2 tsp. ground ginger 1 tsp. ground white pepper 1 tsp. ground cardamom 1 tsp. ground cloves 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup rye flour 1 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt 1. Melt butter together with the sugar, honey and molasses and stir until sugar has dissolved over low heat. Allow to cool slightly and add the cream and spices. 2. In a mixing bowl blend the flours, baking soda and salt and stir in the butter mixture until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. The dough will be a bit soft. 3. Divide the dough into two portions and shape into discs, then wrap and refrigerate overnight. This time also allows the spices to fully perfume the dough as well as allowing it to set up. 4. When you are ready to bake your cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up a bit so the dough is easier to roll out. 5. Roll out each disc on a lightly floured board to ⅛-inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters and arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets. 6. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your cookie shapes. Smaller cookies (1-2 inches) may bake in 5-7 minutes while larger shapes (5-6 inches) may take 12 minutes. 7. Bake until edges begin to brown and center of each cookie appears set. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. BEHIND THE SCENES Check out the Sons of Norway blog (sofn.com/blog) for a peek behind the scenes of our Christmas cookie photo shoot. December 2021 17http://www.sofn.com/blog