Croatian Cooking: How To Make Croatian Paprenjaci (Black Pepper Cookies)

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Peparenjaci are something like a Croatian version of gingerbread cookies but with lots of black pepper as one of the main ingredients.

The history of paprenjak dates back to the Renaissance, and was mentioned by August Šenoa, famous Croatian author,  in his “Zlatarevo zlato.” Nowadays they are becoming more and more valuable and a Croatian symbol and one of the most popular souvenirs you can take home with you.

Recipe for these tasty cookies is straightforward, but when you combine together flour, walnuts, and honey with aromatic spices and pepper, you get something so unique and special that I think it’s really worth getting your kitchen messy for!

They are usually made at Christmas time although as a souvenir you can buy them in souvenir shops all year long. One of the main characteristics is that wooden mold which is used for shaping and which you can also buy as a souvenir.