Croatian · dessert

Paprenjak (Honey and Black Pepper Biscuits)

Name: Paprenjak (Honey and Black Pepper Biscuits)
Prep time: 39 min
Total time: 3 h 9 min
Cuisine: Croatian
Ingredients: all-purpose flour — 350 g; honey — 150 g; unsalted butter — 120 g; caster sugar — 80 g; egg — 100 g; walnut — 80 g; freshly ground black pepper — 7 g; ground cinnamon — 5 g; ground cloves — 3 g; freshly grated nutmeg — 3 g; baking soda — 5 g; salt — 3 g

Paprenjak (Honey and Black Pepper Biscuits) reads sweetness 7.4, richness 5.2 and floral 4.8 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Croatian dessert, about 3 hr 9 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 3.8 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 7.4 / 10
Sour & Bright — 0.0 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 3.1 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.6 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 5.1 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 7.4 · Richness 5.2 · Floral 4.8 · Nutty 4.8 · Salinity 3.6 · Earthy 2.9 · Warm Spice 2.8 · Umami 2.5 · Bitterness 1.8 · Heat 0.6

What's in it (12)

all-purpose flour — 350 g
honey — 150 g
unsalted butter — 120 g
caster sugar — 80 g
egg — 100 g
walnut — 80 g
freshly ground black pepper — 7 g
ground cinnamon — 5 g
ground cloves — 3 g
freshly grated nutmeg — 3 g
baking soda — 5 g
salt — 3 g

Time & effort: about 3 hr 9 min (39 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 305.6 kcal, 7.1 g protein, 18.4 g fat, 54.9 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

Cream the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes until pale and light.
Beat in the warmed honey and then the egg, 3 minutes, until smooth. It may look split for a moment; keep beating.
Work in the flour, ground walnuts, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, bicarbonate of soda and salt until you have a firm, dark, fragrant dough. Be bold with the pepper: paprenjak is named for it, papar being pepper, and a timid one is just a spice biscuit. These belong to the same northern Croatian tradition as the gingerbread craft that UNESCO inscribed in 2010, and they were carried by Zagreb merchants because they keep for months.
Wrap and chill 2 hours.
Roll out to 5 mm on a floured board and stamp with a carved wooden mould if you have one, pressing firmly so the pattern takes, or cut rounds with a glass.
Bake at 180C for 12 minutes. They should be set and dry but only just coloured; the honey darkens them further as they cool.
Cool completely on a rack, about 30 minutes. They harden as they cool, and they soften and mellow again after a week in a tin.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Barazek (Sesame and Pistachio Wafers) — Syrian
Cornmeal Porridge — Jamaican
Loukoumades (Honey Puffs) — Greek
Pralines — Southern
Bourbon Pecan Pie — Southern

Keep reading: what sweetness, richness, floral mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.