How to make pepernoten

There is no Sinterklaas celebrations without pepernoten. Although they are available everywhere (in the Netherlands) for sale; they are in fact quite easy to make. In Rwanda, we cannot buy them, so we took some spices from Europe, and we made them here. The result was good!

We took the recept from Albert Heijn website, but for those who do not speak Dutch, this is the English translation:


What do you need?
- 150g butter
- 125g brown sugar
- 10g speculaas spice
 - 250g baking flour
- 4 big spoons milk


What to do?
- Mix all the ingredients until you have a ball of an homogeneous shiny brown color.
- Put baking paper or butter in an oven tray.
- Warm the oven to 160 C degrees.
- Make the small flat balls.

This is when the children can take part of the fun!

- When your tray is full with future pepernoten, set in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

Sinterklaas was also in Kigali

When you are abroad is not so simple to keep up with traditions. Well, or at least, you need to put some extra effort to make your children participants of traditions from your home country. One Dutch tradition is Sinterklaas; who comes on December 5 to bring presents to the children. Luckily for us, and thanks to the Dutch embassy in Rwanda, last weekend Sinterklaas also came to Kigali! Although Paul was quite scared about him; Anna had no problems at all. She immediately went to sit with Zwarte Piet (of course, she wanted the cookies he was giving!).