This came from the All About Thyme e-newsletter I receive every week. They sound different, to be sure. The link has long ago expired, I just tried to bring it up but it wouldn't display.

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National Cookie Day comes along this week, just in time for the holidays. If you're looking for something different to add to your cookie repertory, consider these pepper cookies, which are baked for the holiday in almost every home in Scandinavia. The pepper gives the cookie a spicy zip, while the cardamom lends an interesting complexity. Share with friends and neighbors for lots of cookie compliments!

Norwegian Pepper Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
2¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon ginger

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together the shortening and the sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda. Sift the flour and spices into the butter mixture. Mix well. (You can use a mixer for this.) Form into four logs, 1" in diameter, then cut each log into eleven or twelve pieces. Roll the pieces into ½" balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork in a cross-hatch pattern. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, until edges are lightly brown. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 48.

Want to experiment? Here are some other possibilities:

Chocolate Pepper Cookies: substitute 1 cup cocoa powder for 1 cup of flour.
Cinnamon Pepper Cookies: substitute 1½ teaspoon cinnamon for the cardamom, and sprinkle the cookies with cinnamon before they go into the oven.
Orange Pepper Cookies: substitute orange flavoring extract for the vanilla and add 2 teaspoons grated orange zest.
*Also, rolling the cookies in a small amount of powdered sugar right after you take them out of the oven might be good, too. Sorta like Pfefferneuse Cookies.