Pepparkakor, the iconic Swedish ginger cookies, are an essential part of the holiday season in Sweden. With their crispy texture, warm spices, and the distinct flavor of ginger, these cookies are a true delight to enjoy during the festive period. Whether you're looking for a traditional recipe that has been passed down through generations or a more modern interpretation with unique twists, there's a pepparkakor recipe out there for everyone.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
SWEDISH PEPPARKAKOR COOKIES
This traditional Swedish Pepparkakor Recipe makes deliciously crisp spice cookies with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and clove. They're a Scandinavian Christmas tradition and they're absolutely fabulous!
Provided by Sue Moran
Categories Dessert
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Add the sugar, honey, and milk to a small saucepan. When measuring a "scant" cup of the honey and the milk, you want to it to be just under 1/2 cup, but not closer to 1/3 cup. If you can measure in milliliters, its exactly 100 milliliters.
- Bring to a boil then turn off the heat and let cool slightly.
- Add the butter and the spices to a mixing bowl, and pour the warm syrup mixture over them. Mix until the butter is melted and everything is combined.
- Sift the baking soda, salt, and flour together, and then add to the butter and the syrup mixture. Mix until everything is evenly incorporated.
- Shape the dough into a flat disk, and chill in the fridge overnight or up to 48 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Roll out dough to about 3/8" thick and cut out using cookie cutters.
- Arrange cookies on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until slightly puffed and golden.
- Allow to cool completely before icing.
- Mix the powdered sugar with just enough water to make a smooth but thick glaze. Divide the icing into smaller batches if you want to make different colors. You can also flavor the icing with a little vanilla extract or almond extract if you'd like. For pipping lines and small designs, keep your icing pretty thick so that it won't spread, there should be a little resistance when mixing it with a whisk. For covering the entire cookie like the green and blue reindeer, add a bit more water to the icing so that it goes on smoothly and is easier to cover the whole cookie before it starts to dry and crack. Try some icing on a test cookie if you're not sure about the texture!
- For the light blue color I used, add 2-3 drops of food coloring to 1 cup or so of glaze.
- For the darker green/blue color, add a couple drops of green and blue, and a tiny touch of red to tone the color down a bit.
- Place the icing in ziplock bags or a piping bag fitted with a very small tip. Cut a tiny corner off of the ziplock bags if using. Decorate, and allow to harden completely before moving or stacking.
TRADITIONAL SWEDISH PEPPARKAKOR
These thin, crispy spice cookies are a Christmas tradition in Sweden. They're usually cut into heart, flower or star shapes. Dusting your cookie cutters with flour will make it easier to cut the dough.
Provided by Eal
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Scandinavian
Time 1h35m
Yield 100
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Sift the flour together with the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and cardamom in a mixing bowl.
- Beat the butter together with the white and brown sugars in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and corn syrup until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until evenly blended. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and wrap tightly each with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.
- Using 1 portion at a time, work on a floured surface and roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutter, and place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in preheated oven until set, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered tins.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 47.4 calories, Carbohydrate 7 g, Cholesterol 6.7 mg, Fat 1.9 g, Fiber 0.2 g, Protein 0.9 g, SaturatedFat 1.2 g, Sodium 39.9 mg, Sugar 3.2 g
PEPPARKAKOR
Steps:
- Add the brown sugar, syrup and water into a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil and immediately remove the pot from the heat.
- Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the spices.
- Pour the hot sweet mixture over it and stir until the butter melts. Let cool for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- Combine the sifted flour and baking soda and add over the mixture in the bowl of the stand mixer.
- Using the flat beater, mix everything very quickly until a soft dough forms.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator between 24 and 48 hours.
- Preheat the convection oven to 400 F (200°C).
- Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces.
- Start by working a piece of dough and place the other two in the refrigerator during this time.
- On a floured work surface, roll out the dough thinly and form the pepparkakor using cutters in the shape of a heart, star, tree, snowman, or others.
- Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, bake for 4 to 6 minutes or until light brown.
- Watch the baking closely because pepparkakor tend to burn quickly.
- Repeat the operation until all the dough set aside in the refrigerator is used up.
- Place the pepparkakor on a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.
- Beat the egg white in a bowl.
- Add the icing sugar and vinegar and beat until the mixture is neither too runny nor too thick.
- Add a little vinegar or lemon juice if the mixture is too thick or on the contrary, add a little icing sugar if the mixture is too liquid.
- Pour the icing into a piping bag fitted with a tip and decorate the cookies.
- Carefully place each cookie on a cooling rack and allow the frosting to set in the open air for at least 2 hours.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 58 kcal, Carbohydrate 12 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 1 g, SaturatedFat 1 g, Cholesterol 2 mg, Sodium 21 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 6 g, ServingSize 1 serving
TRADITIONAL PEPPARKAKOR (SWEDISH SPICE COOKIES)
Traditional Swedish spice cookie; traditionally served on St. Lucia Day (Dec. 13). These are my sisters favorite cookie.:) (Note: you need to mix up the dough a day in advance, cover and let rest overnight). Cardamom & finely chopped candied ginger would make nice additions to these Pepparkakor. The molasses is an essential ingredient in this recipe, you get crispy yet chewy cookies with a lovely rich subtle depth of flavor. Don't skip!
Provided by BecR2400
Categories Dessert
Time 55m
Yield 3 1/2 dozen cookies, 42 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Sift together dry ingredients; set aside.
- Cream sugar and butter.
- Add egg and molasses.
- Blend in dry ingredients thoroughly. Let dough stand overnight for easy rolling.
- On a well-floured board, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness.
- Cut into shapes (we usually make gingerbread people) and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
- NOTE: Prep time does not include time to let dough rest overnight.
PEPPARKAKOR I
A traditional Swedish Christmas recipe, they are crispy, brown, and delicious plain or decorated. Different from your everyday gingersnap!
Provided by Kathy Seaberg
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Scandinavian
Yield 60
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Place butter in a large, heatproof bowl. In a medium saucepan, heat brown sugar, molasses and spices just to boiling point. Add baking soda and stir in. Pour this mixture over the butter and stir until it melts.
- Beat egg and mix in; add flour, a cup at a time, and blend thoroughly. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead 1-2 minutes. Wrap in waxed paper and chill until firm (about an hour).
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
- Roll out to approximately 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured board and cut into desired shapes. Place on greased baking sheets and bake for 8 - 10 minutes.
- Remove from sheets and cool on racks; may be decorated with piped icing or whatever else you like!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 65.9 calories, Carbohydrate 10.8 g, Cholesterol 8.5 mg, Fat 2.2 g, Fiber 0.2 g, Protein 0.9 g, SaturatedFat 1.3 g, Sodium 62 mg, Sugar 4.4 g
Tips:
- Use a light-colored baking sheet to prevent the cookies from browning too quickly.
- Chill the dough for at least 1 hour before baking to make it easier to handle.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch to prevent the cookies from becoming too thick and crispy.
- Use a variety of cookie cutters to create different shapes and sizes of cookies.
- Bake the cookies at a moderate temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent them from burning.
- Let the cookies cool completely before decorating them to prevent the icing from melting.
Conclusion:
Pepparkakor are a delicious and festive holiday cookie that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. With a little planning and preparation, you can easily make these cookies at home. Just be sure to follow the tips above to ensure that your cookies turn out perfect.
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