Pepparkakor ii, also known as Swedish ginger thins or pepparkakor gingerbread cookies, are a classic treat that have been enjoyed in Sweden for centuries. With their crispy texture, warm and spicy flavors, and beautiful, decorative shapes, pepparkakor are a staple at Christmas and other holiday celebrations. Whether you're a seasoned baker or a novice in the kitchen, finding the best recipe for pepparkakor can be a daunting task. This article will guide you through the intricate process of selecting and preparing the perfect pepparkakor recipe, ensuring that your homemade treats are authentic, delicious, and aesthetically pleasing.
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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
PERFECT PEPPARKAKOR
This is a recipe for traditional Swedish ginger snaps, originally from a family friend of my grandmother. Our family makes these cookies every year for our Christmas Eve celebration. They are traditionally cut into heart shapes, but we experiment with flowers, angels, bells, stars, etc. Note: requires overnight refrigeration.
Provided by Dalloway
Categories Dessert
Time 38m
Yield 30-40 cookies, 15-20 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Melt margarine or butter in a saucepan over low heat. Slowly stir in the sugar, syrup and spices. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, mix together baking soda and water. Add egg and beat well.
- Stir in flour and margarine mixture. Mix well.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- Roll out on a well-floured surface until very thin. Cut into desired shapes and place on a greased cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 305.7, Fat 13, SaturatedFat 7.9, Cholesterol 46.6, Sodium 267.9, Carbohydrate 44.9, Fiber 1.1, Sugar 16.5, Protein 3.6
PEPPARKAKOR II
This is about as Swedish a cookie as you can find! The dough is rolled thin, and cut into many shapes, the most commonly used is the pig!
Provided by Sue Haynes
Categories Scandinavian Recipes
Yield 36
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Stir in egg, corn syrup, orange juice, and orange zest. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; stir into the creamed mixture until combined.
- Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness, and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies on wire racks.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 126.6 calories, Carbohydrate 18.5 g, Cholesterol 18.5 mg, Fat 5.3 g, Fiber 0.5 g, Protein 1.5 g, SaturatedFat 3.3 g, Sodium 108.6 mg, Sugar 8.7 g
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 II
This is about as Swedish a cookie as you can find! The dough is rolled thin, and cut into many shapes, the most commonly used is the pig!
Provided by Sue Haynes
Categories Scandinavian Recipes
Yield 36
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Stir in egg, corn syrup, orange juice, and orange zest. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; stir into the creamed mixture until combined.
- Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness, and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies on wire racks.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 126.6 calories, Carbohydrate 18.5 g, Cholesterol 18.5 mg, Fat 5.3 g, Fiber 0.5 g, Protein 1.5 g, SaturatedFat 3.3 g, Sodium 108.6 mg, Sugar 8.7 g
PEPPARKAKOR (SWEDISH GINGER COOKIES)
Categories Cookies Ginger Dessert Bake Christmas Winter Christmas Eve Party Kidney Friendly Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free Kosher
Yield Makes about 9 dozen cookies
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt.
- In a small saucepan over moderate heat, warm the corn syrup and orange zest. Add the butter and sugar and continue warming, stirring occasionally, until melted. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Add the egg and whisk to combine. Pour over the flour mixture and stir to combine. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in a double layer of plastic wrap, and chill overnight.
- Arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with nonstick baking mats, such as Silpats, or parchment paper.
- Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out a portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4 inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into desired shapes, such as circles, stars, hearts, bells, gingerbread men, and Christmas trees. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets and sprinkle with the pearl sugar. Bake, switching the cookies between the upper and lower racks and rotating the baking sheets about halfway through baking, until the edges are just beginning to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Watch the cookies carefully to make sure they don't get too brown.
- Let the cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to let cool completely. Continue rolling and cutting out the rest of the cookie dough and baking the cookies on cooled baking sheets. DO AHEAD: Pepparkakor can be baked ahead and kept, stored between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container, for up to 2 weeks, or frozen up to 1 month.
PEPPARKAKOR II
This is about as Swedish a cookie as you can find! The dough is rolled thin, and cut into many shapes, the most commonly used is the pig!
Provided by Sue Haynes
Categories Scandinavian Recipes
Yield 36
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Stir in egg, corn syrup, orange juice, and orange zest. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; stir into the creamed mixture until combined.
- Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness, and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies on wire racks.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 126.6 calories, Carbohydrate 18.5 g, Cholesterol 18.5 mg, Fat 5.3 g, Fiber 0.5 g, Protein 1.5 g, SaturatedFat 3.3 g, Sodium 108.6 mg, Sugar 8.7 g
Tips:
- To make the dough easier to handle, chill it for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
- If the dough is too sticky, add more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it is no longer sticky.
- Flour your work surface and rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the dough.
- Place the cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Dip the cooled cookies in melted chocolate or frosting, if desired.
Conclusion:
Pepparkakor are a delicious and festive treat that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. They are perfect for Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, or simply as a snack. With a little planning and effort, you can easily make these delicious cookies at home. So next time you are looking for a fun and festive treat, give pepparkakor a try!
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