Today we’re going to be getting cultural. I recently did one of those DNA tests- and while I wasn’t surprised by the results, it did remind me just how interested I am in genealogy. In that vein, I decided to make a family cookie recipe the focus of today’s blog post. These cookies are traditionally named Pepparkakor, but we’ll be going with a much easier pronunciation today and call them Swedish Spice Cookies.
I’ve been eating these at Christmas time for years and years, but there’s absolutely no reason that they can’t be a year-round treat. They taste almost like a gingerbread cookie with a wonderful mix of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; but with a nice snap. As they bake, your house will smell like the embodiment of the word “cozy”, I swear!
These spice cookies are perfect just as they are- no icing needed. And I say this as someone who lives for an iced cookie. There’s not much tastier than a few of these babies with a coffee in the morning. Of course, you can ice them, and I most likely will succumb to the call of royal icing at some point in the future.
This recipe calls for the dough to be refrigerated overnight, so a little planning is key. It will actually keep for up to a week in the fridge before being rolled out and cut into shapes, which can be very handy when you’re short on time. The original recipe, on a well-loved and passed down notecard, also calls for everything to be mixed in a kettle- but no worries here, a bowl will be just fine for our purposes. It’s also been adapted a little bit to suit my kids’ preferences, just like a good family recipe should be!
You can stick with my adaptation of the recipe as it’s written below, which will yield a softer cookie, or you can go the more traditional route and follow the recipe precisely (minus the kettle). To follow the traditional recipe, you will double the butter from the half cup I use in my recipe below to a half pound (2 sticks). Your cookies will be less cake-y and much more of a hard cookie with a lovely crunch. It’s your cookie, make it whichever way you prefer!
When you take the dough out of the refrigerator, it will be extremely hard. Unless it’s your Arm Day on the gym schedule, you’ll want to let it sit in a bowl on the counter for anywhere between two and four hours while it softens up a bit. When it’s rolled out, you don’t want the dough to be too thin or your cookies will burn. Additionally, you will want to use only as much flour on your counter tops and rolling pin as you need to keep the dough from sticking, and not more. Too much flour can lead to cracking or floury ‘lines’ in your baked cookies.
Now, let’s get on to the recipe!
Swedish Spice Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dark Karo syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp ginger ground
- 1 Tbsp cloves ground
- 1/2 cup butter unsalted
- 5 1/2 cups flour
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the Karo syrup, sugar, heavy cream, and the spices.
- Heat the syrup mixture, stirring constantly to prevent burning on the bottom. It does not need to boil. When it is fully combined, remove it from the heat and allow to cool.
- While the syrup cools, melt the butter in the microwave. Combine the two in the saucepan and mix well. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda.
- Pour the syrup and butter mixture into the flour bowl and mix. You will need to turn it out onto the counter and knead it together with your hands to fully combine the dough.
- Place into a clean bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 8 hours).
- Remove dough from refrigerator and allow the bowl to sit at room temperature for 2-4 hours so the dough can soften.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Roll out on a lightly floured surface and cut shapes. Place on parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool on the tray for several minutes before removing to a wire rack.
Well, how did it go? Make sure to let me know in the comments if you enjoyed them or if you have any questions. Happy baking!
