Pepparkakor
Gingersnaps
Swedish Spiced Cut Out Cookies
These are our special Christmas tree and gift cookies. I use this recipe for our Gingerbread men, Gingerbread women and Gingerbread animals and shapes Cookies.
When our girls were young, we used to make these for on our Christmas tree and then in later years for a separate Gingerbread Christmas tree.
To hang on the tree, make a small hole in each before baking. A nail works well for making the hole. Make sure that you do not put the hole too close to the edge. After the cookies have cooled, use yarn or wide string for hanging.
This recipe makes 25 dozen small cookies or approximately 11 dozen large cookies.
The dough can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. So, you do not have to make all of these cookies at once.
Put in tins or plastic tubs (air tight) and store in a cool, dry place.
These are a historic Swedish Christmas Cookie.
Decorating:
Can be decorated with icing. We tend not to do that. We decorate with currants, or small pieces of cut-up raisins for eyes, ears, and buttons or silver balls. We do not usually sprinkle toppings on these, but you certainly could. I say ‘usually’ because depending on the age of my baking helpers, we do interesting ideas for decorating.
These are a crisp cookie. I have a great recipe for soft Gingerbread, but this is not a soft cookie.
Ingredients:
10 c. all-purpose flour (spoon tightly in to cups, but not packed down)
1 lb. butter, or margarine, softened
3 c. sugar
1 ½ c. water
2 T. Ground cloves (or to suit your taste)
2 T. Ground ginger (or to suit your taste)
2 T. Ground cinnamon (or to suit your taste)
1 T Ground cardamom (optional – I do not use)
Note: I use a lesser amount of cloves, about the same ginger, and more cinnamon.
1 T. Baking soda
2 T. dark corn syrup
Icing – see later note.
Directions:
Put flour in a mixing bowl.
Combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
In a small saucepan mix 1 ½ cups water and remaining ingredients (NOT icing), Bring to a boil and pour over butter and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Add flour about a cup at a time, blending well after each addition.
Store, well covered, overnight in the refrigerator. Dough will be quite soft, but will stiffen overnight.
Roll a small amount at a time, on lightly floured surface, to 1/8” thickness.
Hint: Pastry cloth and a stockinet rolling pin cover rubbed with flour and excess shaken off are a useful help; but not necessary. I use waxed paper and a lightly floured wooden rolling pin.
Cut with cookie cutter(s).
Hint: Use about the same size cookie cutters for each cookie sheet for even baking.
Decorate with currants (Note: Baking Currants are actually usually Zante raisins, a tiny very flavorful raisin) or cut bits of raisins for eyes, etc.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheets in moderate (375°) oven 6 minutes, or until well browned. Let cool on the cookie sheet.
Decorate with Icing (Optional)
Icing
Ingredients:
2 c. confectioner’s sugar
1 egg white
1 t. lemon juice
Hint: use fresh squeezed lemon juice without pulp.
Directions:
Blend ingredients.
Let cookies stand until icing is firm prior to putting the cookies in containers.
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