Swedish Spice Cookies Recipes

TRADITIONAL SWEDISH PEPPARKAKOR

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.

SWEDISH PEPPARKAKOR COOKIES

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.

SWEDISH SPICE COOKIES (MUSKOTSNITTAR)

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add flour mixture and beat to combine. Divide dough evenly into quarters.
• Roll each quarter into a 14-inch-long rope. Transfer ropes to parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced 6 inches apart (two ropes per sheet). Flatten ropes to 2 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using the back of the tines of a fork, make crosswise lines across the surface of each flattened portion of dough. Bake, rotating halfway through, until golden around the edges and dry on top, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cool 5 minutes. While still warm, cut on the diagonal into 1-inch-thick slices. Let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

SWEDISH GINGER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine all ingredients. Spin until dough forms.
• Chill the dough in the refrigerator for a few hours. Drop the dough in 1-tablespoon lumps on a cookie sheet, form into balls, roll in sugar, space 2 inches apart and press flat with fingers. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes until dark brown. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to finish cooling.

GRANDMA'S PEPPARKAKOR ~ SWEDISH SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. GRANDMA'S DIRECTIONS Sift flour with soda and spices. Cream butter and sugar, add syrup and egg. Add dry ingredients. Mix until well blended. (form dough into a ball) Roll out thin, about 1/16 of an inch, on floured board, and cut into shapes. Bake at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes.
• 2. THIS IS WHAT WORKS FOR ME After the dough is formed into a ball, divide into 4 smaller balls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes or so. I also roll the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Cut into shapes, pop the sheet into the freezer for a couple of minutes. It makes it easy to remove the cut outs from the parchment.
• 3. **** Not stated in Grandma's directions, YOU KEEP ROLLING ALL YOUR TRIMMINGS, UNTIL ALL THE DOUGH IS GONE! It's a labor of love!

TRADITIONAL PEPPARKAKOR (SWEDISH SPICE COOKIES)

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.

1995 1ST PLACE: SWEDISH SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Have ungreased baking sheet(s) ready.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt; set aside.
• Beat the butter and 1 cup of the granulated sugar in large bowl of an electric mixer on high speed until light, 1 minute.
• Add the egg and molasses; mix well.
• Stop the mixer and add the flour mixture.
• Mix just until combined.
• Using about 1 1/2 teaspoons dough for each, roll dough into balls.
• Roll in the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar so they are fully coated.
• Arrange on baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart.
• If you prefer a thin, crisp cookie, they may be flattened with a glass that has been dipped in sugar.
• Bake until set, 9 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

SWEDISH SPICE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, corn syrup and molasses. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and cloves; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 4-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Top with almonds if desired or leave plain. , Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Frost plain cookies if desired.