Swedish Pepparkakor Food

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.

PEPPARKAKOR (SWEDISH GINGER COOKIES)

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.

PERFECT PEPPARKAKOR

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.

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.

PEPPARKAKOR (SWEDISH GINGER COOKIES)

Steps:

• Heat molasses in small saucepan to boiling point.
• Boil 1 minute.
• Add sugar and butter and stir until butter is melted.
• Cool.
• Beat in egg.
• Sift together flour, salt, soda and spices.
• Add to first mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Cover bowl tightly and chill overnight.
• Roll out a portion of the dough at a time on lightly floured pastry cloth.
• Roll out thin.
• Cut into desired shapes.
• Bake in a moderate oven (350F) 6 to 8 minutes.
• The dough may be shaped into a roll and wrapped in waxed paper.
• Chill thoroughly overnight or longer.
• Slice thin and bake in moderate oven (350F).
• These should be stored in an air-tight container - allow flavor to "ripen".

SWEDISH PEPPARKAKOR

Steps:

• Mix all-purpose flour, pastry flour, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and black pepper together in a bowl and set aside.
• Combine molasses, sugar, and maple syrup in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly to dissolve and remove from heat when a small foam rises to the surface, about 3 minutes. Continue stirring and allow to cool slightly; add butter and let cool to room temperature. Add egg.
• Pour molasses mixture into flour mixture in the bowl and mix until crumbles hold together when pressed. Knead for 2 minutes, focusing on any dry bits. Form into a flat log and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut dough log into small sections and allow to warm up slightly before rolling out between 2 layers of parchment paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut shapes with a floured cookie cutter or pastry wheel. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 12 minutes; remove cookies before they brown. Cool on a rack.

PEPPARKAKOR I

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!

PEPPARKAKOR(SWEDISH PEPPER HEARTS)

Steps:

• Mix flour, spices and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until blended. Beat in water gradually; beat in flour until well blended; dough will be soft.
• Divide into four sections. Shape each fourth into a one-inch-thick circle on a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease cookies sheets. On a lightly floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll a quarter of the dough at a time to one-eighth-inch thick. Cut out three-inch-wide hearts. Place one inch apart on cookie sheets and bake 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool. May be frosted with butter icing, using maraschino cherry juice instead of milk to make the frosting.

SWEDISH PEPPARKAKOR

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients except flour, warm up in pan, then add flour.
• Roll out warm between wax paper sheets.
• Press cookie cutters.
• Remove one side of papaer.
• Press on pan.
• Put in freezer briefly, then peels easily.
• Bake 5 minues at 300-325 degrees.

SWEDISH PEPPARKAKOR CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a bread pan.
• Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and cloves in a large bowl.
• Beat egg and milk together in a separate bowl; add to flour mixture and stir to moisten dry ingredients evenly. Pour mixture into a bread pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.