Pepparkakor

Pepparkakor cookies shaped like gingerbread men.

These tiny spicy Swedish cookies are as addictive as potato chips! Pepparkakor is perfect for the holidays because it makes so many. Friends, neighbors and family will thoroughly enjoy this edible gift. Another benefit of baking pepparkakor: Your house will smell like ginger and spice!

Yield: 9 dozen cookies

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Ingredients

1 cup butter
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cardamom
2 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 large egg
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
5 cups flour (do not sift)
1 tsp. baking soda

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add ginger, cardamom and cloves. Add sugar and corn syrup, mixing well after each addition. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Set aside to cool (1 to 2 hours at room temperature).
  2. In a large bowl, with a heavy-duty mixer, beat the egg. Add the cream and cooled butter mixture. While mixing on a low speed, add half the flour, 1 cup at a time. Add the baking soda. Then add the rest of the flour, 1 cup at a time.
  3. Pull off chunks of dough and roll into balls about the size of tennis balls. Wrap each individually in plastic wrap and place in a lidded bowl large enough to hold all the dough balls. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  4. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Select 1 ball of dough while keeping the rest chilled. Pinch off a golf ball-sized amount of dough. On a well-floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll it out as thin as you can. The thinner the dough, the crispier the cookies.
  5. Cut out cookies with a small (2½-inch) gingerbread-man cookie cutter. Place cookies on a heavily greased baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Note: Watch carefully to avoid overcooking. It’s difficult to tell when these are brown because of the color of the dough.
  6. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool.
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