Getting Ready for Jul: Swedish pepparkakor Gingerbread cookies

RECIPE SWEDISH PEPPARKAKOR:

1/4 lb butter

3/4 c molasses, treacle or sirup

1 1/2 sugar

cream freshly whipped, enough to measure 3/4 c once whipped

Do NOT use anything fake like cool whip! it will not work!!

4c flour, sifted

dash salt

spices (to taste, I like my cookies very spiced so, I used lots of ground cloves, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg! About a tps or more of each!)

Cream the butter, sugar, molasses, spices. Whip the full fat cream, add to the batter, folding in. 

Mix the flour, with the baking soda, dash salt. Add to the batter.

Work in the flour to the batter, a bit at a time, til all is incorporated and the batter is smooth. I do this by hand, and it takes about 20 minutes or half an hour, with large wooden spoons in a large wooden or other bowl.

Let the dough rest a day, in the fridge or cold larder. Before putting in the fridge, use a knife to divide into 3-4 pieces, flatten a bit. This will make it easier to roll out a bit at a time:).

When not using the dough, keep in the fridge, as you want it to be chilled when rolling out, enough that it is not warm enough to be too squishy soft.

You can dip the cookie cutters in spice or sugar, cocoa or flour if they are not coming out easily. 

Bake til done, preheated hot oven 175F. 

Done, depends on the size of the cookies cut out. Try to keep the same or similar size cookie cut outs on each tray baked, or some will get burnt and some will not be cooked enough.

Done, is golden, not burnt, but cooked:). 

 Cookie cuttters, above, cotton apron, and Swedish Christmas holiday cookbook.

Jul cookies, such as this Swedish pepparkakor recipe, is best made well in advance of the Christmas season, frozen then used right before making houses or cookies with it! Or can be made for halloween too, and immediately used. The recipes are not difficult, just it´s easiest, if the dough is already made, and all you need do is roll out and cut!:)

Decorative Swedish Dalas, moose, rolling pin and cutting board painted with Swedish rosemaling, similar to local Norwegian rosemaling.

Some of our favourite cookie cutters, seen above in the cookbook photo, surrounding the cookbook, are Swedish Dala horses of different shapes, and Colorado buffalo, moose, bear; Texas boot; Florida palmtree and California fish:). We like them made with either a Swedish or Norwegian gingerbread recipe such as above. Or, Martha Stewart roll out sugar cookie recipe made with cocoa for some of  the flour (is like the chocolate part of the Oreo cookies but better!), or Martha Stewart roll out sugar cookie recipe made as is. The sugar cookies can be painted with designs using paint brushes (only used for the cookies or cakes painting) with food colors.

Silver dragees dotted round the gingerbread cookie dough cut outs before cooking is pretty, and tastes good! After baking and sitting out for a hour or so, the silver gragees are soft enough to eat, not hurt teeth.

If using the paintbrushes and food colors, the cookies can be painted either before baking or after baking once cooled, for different effects. Both pretty. And fun for the kids!