Authentic Gingerbread Recipe from Sweden

Why it’s special

This recipe comes from my Swedish host-mom, Hanne, who I stayed with for a week in December 2013 while traveling Europe. She opened her home to me in Alingsås, where I first fell in love with her homemade gingersnaps. I sat with her in the kitchen one night to write down the recipe, which she verbally translated for me into English.

The original recipe is titled “Tant Harriets Pepparkaker,” or in English, “Aunt Harriet's Gingerbread.” What is pepperkaker? It’s a traditional Swedish Christmas cookie which is slightly thinner and crispier than gingerbread. It’s more synonymous with gingersnap.

Traditional Gingersnap Christmas Cookies from Sweden

Yield: 40 cookies

Author: Allspice

Prep time: 40 MinCook time: 7 MinTotal time: 47 Min

This is a traditional Swedish Christmas cookie recipe, straight from Sweden. Slightly thinner and crispier than gingerbread, perfect with tea and coffee.Note: you need to refrigerate the dough overnight, so set aside enough time!

Ingredients

Cookies

1/3 cup margarine, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup and 1tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark Karo corn syrup
7 tbsp water
2 tsp ground ginger
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves
1.5 tsp ground cardamom
1.5 tsp baking soda
3 cups and 3TBSP wheat flour

Icing

3 egg whites
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix wet ingredients together into a smooth paste (butter, margarine, sugar, Karo syrup, and water)
In a separate large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together (ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, baking soda, and almost all of the flour). The flour you withhold will be used to flour your kneading surface
Slowly combine the dry mix into the wet mix. Do not to over mix!
Sprinkle the remaining flour onto the surface you will be kneading the dough on. Knead the dough into a nice ball
Place dough in a plastic bag and leave in the fridge overnight
The next day… preheat your oven to 375 degrees F
Roll the dough very flat and cut into shapes
Bake your cutouts on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 5-7 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheet right away to cool.
Icing: Mix everything together at once. Done! Pour icing into piping bags to decorate your cookies however you like. If your icing is a little stiff, add more lemon juice or water. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar.