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Swedish ginger biscuits – Pepparkakor
If you’ve ever been to Scandinavia at Christmas time, you will have been offered any variety of these ginger biscuits. We practically live off them during the colder months, but they are certainly a buiscuit, suitable all year round. In Sweden these are called Pepparkakor – in Norway, Pepperkaker (Peberkager in Danish and in Finnish, Piparkakut). All have slightly different regional differences, but by and large, the end result is similar: A fragrant, spiced biscuit, easy to make, bake and decorate. And terribly hard to stop eating.Note – this dough requires min 12h rest time before baking.
Servings: 50 to 70
Author: Bronte Aurell
Ingredients
- 550 grams plain flour plus extra for dusting – can be bought here
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon – can be bought here
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom – can be bought here
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- a pinch of salt
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 100 grams soft dark brown sugar
- 150 grams butter at room temperature
- 200 grams golden/corn syrup
- 150 ml double/heavy cream
Instructions
- Mix the flour and bicarbonate of/baking soda with the dry spices and salt.Add the butter and all the other ingredients and mix until you have an even dough. It may still be sticky, but shape into a log and wrap in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the refrigerator overnight before using. Try to resist eating the dough every time you pass by the fridge. Yes, we know it is hard not to do…Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.Roll out the dough thinly on a lightly floured work surface and use cookie cutters to cut your desired shapes. You want the biscuits/cookies to be thin.Place on the prepared baking sheets and bake in the preheated oven for 5–6 minutes or until the biscuits turn a darker shade of brown. This is a large quantity of dough so you may need to bake the biscuits in batches (or you can freeze part of the dough for next timeyou wish to whip up a few trays).Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Equipment
- lined baking trays
Notes
Variations:
– Flavour with the zest of one orange for citrus hit
– Add chopped almonds
– Add food grade cedar oil for a distinct flavour (you only need a little bit)
… or let the kids run wild with icing and decorate little heats, gingerbread people shapes – or even make a ginger biscuit house. This dough is very versatile.
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From the book ScandiKitchen Christmas by Bronte Aurell, photo by Pete Cassidy. Book available on Amazon or ScandiKitchen.