Pepparkake – Spiced Cookies

Day 9 of my “12 Days of Baked Goods” series!

My friend Kim Ihms is of Scandinavian descent, Norwegian actually, and has neat holiday dessert recipes that I’ve shared in the past (see Berliner Kranser Cookies she shared a couple years ago).

This year, her sister Karen shared a Scandinavian spiced cookie recipe that I know my Dutch hubby will enjoy as they’re similar to the Dutch Speculaas. These cookies can be cut in any shape and decorated like a gingerbread cookie would.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 3 Tbsp. lard
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 3/4 cups flour, divided
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Mix honey, molasses, lard, brown sugar and butter in large sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Do not scorch. Remove from heat and add to the bowl of an electric mixer. Add 2 ½ cups sifted flour and the spices and mix with a paddle attachment then allow to cool.
2. Add the beaten eggs.
3. Combine the remaining flour with soda and powder in a small bowl. Add to the cookie batter and knead to incorporate. Let rest 1 hour, then roll out dough on a floured work surface and cut cookies using any shape cookie cutter.
4. Place the cookies on greased cookie sheets and bake at 425°F for about 5 minutes.

Cheers,

Veronique