Swedish Pepparkakor (Gingersnaps)
Serves 4
20 mins prep
10 mins cook
30 mins total
Thin crunchy Swedish Pepparkakor (gingersnaps) full of warm holiday spices.
Do ahead (important)
The dough needs to rest overnight, but even longer than that (one week, if possible) is best.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Make the dough
Place the butter, sugars, molasses and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Stir over low until the butter melts.
Remove from heat and stir in the ground cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
Add the baking soda and salt and stir through.
Add the water and vanilla and stir until combined. Pour mixture into a heatproof bowl.
Sift the flour in and stir thoroughly until no flour streaks remain. Cover with plastic or a lid and rest in the refrigerator overnight and up to a week.
Roll and cut
Remove a chunk of dough from the bowl. Knead it with your hands to warm it up and shape into a ball.
Place on a floured surface and roll it out thin (about an ⅛-inch thick). Cut into shapes or use a cookie-cutter. Place on lined baking sheets. Place the baking sheets with dough into the freezer for at least 10 minutes to freeze solid before baking so they do not lose their shape.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bake chilled dough for 5-8 minutes until golden brown. These bake very quickly, so do not leave them too long. Do not underbake though as they need to bake fully to crisp up when cooled.
Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before storing.
