Pepparkakor are thin and crispy Swedish gingersnaps. These cookies are traditionally eaten in December in Sweden with a cup of coffee or some glögg. Enjoy!
I fist posted this recipe two years ago in a blog post on CooksAid.com, but decided to repost it here since several people have asked me for the recipe. The recipe is adapted from “Tant Harriet’s Pepparkakor” in the Swedish cookbook: Vår Kokbok. These days I usually make the dough with at least half white whole wheat flour, often more. (What can I say, I like to incorporate whole grains into everything!)
- 300 grams butter (2 sticks + 5 tablespoons) at room temperature
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons sugar
- 7 tablespoons (just under ½ cup) light syrup (I like Lyle’s Golden Syrup)
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon water
- 6 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or use white whole wheat flour for some or all
- Also needed: cookie cutters, parchment paper, a clean workspace, and holiday spirit
- Add all the ingredients, except about 1 cup of the flour, to the bowl of a large mixer. Mix on low to medium speed until well combined.
- Empty the dough onto a work surface and add the last bit of flour. Form into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for at least one night.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and let warm up a bit.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Working on a lightly floured work surface, take a small chunk of the dough. Knead it a bit and form it into a ball. Roll it out until it’s very thin (thinner than your average sugar cookie). Every now and then lift the rolled dough up from the table and make sure it’s not sticking to the work surface. Add a little more flour to the work surface or rolling pin as necessary.
- When the dough has been rolled thin, use the cookie cutters to press out shapes. When you have filled the dough with shapes, peel away the surrounding dough. Transfer the cut shapes onto a cookie sheet.
- Bake for 3½ to 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on the cookies as they can burn quickly.
- Let the cookies cool a bit on the baking sheet and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool more. They should be thin and crispy when cooled.
- Repeat with the remaining dough. Wrap any unused dough in plastic and transfer it back to the refrigerator for another day.
Ingredients needed to make half of the recipe:
150 grams butter (about 1 ½ sticks) at room temperature
1 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
3.5 tablespoons (just under ¼ cup) light syrup (I like Lyle’s Golden Syrup)
½ tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ tablespoon ground cloves
1 teaspoons ground cardamom
½ tablespoon baking soda
6.5 tablespoons water
3 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
Follow the instructions as above, except save just 1/2 cup of flour in step one.
Hi Maria! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It has taken me 4 years and several recipes later to find the right PEPPARKAKOR! Since a friend refused to share the recipe, I have been doing many trial and errors. This one was finally exactly like what I tasted from my friend. Best cookies ever! Super yummy. Others please remember to roll dough paper thin. It rises a bit in the oven and its best thin. Especially yummy withyour cheese platter;)
Hi Esmay! I’m so glad these cookies turned out well for you! They are so delicious and I love making them every winter. But they are definitely a lot of work and getting them paper thin takes patience and practice! I still can’t get mine as thin as my mom’s! 🙂
Thank you for posting the cookie page! My 5 year old son is in school and will be making these for his class. He has a report on Sweden. Should be fun!
That’s great! Let me know how they turn out!