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Ellen’s Swedish Pepparkakor

Ellen's Swedish Pepparkakor | LunaCafeEllen’s Swedish Pepparkakor

This Swedish cookie is just enough different from all other Scandinavian “gingersnaps” to make it definitely special: delicate, spicy, and hot! My mom-in-law, Ellen Bradley, got this recipe from a Swedish neighbor who had been a professional baker.

For the Bradley bunch (4 brothers and one sister, each with kids of their own), Christmas without Pepparkakor would be no Christmas at all.Roll these cookies very thinly for best results and “watch watch” as Ellen says on her hand-written recipe card–they color (and burn) quickly.

1 cup unsalted butter, cool room temperature (2 cubes)
1½ cups sugar
1 egg, beaten, cool room temperature
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
finely grated zest of 1 orange
½ cup fresh orange juice

3¾ cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda
2-3 teaspoons ground white pepper (depending on how spicy-hot you want the cookies)
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Decoration
clear sanding sugar or sprinkles, optional

  1. Cream the butter and sugar thoroughly until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes.
  2. Add the egg and beat until fluffy.
  3. Add the dark corn syrup, orange zest, and orange rind. Combine well.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour together with white pepper, cardamom, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt.
  5. Gradually add to the cookie batter and mix just to incorporate.
  6. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions (about 14 ounces each) and flatten each portion to a ½-inch-thick disk on a sheet of plastic wrap. Seal the plastic wrap around each portion of the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. (The sealed dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days if necessary.)
  7. With a flour-dusted, cloth-covered rolling pin, roll the dough out very thinly (1/8-inch or less) on a flour-dusted pastry cloth. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
  8. Arrange cookies on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, decorate with clear sprinkles if desired, and bake at 375º for 6-8 minutes. Watch VERY CLOSELY in the final 2 minutes of baking to prevent cookies from over-browning.
  9. 9.Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.
  10. When completely cool, store in air-tight cookie tins. These cookies improve with age and will keep, if stored in a cool, dry place, for many weeks. You can also freeze them.

Makes about 6 dozen.

Elen's Swedish Pepparkakor

Copyright 2008-2015 Susan S. Bradley. All rights reserved.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi,

    I tried to make this today, but the dough was very soft and could not be rolled without sticking. It could also not be cut with a cookie cutter. In the end I made them into lumpy, thick cookies. What did I do wrong?
    Also, should the cloves and cardamom be removed before cooking? I had lumps afterwards in the cookies.

    • Estelle, all spices should be ground. Also, the dough must be thoroughly chilled before rolling, as specified in the recipe. I amended the post to make this more clear. Hope you’ll try again. 🙂

  2. I forgot to put in the egg, and they are winderfully crunchy and sturdy enough to use as a dipper for a pineappke, mango, habañero pepper salsa that I make.

  3. I am going to try your recipe. I married a widower and his first wife was Swedish.
    Her family had a bakery in Sweden. When she died most of her things went with her, when I married her husband I made a promise to her grand child that I would try to get her recipe figured out. To date I’m married twenty years and still haven’t come up with the real thing. I always wondered a bout the white pepper in our cupboard , I will try your recipe and send some to our grandson. This year I am using a recipe that came over in 1927. To date I think I have at least 25 recipes for Pepparkakor cookies and each one is a little different. I’ll keep trying!

    • Kathy, I hope this recipe rings your bell. There are dozens of recipes for Pepparkakor, but this one is exceptional in both texture and flavor. My mother-in-law, Ellen Bradley, who emigrated to America from Finland as a child, used her charming ways to talk the Swedish baker next door into sharing his prized recipe with her. These cookies are a long-time Bradley family tradition.

  4. I used two teaspoons of white pepper and loved the result so much that I could have eaten the whole batch all by myself. They are truly addictive!

  5. Oh my goodness! These little spiced cookies are exactly my type of thing at the holidays. I know some people are all about the frosting and chocolate but pass me the spice!

  8. I always love a little spice in my sweets. We make a chipotle brownie and an ancho-spiced corneal wedge around the Holidays as well. I’ll have to add these to the list!

  11. Those look so festive and inviting! Love the idea of 12 cookies from different countries, so we all get excited about other traditions. ! 🙂

  13. Love the idea of 12 days of Christmas cookies. I especially love learning about cookies from other countries. Wish I could reach through the screen and grab one.

  15. Never mind, Susan, I finally found it. The “jump to recipe” has not been hyperlinked, but there is a “Page 1, Page 2” way down at the very bottom of the post and that link works.

        • These were a big hit at yesterday’s ECW Christmas Gathering. Everyone admitted to liking gingersnaps, but were pleasantly surprised by the orange essence and peak of pepper in them. I just put about 2 teaspoons of freshly ground white pepper in them, as I didn’t want to overpower the other spice. I will be making these again and again.
          Thanks for sharing this surprisingly delicious recipe.

  18. hey,,,, can you order these instead of making them….. ?? Is there a website that I can order from ?
    thanks

  19. Thank you, Susan. I didn’t have this recipe – wonderful memories of ELlen, akind and gentlle spectacular woman!

    • Anonymous, I love this description: a kind, gentle, spectacular woman. She is one of my three angels: the Angel of Gratitude. How she appreciated and praised every little thing, every little kindness. She was a gift in my life.

  22. Hey, that’s so cool! it’s snowing on your site! how did you do that?
    Your 12 days of cookies…very impressive! I’d have a nervous breakdown attempting 12 different kinds! Great job!

    • Cakebrain, I’m daffy over the darn snow. I just love looking at it snowing over all those cookies. 🙂 It’s a widget that MauiJim found somewhere. I’ll see if I can get a location from him for you. Nervous breakdown? LOL… you have that right! MauJim says NEVER AGAIN, but I am already planning next year’s baking. Thanks for visiting the site!

    • Hi Cakebrain … Our site is a WordPress site. I’m not sure if they create this effect for other blogging engines? It was easy to install and worked instantly. Here’s the link for the plugin. “Let it Snow:” . Happy Holidays!

  24. Thanks ever so much for the print option! I look forward to many wonderful cookies thanks to Luna Cafe! Radar

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  1. […] one old world ginger spice cookie? No way! For the Deck the Halls cookie collection, I gave you Ellen’s Swedish Pepparkakor. And for the Starry Night collection, it was Comfort & Joy Spice Cookies. These are very […]

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