Pepparkakor Recipe
- Daniel
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Every December I fall into some kind of baking loop, and this year Pepparkakor took over my kitchen again. These are Sweden’s famous Christmas ginger snaps, except mine aren’t “snappy.”
Just outta the oven...
I personally prefer a fudgy middle with crispy edges, not a rock-hard cookie that tries to break my teeth. So yes, the traditional recipe is meant to be thin and brittle, but I’m fully embracing this soft-chewy middle vibe.
Pepparkakor supposedly dates all the way back to medieval Sweden, when monks baked spiced biscuits for “health and happiness.” By the 19th century they were Christmas staples, people hung heart-shaped cookies on trees and gave them as good-luck charms.
IKEA may have pushed them into the mainstream, but homemade cookies that smell like ginger, cloves and cinnamon still feel personal. I even throw in fresh grated ginger, which nudges the texture even softer and more fragrant.
If you want a stress-free cookie this season, try these. The dough chills, rolls into little balls, and bakes in minutes. Play with the texture, snappy, chewy, or somewhere in between.
Bake a batch slightly under for fudgy centers, go longer for crisp. Either way, they’re dangerous with coffee, they disappear instantly, and they’re everything I love about December.
Ingredients:
(Make 20 cookies)
Unbleached All Purpose Flour, 210g
Cornstarch, 30g
Baking Soda, 6g
Sea Salt, 3g
Ginger Powder, 1 TSP
Ground Cinnamon, 1/2 TSP
Ground Cloves, 1/4 TSP
White Pepper, 1/4 TSP
Unsalted Butter Softened, 170g
Molasses, 60g
Granulated Sugar, 75g + More For Coating
Light Muscovado Sugar, 75g
Egg, 1
Equipment:
Oven
Hand / Stand Mixer
Directions:
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before starting.
Mix the dry ingredients
Combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and all your spices in one bowl. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars
Add softened butter to a mixing bowl.
Beat until pale and fluffy (think mayonnaise).
Add both molasses and sugars and beat again until creamy.
Add egg, and ginger
Add the egg and grated fresh ginger; mix just until combined.
Add the dry mix
Add the flour mixture in portions until a dough forms.
Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight (chilling keeps the cookies snappy).
Shape and coat
Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
Scoop small portions (a tablespoon is fine), roll into balls, and coat in sugar.
Bake
Place on a parchment-lined tray with space between balls (they will spread).
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes: soft, fudgy middle, crisp edges 12–15 minutes: more traditional snappy texture
Cool and enjoy
Cool on the tray briefly, then move to a rack.
Serve with some Glogg or coffee while it’s still warm.
Enjoy your fika.
Serve these cookies warm, you'll thank me later...
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