Pepparkakor

In an earlier post, I promised to post the recipe for gingerbread cookies.  This recipe is actually a mix of two of the many recipes I found online.  I have made a second batch to test it out again and it didn't disappoint.  This time, I made royal icing to decorate the cookies.  They were going to be gifts for my classmates and teacher. 

I made the dough one day ahead and chilled it in the fridge.  When I was ready to bake, I took them out and used some cute cookie cutters I borrowed from Pete's mum.  I iced them the next day and let the icing dry for a few hours before packing them.  I spread out the work over several days since I have been busy to do everything at once.

the iced cookies

I recommend you to try this recipe.  The cookies have a nice balance of 'butteriness' and spice.  The spices don't knock you over but it's nice and mellow.  If you don't want it to be spicy, use less of the spices.  You can even leave out the cloves if you don't have any.  I tell you, the kitchen smells so good when the cookies are baking.  You really should try this!

Pepparkakor (Gingerbread Cookies)
Cookies
2 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
125gm soft butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses or golden syrup
2 tsp vanilla

Sift and mix the first 7 ingredients together in a medium bowl.
In a big bowl, cream the butter and sugar until combined.
Add the egg until well incorporated.
Add the molasses and vanilla. Mix well.
Slowly add the dry ingredients.  I use the mixer at first and when it starts getting stiff, I just use my fingers to gather the ingredients together into a dough.  This shouldn't take more than 2 minutes.
Roll the dough into a sausage shape and wrap with clingfilm.
Rest the dough in the for at least two hours to let the flavours develop.  You can leave it in the fridge for up to 4 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180C.
Take the dough out and roll out to your desired thickness.  Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper or clingfilm so it doesn't stick to the work surface and use a cookie cutter to cut out your favourite shapes. 
Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet with a bit of space in between.
Bake for 7-10 minutes.
Let the cookies cool thoroughly before icing them if you want.

all wrapped up and ready to be given away