Swedish Ginger Biscuits - Pepparkakor

My cousin does a lot of overseas travelling and she often brings back wonderful kitchen goodies for me.  On one of her trips away, she got me a cute elk biscuit cutter, with a recipe for pepparkakor enclosed.  (Apparently, it's moose in Canada, and elk in Europe.)  I think it's adorable whatever you call it.  It has taken me a while but I've finally got around to making these biscuits.  And oh boy, does it make a lot of them:=)

Farg&Form elk cookie cutter 

Start this recipe one day ahead!


ingredients:


330g. butter, softened

450g. caster sugar

6 tbs golden syrup

2 tbs ground cinnamon

1 tbs ground cloves

1 tbs ground ginger

2 tbs ground cardamom

1 tbs bicarb of soda

200 mLs water

900g. plain (all-purpose) flour


Method:


On Day 1, make the dough:


Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl

Add the sugar and golden syrup and beat in well

In go the spices - cinnamon/cloves/ginger/cardamom, and bicarb soda

Stir them in till well-combined

Tip in the water and give it a stir; no need to beat in

Now work in the flour in 3 or 4 lots; combine well each time

Knead well on a lightly-floured surface till you have a nice, smooth huge ball of dough

Wrap it tightly in cling film and place in the fridge for 24 hours!


Day 2:


Take the dough out of the fridge, and let it warm up a bit (say 10 minutes?) 'cos it will be hard, baby

Roll it out to 4-5 mm thick - I suggest rolling out a third of the dough at a time 'cos it is big!

Cut out shapes or use whatever biscuit cutter you have - make sure you press the cutter into some flour first

Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper or a silicone mat

Bake at 210C for 4-5 minutes

Leave on the baking tray for a few minutes to cool down, then place on a wire rack to cool completely

Decorate with icing sugar/water mix if desired


Notes:


I used an American measuring spoon here so each one is 15 mLs

The recipe says to bake at 200-225C.  Now I think that is a huge difference, even depending on your oven!  So try it at 210C

You can ice these with a simple icing sugar and water mix, or just eat the naked mooses/elks

FYI, I only baked one third of the dough this time around.  It made 17 elks!  More than enough for me and Mr P.  I have cut the rest up into several pieces, wrapped in freezer bags, then another bag and popped into the freezer for baking another time.  You can leave it in the freezer for up to 3 months

ingredients gathered

cream the butter, beat in sugar and syrup

add the spices and bicarb soda

give the water a quick stir in 

stir in the flour, a third at a time 

knead the dough into a smooth ball

The Next Day:

roll out the dough to about 5 mm thickness 

place on tray ready for baking @210C for 4-5 mins.

yep, definitely mutant roadkill

wrap and freeze the rest of the dough for later use if you are short on time 

Yep I know, it looks like illicit drugs, ready for pick up by a crazed drug mule:=)

a plateful of mutant elks, and my shoe

spicy artwork by sherry's pickings