Swedish gingerbread cookies are commonly eaten during the fall and winter holiday season. They are flavorful, spiced gingerbread crispy cookies often used as the cookie base for gingerbread houses due to their sturdiness and crispiness. I went all out on spice in my version of this recipe. The spices aren’t many, but they are pretty heavy. If you like spices, particularly cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and of course black pepper, you should enjoy this variation.
Swedish Pepparkakor Cookies: Pepparkakor?
Pepparkakor is a Swedish word meaning pepper cookies; peppar for “pepper” and kakor for “cookies”. They are the Swedish version of gingerbread though not bread but thin, snappy ginger and pepper focused cookies, though pepper isn’t quite as common as it used to be. I went the traditional route by adding black pepper to this recipe.
Ingredients for Swedish Gingerbread Cookies
The ingredients are fairly standard and include mostly those from a stocked pantry. They consist of all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cardamom, ground cloves, ground black pepper, butter, granulated sugar, molasses, whole milk, and powdered sugar for dusting on the baked cookies or for frosting.
Make the Cookie Dough at Least a Day Ahead
The cookie dough is best made a day before rolling, cutting, and baking the cookies. Leaving the dough in the fridge overnight for up to 3 days allows time for the spices to meld together to produce a well-balanced spice cookie as well as to firm the dough. In fact, you can store half of the dough in the fridge to make the next day and the other half in the freezer for a later date. From frozen, thaw the dough in the fridge overnight to bake the following day.
Make the Gingerbread Cookie Dough
Combine Dry Ingredients: Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, & Spices
To make the dough, start with a medium-sized bowl. Add 300 grams (2½ cups) of all-purpose flour, 4 grams (1 teaspoon) of baking soda, 3 grams (½ teaspoon) of salt, 7.5 g (3 teaspoons) of ground cinnamon, 5 grams (3 teaspoons) of ground ginger, 3 grams (1½ teaspoons) of ground cardamom, 3 grams (1½ teaspoons) of ground cloves, and 2 grams (1 teaspoon) of ground black pepper. Stir well to combine all ingredients and set the bowl aside.
Cream & Blend Together Butter, Sugar, Molasses, & Milk
To a stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl, add 113 grams (8 tablespoons / 1 stick) of softened butter. Use the paddle attachment or hand mixer to cream the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add 134 grams (⅔ cup) of granulated sugar, 38 milliliters (2½ tablespoons) of molasses, and 60 milliliters (¼ cup / 4 tablespoons) of milk. Blend until smooth.
Add Dry Ingredients to Wet Ingredients
With the machine on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. If using an electric hand mixer or stirring by hand, add the flour mixture in two to three stages mixing or stirring in between until combined. Dough is mixed when all flour has blended.
Divide, Shape, & Wrap Dough to Store in Fridge
Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a small rectangle or oval. Wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap. Store the dough in the fridge overnight for up to 3 days. For longer storage, place well-wrapped dough in the freezer; thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling, cutting, and baking.
Roll, Cut, & Bake Gingerbread Cookies
Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Sheets
Either the following day after making the dough or later. Remove the dough from the fridge and set it on the counter to warm up for about 10 minutes, so it can be manipulated more easily. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190˚C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Roll Dough
When the dough has slightly softened, place one dough half on a lightly floured work surface sprinkled with sugar. Whenever I roll and cut cookies, I use both flour and sugar on my work surface as flour prevents sticking, and sugar maintains a sweet cookie exterior. Use a rolling pin to roll dough to about ⅛ – ¼ -inch thick. A thinner cookie (⅛- thick dough) will result in an overall crispier cookie. A thicker cookie (¼ -inch dough or thicker) will be crispy on the exterior and slightly chewy in the center. You can try both and see which you prefer.
TIP: Instead of rolling cookie dough in flour and sugar, use powdered sugar. Powdered sugar dissolves in the cookie thus no “flour-y” exterior once baked. Also, the sugar enhances the exterior sweetness.
Cut out Gingerbread Cookies
Once dough is rolled out to desired thickness, use preferred or seasonal cookie cutters of any shape to cut out cookies. I prefer to use gingerbread people for my holiday shapes with this cookie dough. Place cookies 1-inch apart on the lined baking sheet; they will not spread much. For any remaining dough scraps, knead the dough back into a ball and flatten out as before. If any small amount of dough is left from the first dough half, add it to the other dough half, knead, flatten, and cut out more cookies.
Baking Time!
Once the baking sheet is filled, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should be puffed, dry, and have darker brown bottoms. Bake the first pan of cookies while rolling and cutting out any remaining dough including the other dough half OR store and save the other dough half for later use.
TIPS: Consider baking only a few cookies first to ensure the thickness and crispiness are appropriate for your needs. If not, adjust by rolling the dough thicker or thinner and baking a minute more or a minute less.
Cool & Decorate Gingerbread Cookies
Cool Gingerbread Cookies
Once baked, allow cookies to cool on their pans for 2 minutes. Then, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Decorate Gingerbread Cookies as Desired
Quick Powdered Sugar Dusting
Once cooled, dust powdered sugar over each cookie or pipe on icing. Since the cookies have lots of flavor, they don’t necessarily need frosting, so you can simply dust on powdered sugar. We prefer to eat them simply with a dusting of powdered sugar, so they stay crispy and snappy.
Simple Icing or Glaze
If you want to spread on or pipe on icing, mix 1-2 cups of powdered sugar and 1-4 tablespoons of milk along with several drops of desired food coloring. Pipe or spoon on the icing and sprinkle on edible cookie décor like sprinkles and non-pareils.
TIPS: For additional flavors, add clear vanilla extract or other like almond or orange extracts to the icing. Test a cookie with the icing to determine if additional liquid or sugar should be added to adjust consistency. Allow icing to harden on the cookies before attempting to stack the cookies. Use a small piece of wax paper between cookies when stacking to prevent sticking icing. If you do not have a piping bag, place icing in a zip top bag, cut off the tip of the bag, and use the zip top bag like a piping bag in squeezing the icing onto the cookies.
Serving Suggestions
It goes without saying that the holiday cookie platter or a cookie exchange works with this cookie. Don’t forget the gift bags! Place a few of these cookies in a decorative holiday cellophane bag, add a bow, attach the recipe; voila, you have a holiday gift! Since these flavors enhance with time, bake a batch, and store them covered in your pantry until you’re ready to serve them or give them away as gifts.
Swedish Gingerbread Cookies Final Thoughts
We love the simplicity of this gingerbread cookie. They are easy to eat (meaning, it’s too easy to eat several). They satisfy that sweet crunch when you need one. The dusting of powdered sugar adds elegance to a simple cookie and with hardly any effort when in a rush. This recipe is a simple and snappy Swedish sweet. 😊
Baker’s Thoughts
I appreciate the multiple stages in making this cookie. It’s one of those bakes where you can divide the tasks over 2-3 days or even weeks. Spend 20 quick minutes making the dough and freeze or refrigerate it. Then, when you’re ready (the next day, days, or weeks later), roll, cut out, and bake the cookies. And even later (the next day or several days later), you can add the icing. Crispy gingerbread cookies last a long time and improve in flavor over time. Don’t forget these are great to make as a family, or at least the decorative portion. 😊
Taster’s Thoughts
They are light, crispy, spiced, and addictive. Without the icing, it’s easy to grab a few and eat as you go. Before you know it, they’re all gone (not speaking from personal experience, mind you… 😉) I typically go for soft and chewy cookies, but these are a nice change (for me) for a light crisp. The spices are in abundance. Once you take a bite, wait for it… after a few moments on the tongue, the spices explode. I think the cinnamon and ginger are clear, hints of cardamom, cloves, and black pepper follow. They are light enough to go well with that morning or afternoon coffee, hot chocolate, or hot tea. While simple and tasty on their own (as the powdered sugar adds more visual attraction and texture than flavor), the icing adds that extra bit of sweet indulgence. They might be prettier with the icing, but no less tasty.
Check out my YouTube video on making these Swedish Gingerbread Cookies. “Swedish Snappy Gingerbread Cookies: Thin, Holiday Spiced, Easy Decor, Cookie Platter & Gift Ready!”
Swedish Gingerbread Cookies: Thin, Snappy, & Holiday Spiced
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 300 g (2½ cups) all-purpose flour fluffed, scooped, and leveled off if using a measuring cup
- 4 g (1 tsp) baking soda
- 3 g (½ tsp) salt
- 7½ g (3 tsp) ground cinnamon
- 5 g (3 tsp) ground ginger
- 3 g (1½ tsp) ground cardamom
- 3 g (1½ tsp) ground cloves
- 2 g (1 tsp) ground black pepper
- 113 g (8 tbsp) butter softened
- 134 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
- 38 ml (2½ tbsp) molasses
- 60 ml (¼ cup / 4 tbsp) whole milk
- ¼ cup powdered sugar for dusting on baked cookies if not icing optional
Optional Icing & Décor:
- 240 g (2 cups) powdered sugar
- 45–60 ml (3-4 tbsp) milk
- food coloring
- edible cookie décor like sprinkles nonpareils, etc.,
Instructions
Day 1: Make the Dough: ~20 minutes
- To a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and black pepper. Stir well to combine all ingredients and set aside.
- To a stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl, add butter and use paddle attachment or hand mixer to blend the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add granulated sugar, molasses, and milk. Blend again until smooth.
- With the machine on low, slowly add the flour mixture. If using a hand mixer, add the flour mixture in two to three stages mixing or stir in between until combined.
- Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a small rectangle or oval and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Store the dough in the fridge overnight up to 3 days.TIP: Storing the dough for hours in the fridge allows time for the spices to meld together producing a well-balanced spice cookie.
Day 2 or Another Day: Roll, Cut, Bake, & Decorate Cookies:
- Remove dough from the fridge and set it on the counter to warm up for about 10 minutes, so it can be manipulated more easily. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190˚C).
- When dough has softened some, place one half on a lightly floured work surface sprinkled with sugar (or use powdered sugar). Use a rolling pin to roll dough to about ⅛ – ¼ -inch thick.
- TIPS: Adding both flour and sugar (or powdered sugar) to a work surface prevents the dough from sticking along with maintaining a sweet exterior. A thinner cookie (⅛- thick dough) will result in an overall crispier cookie. A thicker cookie (¼ -inch dough or larger) will be crispy on the exterior and slightly chewy in the center.
- Use preferred or seasonal cookie cutters of any shape to cut out cookies. Place cookies 1-inch apart on the lined baking sheet.
- Once filled, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should be puffed, dry, and have darker brown bottoms.TIPS: Bake the first pan of cookies while rolling and cutting out any remaining dough. For any dough scraps, knead the dough back into a ball and flatten out as before. If any small amount of dough is left from the first dough half, add it to the other dough half, knead, flatten, and cut out more cookies.
- Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool completely.
- Once cooled, dust powdered sugar over each cookie or decorate by piping on icing.
Make Icing & Decorate (Optional):
- For one color, add powdered sugar to a small bowl. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to reach a smooth thick glaze.
- For multiple colors, divide powdered sugar between several bowls and add a smaller amount of milk until desired consistency and add drops of food coloring to reach desired color.
- Use a spoon to spread the icing and cover the cookie completely or use a piping bag to pipe on icing in specific designs. Then, add sprinkles or other edible décor.
Video
Notes
You might be interested in some of these other holiday recipes.
Cinnamon Rolls & Yeast Rolls: One Recipe & One Prep
Chinese Almond Ginger Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Buttery Apple Biscuits
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