Ginger cookies are a traditional Swedish treat that has been eaten for centuries.
Ginger cookies are a popular Swedish Christmas treat, and are so common that each family has its recipe.
In this article, I would like to explain the charm of ginger cookies, a traditional Swedish sweet.
What are ginger cookies?
Ginger cookies are one of the traditional Swedish baked goods.
In Sweden, they are called “pepparkakor.”
As the name “ginger cookie” suggests, ginger is kneaded into the dough.
Spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves are often added together.
They are also known as spiced cookies or gingerbread.
Ginger cookies have a crunchy texture and a stimulating taste of ginger and spices.
Ginger cookies have a slightly peculiar taste, but once you get hooked on their unique spicy flavor, you will be addicted.
Different from the familiar sweet cookies, ginger cookies are a treat for adults to indulge in.
In Japan, ginger is used in many dishes.
On cold days or when a person has a cold, it is customary to drink tea with ginger and honey dissolved in it to wet the throat and warm the body.
People living in the cold of Sweden must also have warmed their bodies by eating ginger cookies for many years.
Swedish Christmas sweets
In Japan, turkey (rarely seen nowadays) and Christmas cake appear on the dinner table during the Christmas season.
In Sweden, there are also some classic Christmas dishes, and ginger cookies are one of them.
In Swedish homes, Christmas Day is celebrated by baking ginger cookies.
During the December season, the good smell of homemade ginger cookies baking is said to waft from every house.
Each household has its unique combination of spices such as ginger and cloves.
It is easy to make cookies with the original taste and smell of that house.
Bread called ” lussekatt” kneaded with saffron and spiced hot wine called “mulled wine” will also grace the table.
Thus, dishes with spices that warm and invigorate the body are common at Christmas in Sweden and other Nordic countries.
https://hokuou-info.com/en/2021/05/21/lussekatter/ https://hokuou-info.com/en/2021/04/27/mulled-wine/Ginger cookie recipe
The recipe for ginger cookies is the same as for regular cookies.
Combine butter, sugar, or other sweeteners, water, eggs, flour, and baking powder in a bowl at room temperature to make the cookie dough.
When making the cookie dough, a small number of spices such as cloves or ginger are added to the ginger cookie recipe.
Many people think of curry when they think of spices, but in Sweden and other Nordic countries, spices have a wide range of uses and are treated as a basic seasoning along with salt and sugar.
https://hokuou-info.com/2021/03/24/cardamom/Cardamom is commonly used to flavor meat and fish dishes and is also commonly kneaded into the dough for baking.
After mixing the various ingredients, the mixture is refrigerated for an hour or overnight to allow the flavors to blend.
After some time, stretch the dough thinly with a rolling pin until it is 1 mm to 3 mm thick.
Swedish ginger cookies are unique in that they stretch the dough more thinly than other ginger cookies eaten in other countries, such as the United States.
After rolling out the cookie dough, hollow it out into the desired shape.
Finally, bake in the oven at 180℃ for around 15 minutes to complete the baking process.
There are a variety of cookie shapes, including animal, star, and doll shapes.
The traditional ginger cookie shape in the Nordic countries is usually a horse, which has shared life in Scandinavia since ancient times.
For an extra touch, ginger cookies can be decorated in style by adding icing.
Icing is a cream that is applied to the surface of the cookie dough.
You can decorate ginger cookies with your favorite decorations such as eyes, mouths, patterns, etc. to create more design-oriented cookies.
Conclusion
Ginger cookies are a traditional baked good from Sweden in Nordic countries where winters are cold.
These cookies are filled with the wisdom to survive the long winters in Nordic countries, where eating ginger and spices warm the body from the inside out.
