Swedish Gingerbread Cookies

Name: Swedish Gingerbread Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: about 3 dozen.
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened; 1 cup sugar; 1/2 cup molasses; 1 large egg; 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon ground ginger; 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; 2 teaspoons ground cloves; 1 teaspoon baking soda; FROSTING:; 3 cups confectioners' sugar; 3/4 cup shortening; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 3 to 5 tablespoons water; Red Hots, optional

Making Swedish pepparkakor—or gingerbread cookies—is a holiday tradition in our family. I entered these at the Iowa State Fair and took home a blue ribbon.—Kathleen Olesen, Des Moines, IA

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 large egg
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
FROSTING:
3 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 to 5 tablespoons water
Red Hots, optional

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. In another bowl, whisk flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll.
Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. gingerbread man cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
For frosting, in a bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, shortening, vanilla and enough water to reach spreading consistency. Decorate cookies with frosting and, if desired, Red Hots.
Freeze option: Transfer wrapped disks to a resealable plastic freezer bag; freeze. To use, thaw dough in refrigerator overnight or until soft enough to roll. Prepare, bake and decorate cookies as directed.

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 201 calories, 9g fat (4g saturated fat), 19mg cholesterol, 80mg sodium, 28g carbohydrate (19g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.

Originally published as Swedish Pepparkakor (Christmas Ginger Cookies) in Ultimate Cookie Swap 2015

Reviews

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Manja

Dec 29, 2016

I just made these cookies and they were fun to make and turned out perfect!, not too hard not too soft! I didn't ice them, wanted to keep them simple and poked tiny holes for a face and buttons, thank you for the recipe!
paul3303

Dec 23, 2016

This was a good flavored cookie, but I would prefer a softer cookie.
lsmith720

Dec 13, 2015

These little guys are outstanding! They are so deliciously flavorful. If you love a strong gingersnap, these are definitely worth the try. This will definitely go into my favorite recipe book for Christmas cookies!