Pepparkakitt

A few years ago a friend gave me this recipe for Christmas. She called them Finnish Pepper Cookies or Pepparkakitt. I have another friend who's mother is Finnish and I asked her about them one time while we were knitting. She told me she hates them because when she was a little girl they would go every winter to her grandmothers house, scrub out the big bathtub and mix a huge batch of pepparkakitt. They closed the bathroom door and opened the window to let the brisk winter air in to chill the dough overnight. In the morning they would spend all day rolling, cutting and baking millions of cookies. The crisp spicy cookies would last all winter long.

In Sweden these cookies are called Peppar kakor, and according to my brother Richard it is traditional to break the cookie in your palm. The pattern it breaks in will tell your fortune.

If you have ever had Anna's Ginger Thins, these cookies taste pretty much the same. If I could roll mine out that thin I would, but an 1/8 an inch is about as thin as I can get.

This recipe makes a whopping 9-10 dozen cookies, so I always split my dough into 1/3rds. The dough keeps for about a week in the fridge and a month or so in the freezer, so I just pull out some of the dough at a time. This makes it quick and easy to bake some up for a neighbor, or to take to a Holiday gathering. I got my traditional flower shaped cookie cutter at yes of course, Ikea.

Pipparkakitt

1c molasses

2tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp allspice

1/4tsp black pepper

1tsp cloves

1tsp ginger

2c butter

2c sugar

Bring to a boil in a saucepan, remove from heat, pour into mixing bowl and cool.

1 egg

1c milk

4tsp baking soda

9c flour

Add to mixing bowl and mix with a strong spoon. (I mix these cookies in my Bosch, but I don't think a regular mixer could handle this stiff dough.)

divide into 3 or 4 portions, wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight. (can be frozen)

Roll out dough to 1/8 in thick and cut into small shapes.

bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 min, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown.