{"id":8415,"date":"2019-12-18T03:27:45","date_gmt":"2019-12-18T03:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=8415"},"modified":"2019-12-18T03:30:16","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T03:30:16","slug":"bake-your-own-swedish-pepparkakor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/bake-your-own-swedish-pepparkakor\/","title":{"rendered":"Bake your own Swedish pepparkakor!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Emelie Asplund, “Gl\u00f6gg and gingerbread.” Imagebank Sweden<\/p><\/div>\n

Each Christmas, I make a few Swedish recipes to share with family and friends. My two favorites are <\/span>gl\u00f6gg<\/span><\/i>, wine mulled in spices, and <\/span>pepparkakor<\/span><\/i>, crispy, spicy ginger cookies. While these recipes are old classics, I love them because they are also staples for modern Swedish holiday celebrations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many Swedish-American food traditions are recipes that have been passed down through generations after the first Swedes immigrated here back in the late 1800\u2019s and early 1900\u2019s. For example,<\/span> potatiskorv <\/span><\/i>(potato sausage)<\/span> makes an appearance on the Swedish-American <\/span>julbord <\/span><\/i>(Swedish Christmas table)<\/span>.\u00a0 Originally made to save money by cutting the meat mixture with potato, this humble <\/span>korv<\/span><\/i> is a thing of the past in Sweden.<\/span><\/p>\n

A fantastic example of a dish that is both traditional, yet still very common in Sweden is Swedish meatballs. Best matched with potatoes and lingonberries, Swedish-Americans love \u2018em too. Around the holidays, you\u2019ll find long lines at <\/span>Ingebretsen\u2019s Nordic Marketplace in Minneapolis, Minnesota<\/span><\/a>, where folks go nuts to buy both their house-made <\/span>potatiskorv <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>special meatball mix, among other items, like <\/span>sill <\/span><\/i>(<\/span>herring), blood pudding, head cheese, and other quirky, yet lovable Scandinavian delights.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, back to MY favorites, <\/span>gl\u00f6gg<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>pepparkakor. <\/span><\/i>These beloved holiday menu items are unavoidable in Sweden. <\/span>Gl\u00f6gg<\/span><\/i> is made by steeping red wine with warming spices like <\/span>kanel, kardemumma, ingef\u00e4ra, och nejlikor<\/span><\/i> (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cloves).\u00a0 Sugar is added, perhaps some brightness with orange, and finally, more alcohol! When I make<\/span> gl\u00f6gg<\/span><\/i>, I typically follow chef Marcus Samuelsson\u2019s recipe <\/span>here for red wine <\/span>gl\u00f6gg<\/span><\/i><\/a> and here for <\/span>white wine <\/span>gl\u00f6gg<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i> My advice, don\u2019t skimp on the spices, get them fresh if you can!<\/span><\/p>\n

For a non-alcoholic version of this drink substitute red wine for black currant juice, or white wine for apple juice. Cut down the sugar in the recipe and you\u2019ll be good to go!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Chelsea B. Pepparkakor<\/p><\/div>\n

To make basic <\/span>pepparkakor, <\/span><\/i>use the recipe below by Swedish supermarket ICA<\/span>. A couple of Chelsea\u2019s pro tips – first, add a dash more of each spice listed, to ensure a nice zip to your cookies.\u00a0 Second, use plenty of flour to roll out your dough as thinly as possible for extra crisp!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Okej, \u00e4r ni redo?!<\/em> Okay, are you ready?! The recipe in listed first in Swedish, next in English!
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Pepparkakor\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

PORTIONER: cirka 125 stycken\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ingredienser<\/p>\n