Pepparkakor

Pepparkakor are the thin, snappy spice cookies that perfume Swedish kitchens all through December. Their name nods to pepper, but the real warmth comes from a quartet of ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg layered over dark, faintly bitter molasses. One bite and you’re somewhere candlelit with snow outside.

This version uses the slice-and-bake method, the secret to that paper-thin crispness. Cream the butter and shortening with sugar, beat in eggs and molasses, then fold in the spiced flour and chill the dough into firm logs. Cold dough is everything here: it lets you slice the cookies whisper-thin without them tearing or spreading.

The bake is brief and the cookies tiny, so they go from pale to deep golden in a matter of minutes. Pull them right at that point, because the crisp snap you want sets as they cool on the rack. Stacked in a tin they keep for weeks, which makes them ideal for baking ahead of the holidays.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the logs until firm, even overnight. Soft dough crumbles and slices unevenly.
• Slice as thin as you can, about an eighth of an inch. Thicker rounds bake up soft and chewy instead of crackly.
• Watch the oven closely. Thin cookies tip from golden to burnt in under a minute.

Variations

• Press a blanched almond into each round before baking for a traditional touch.
• Add finely grated orange zest or a pinch of cardamom to the dough for extra Scandinavian aroma.
• Once cool, pipe thin lines of royal icing for classic decorated pepparkakor.