Pepparkakor

Now it would have been sensible to post this before Christmas as they are the most festive biscuit ever invented but as you may know I'm a complete Christmas obsessive and I got completely swept away by it all and didn't get round to writing these up. However, I have been crisping the leftover ones up in the oven and they're are very cheering at this depressing time of year so if you fancy a bake why not try these? Pepparkakor are the Swedish version of ginger biscuits and they are out of this world - this is a recipe from one of my mother's old Swedish cookbooks.

Pepparkakor

Makes a lot - probably 80ish biscuits

500g butter
500g sugar
2 tbsp syrup
1/2 tbsp ginger
2 tbsp ground cloves
2 tbsp cinammon
2 eggs
1kg flour
2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/390F. You will need some lined baking sheets so you can do these in batches. You can use any shape cutter you like - I use a large and small star and a large heart for these. You can ice these or just sprinkle with icing sugar. The dough keeps for ages in the fridge and and if these biscuits go soggy a couple of minutes in the oven will crisp them right up.

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the sugar, syrup, ginger, cloves and cinnamon.

2. Let it cool and then add the eggs, flour and bicarbonate of soda.

3. Roll out the dough as thin as you can and cut into shapes.

Uncooked biscuits on baking sheet

4. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Finished biscuits on cooling rack