12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 12
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Welcome to the final day of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies series! It’s been a journey through flavors, textures, and festive cheer, and I’m thrilled to end on a high note with a cookie that’s as unique as it is delicious: Pink Peppercorn Pepparkakor.
Pepparkakor, a classic Swedish spice cookie, is traditionally crisp, delicately spiced, and wonderfully aromatic. If you’ve ever read Pippi Longstocking, you may be familiar with these cookies. In the books, Pippi makes over 500 pepparkakor, so you know they must be good. She has so many, she even rolls them out on the floor.
“That morning Pippi was busy making pepparkakor—a kind of Swedish cookie. She had made an enormous amount of dough and rolled it out on the kitchen floor.
“‘Because,’ Pippi said to her little monkey, ‘what earthly use is a baking board when one plans to make at least five hundred cookies?’
And there she lay on the floor, cutting out cookie hearts for dear life.”
For this finale, I’ve given pepparkakor a modern twist by adding pink peppercorns. These little gems bring a floral, slightly fruity heat that perfectly complements the warm spices of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom. It’s a bold yet balanced flavor that’s sure to stand out on your holiday cookie tray.
Whether you’re already a fan of pepparkakor or trying it for the first time, this recipe is a delightful way to end the series.
(and don’t worry, this recipe doesn’t make 500 cookies)
Pink Peppercorn Pepparkakor
50-70
Cookies45
minutes7-10
minutes
a crisp and delicate Swedish spice cookie with a modern twist of pink peppercorn for a floral, slightly fruity heat that perfectly complements the warm spices of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom
Ingredients
- Pink Peppercorn Pepparkakor
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (113 grams)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons clove
2 teaspoons cardamom
1 Tablespoon crushed pink peppercorns
2/3 cup brown sugar (146 grams)
1/2 cup molasses (170 grams)
2 large eggs (about 100 grams)
4 cups all-purpose flour (480 grams)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Pink Peppercorn Icing
1 cup powdered sugar (113 grams)
2 Tablespoons milk (30 grams)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon crushed pink peppercorns
pinch of salt
Red sanding sugar for decorating (optional)
Directions
- Pink Peppercorn Pepparkakor
- Preheat an oven to 350°F.
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter.
- Once the butter has melted, stir in the spices to bloom.
- Once the spices are aromatic (about 1 minute), stir in the brown sugar and molasses. Stir until dissolved (about 1 minute). Remove from the heat.
- Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.
- Beat in the eggs.
- Fold in the remaining ingredients.
- Roll the dough out to at least 1/8 inch thick or thinner.
- Cut the cookies into shapes and transfer them to a parchment lined-sheet tray.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the cookies are slightly browned around the edges and crispy.
*Note: these are traditionally a crispy cookie. If you prefer a softer cookie, you can bake them for a little less time. - Pink Peppercorn Icing
- Mix together all of the ingredients.
- Dip the surface of each cookie into the icing.
- While the icing is still wet, sprinkle on the red sanding sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
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