Piparkakku (Gingerbread Cookies): Traditional Food from Lapland.
Life’s Just a Blast that’s Movin’ Really Fast.
pop quiz: the lyric above is from what song and artist? clue: if you choose to accept the mission, how long can you dunk your biscuit?
This time last year we were in Finland and enjoyed a week at Torassieppi and a week in Yllas. The food at Torassieppi was very good and they served up lots of traditional Lapland dishes. I have no idea whether this is their recipe, but it works for me and a gingerbread cookie tastes great with a cup of tea.
Ingredients for Gingerbread Cookies.
- 150g soft brown sugar
- 250g golden syrup
- 1tsp ground ginger
- 2tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch ground cloves
- Pinch ground cardamom
- 150g unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 2tsp baking powder
- 500g plain flour
How to Make Gingerbread Cookies.
- Mix the golden syrup, brown sugar and spices in a pan and heat slowly until boiling.
Note: use a mixture of golden syrup and treacle for a darker biscuit.
Note: adjust the spice blend to suit your own taste. - Put the butter in a large bowl and pour hot mixture over it.
- Beat until all the butter is melted.
- Allow the mixture to cool a little before adding the egg.
- Add flour and baking powder, beat well.
- Bring the mixture together in a ball, wrap and leave in the fridge overnight.
- Roll the mixture out on a floured surface. You are aiming for 3-5mm thick.
Note: if the mixture is sticky, be generous with flouring your surface. - Cut your gingerbread cookies to shape; hearts and stars are traditional, but there is always something satisfying about biting the head off a gingerbread man!
- Lay you cookies on a lightly greased or non-stick baking tray.
- Bake for 8 minutes at 200°C in a pre-heated oven.
Note: remove from the oven just as the cookies are starting to colour. - Leave on the tray for a few minutes to cool and start to crisp before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Decorate with piped water icing.
