Pepparkakor Village
Nothing says Christmas quite like the smell of gingerbread baking, and this classic Swedish variety lasts well and has a great characteristic snap. You can, of course, use the dough to make simple gingerbread people, rather than a garland, or just add 1 hole to each biscuit and hang individually.
Hands-on time 1½hr, plus cooling, chilling and setting. Cooking time about 30min. Makes about 24 houses
FOR THE PEPPARKAKOR
• 125g unsalted butter, chopped
• 125g golden syrup
• 90g light muscovado sugar
• 350g plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 1tsp ground ginger
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• ½tsp ground cloves
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1 medium egg white
FOR THE ICING
• 1 medium egg white*
• 250g icing sugar
1 For the pepparkakor, in a medium pan gently heat the butter, syrup and sugar, stirring until melted and combined. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix the flour, spices, baking powder and a large pinch of fine salt.
2 Beat the egg white into the cooled syrup mixture, then add to the flour bowl and stir to combine (the dough will be fairly soft). Tip out on to a work surface, wrap and chill for at least 4hr (up to 24hr), to firm up.
3 Line 3 large baking sheets with baking parchment. Flour a work surface and roll out 1/2 the dough to 3mm thick. Using our templates (see GH TIP), a gingerbread house cutter or a small knife and your imagination, cut/stamp out houses. Transfer to the lined sheets, spacing slightly apart.
4 Repeat with remaining dough and trimmings. Using a small, sharp knife, cut out at least 2 holes or ‘windows’ in each house, spaced evenly apart in the top 1/3 (these will be used to hang the garland). Or cut out 1 hole, if you want to hang the biscuits individually. Chill for 15min.
5 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Bake the pepparkakor for 20-25min, or until deep golden. Leave to cool for 3min on the sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
6 For the icing, in a medium bowl beat the egg white until it holds stiff
peaks. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until fully combined. Beat in a few drops of water to get to a thick but pipeable consistency. Spoon 1/2 into a piping bag fitted with a 1mm plain nozzle, and the rest into a piping bag fitted with a 2-3mm open or closed star nozzle.
7 Pipe icing details on to the cooled houses. Leave to set before serving. To display as a garland, thread food-safe string or ribbon between the windows and hang.
PER HOUSE 152cals, 2g protein, 5g fat (3g saturates), 26g carbs (15g total sugars), 1g fibre
TO STORE Un-iced, the biscuits will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 months. Iced biscuits will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for at least a month. If on display, the biscuits will soften faster.