Pepparkakor (Gingerbread Cookies) - Vete- Katten Bakery, Sweden

Published in Saveur magazine, December 2009. The Vete-Katten bakery in Stockholm has been in business for 80 years. This Swedish Gingerbread Cookie does not contain molasses. The cookies can be served plain or decorated with icing.

• Ready In: 1 hr 32 mins
• Serves: 48
• Yields: 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 3 3⁄4 cups flour
• 1  tablespoon ground cloves (3 teaspoons)
• 3 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking soda
• 11  tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1  cup  packed dark brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup golden syrup (British) or 1⁄2 cup dark corn syrup
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream

• Icing

• 2  cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1  teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1  egg white, lightly beaten

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and baking soda; set aside. In another large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and golden syrup using a handheld mixer set to medium speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the reserved spice mixture and the heavy cream in three alternating batches, beginning and ending with the spice mixture, until the dough just combines. Transfer dough to a work surface, divide in half, and shape each ealf into a flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Heat oven to 350°F Unwrap 1 disk of dough and place on a floured work surface. using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 1/8" thickness. Cut out cookies using the cookie cutters of your choice and place cookies 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, rerolling scraps. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until browned and set, about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.
3. Icing:
4. Whisk together confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and egg white in a medium bowl until smooth. Transfer to piping bag; pipe icing onto cookies in a decorative pattern.