Discover the Origin of Pepparkakor Cookies

These thin gingery cookies are a family tradition in my house. They are delightfully old fashioned and Swedish, and have a very distinct taste from the addition of maple syrup (or, in some recipes dark corn syrup). Pepparkakor Cookies are traditionally cut out in the shape of stars and, unlike typical gingerbread cookies, dont contain any molasses. They remind me of visiting my grandparents house at Christmastime and opening tins of tissue paper wrapped cookies kept fresh in the freezer. They are the cookies my great-grandmother made, and the ones she taught her daughter to make, who then taught my mother, who then taught me. And although this recipe produces delicious cookies every time, pepparkakor will always taste best to me when eaten frozen out of a tin at my grandparents house.

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Jenna Weber is half of the Fresh Tastes blog team. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in 2008 and, since then, has worked as a pastry chef, bread baker and freelance food editor. Currently, Jenna blogs full-time on EatLiveRun.com where her delicious daily recipes and quirky culinary musings appeal to thousands. She lives in Northern California and, when not in the kitchen, can usually be found on her yoga mat.