CHRISTMAS PEPPARKAKOR

Pepparkakor hearts on my coconut ceramic plate (made by Tine)

These little biscuits are a big thing at christmas time in Scandinavia. They are essentially a more exciting version of gingerbread. The only downside to them is that the dough has to be made a day in advance, but it's so worth it, because they taste delicious and make your whole house smell like christmas! They're also good for morning sickness.

300g butter (room temperature)
5 cups* granulated sugar
1 cup of golden syrup
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp baking soda
2 cups water
15 cups plain flour

Stir together the butter, sugar and syrup until smooth. Add in the spices and baking soda. Then stir in the water followed by the flour. Knead the dough on a floured surface and refrigerate for 24 hrs wrapped in foil. 

The following day, when you're ready to bake, roll the dough out to 5mm, and use a cookie-cutter to cut out pepparkakor biscuits. Place them onto baking paper, and bake at 170°C for 6-10 minutes.

*For those of you who don't have a cup measurer, this one is super cute...

Hedgehog measuring cups. £32 from Anthropologie