Preparation / Directions:
Bring sugar, water, treacle (molasses) and spices to a boil. Let cool. Add fat little by little (and brandy, if used). Stir vigorously. Add flour mixed with bicarbonate. Work the dough quickly and let it rest in the refrigerator till the next day.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1-2 millimeter. If it's too dry you can add up to 1/4 cup more water. If you let the dough get too warm, it will stick to the roll. This is best done on the non-stick paper. Punch out the desired forms with cookie cutters and carefully remove the remaining dough. Bake. Repeat until no dough remains. Dough can be stored for at least a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. No adverse effects are reported from eating moderate amounts of dough.
Traditional shapes of cookie cutters are: woman, man, heart, pig. Other common shapes include: goat, star, spruce, circle.
Let the gingersnaps dry and cool for an hour or so before storing them in airtight containers. They are usually served as they are but the can be decorated with white icing. Common decorations include adding more "realistic" detail to shapes such as pigs. New ideas would be to make five-pointed stars and inscribe a pentagram or to make circles and inscribe them with an equal-armed cross.
Wishing on pepparkakor
Place a heartshaped pepparkaka in the palm of your hand. Firmly knock on it once with the knuckle of your other hand. If it breaks into exactly three pieces, you can wish on the pepparkaka. It's important that you make your wish silently and not tell anyone about it, or it won't
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