Pippi Longstocking’s Pepparkakor Heart Cookies

Posted September 5, 2019 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

I finally got around to listening to the Pippi Longstocking audiobook a few months ago, and, guys, I just gotta say…it’s a total gem! I looove Pippi. She reminds me of Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes. I remember the artist (Bill Watterson) saying that kids and adults like Calvin for almost opposite reasons, and I totally see Pippi the same way. Kids love her grownup qualities (Independent! Confident! Super strong!), and adults love her childlike qualities (Imaginative! Spirited! Fearless!). I definitely want to read this one to my kids when they’re old enough. For now though, I’ll just have to settle for making them goodies from the book. ^.^

I thought there wouldn’t be much food in it since it’s so short, but it’s actually PACKED with all kinds of yummy goodness: pancakes, ham, cold roast, cream cake, cookies, and more. The food that stood out to me most was the cookies. They show up in multiple scenes, but my favorite is the one where Pippi is cutting out heart shapes from dough rolled out on the floor. They’re specifically called “pepparkakor” (a traditional Swedish ginger cookie). Since I’ve never made them before, I tracked down a recipe from Daune at Cottage in the Oaks. I added a little cream cheese frosting because I want it on all my spiced desserts from now until forever. I’ll admit the frosting is not strictly authentic, but it IS strictly delicious, which is all that really matters, right?

These were so fun and easy to make: the perfect weekend baking activity with little kiddos! 🙂

A

Pepparkakor Pippis

“That morning Pippi was busy making pepparkakor—a kind of Swedish cookie. She had made an enormous amount of dough and rolled it out on the kitchen floor.
“‘Because,’ Pippi said to her little monkey, ‘what earthly use is a baking board when one plans to make at least five hundred cookies?’
And there she lay on the floor, cutting out cookie hearts for dear life.”

— Pippi Longstocking

INGREDIENTS:

For the Cookies
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 Tbsp water
- 1 small egg (or 1/2 large egg)
- 1/4 cup molasses
For the Frosting
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk

Makes 33 pepparkakor heart cookies

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Whisk together the baking soda and water in a small bowl and beat into the butter mix. Beat in the egg and molasses. Gradually beat in the flour mix until well combined.
3. Shape dough into a ball and flatten into a 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350°. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Use a 2.5-inch cookie cutter to cut out 33 hearts. Place 11 hearts on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Bake remaining cookies.
5. To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer on medium speed in a medium bowl until fluffy. Shift in 1 cup powdered sugar and beat until combined. Beat in 1 Tbsp milk. Shift and beat in remaining powdered sugar. Beat in milk.
6. Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe cream cheese frosting onto cooled cookies, spreading smooth with a frosting knife if desired.
7. Serve to the spunky little girl who just moved in next door with her pet monkey!