Fika: The Art of The Swedish Coffee Break, with Recipes for Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats (18 page)

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and molasses. Stir in the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, pepper, and baking soda and mix until creamy and well blended.

Mix in the flour, a half cup at a time. When you have added about half the flour, blend in the water. Then add the rest of the flour and work together with your hands until a dough forms. It will still be fairly sticky, but you should be able to shape it into a large log. Cover the log in plastic wrap, or wrap it in wax paper, and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a baking sheet. You can also use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, but the cookies get a nicer crispy texture on the underside with a greased sheet.

Cut off a section of the dough from the log, and roll out on a flat, generously floured surface. To avoid sticking to the countertop, roll a little, then flip the
dough over and roll some more. Add more flour to the surface as needed. Continue in this way until you have rolled the dough as thin as you can get it. The dough is easy to roll out when it’s cold, and much stickier as it warms up, so return it to the refrigerator as needed. It’s also easiest to roll it out in small batches.

Cut out the dough with cookie cutter forms and place on the baking sheet.

Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness. These cookies burn easily, so keep an eye on them. Remove from the oven; after 1 or 2 minutes, transfer them from the baking sheet to the counter to cool.

Store in an airtight container.

In a saucepan, mix the molasses and sugar together over medium heat until you get a smooth but runny consistency. Stir in the butter, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and pepper until the butter has completely melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Pour in the molasses mixture and stir together.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the egg and molasses mixture and work everything together until you get a smooth and even batter. The batter will be very sticky. Cover the bowl and let sit in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours.

When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat

Pull off golf-ball-size pieces of dough and roll into balls. Place on the baking sheet and flatten out to about ½ inch (1.25 centimeters) thick. The flattened cookies should not be less than 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) apart on the baking sheet. The dough is easy to roll out when it’s cold, and much stickier as it warms up, so if you need to, put it back in the refrigerator to chill. It can also be helpful to wet your hands before rolling, as it keeps the dough from sticking too much.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. Remove from the oven, then transfer the cookies to the counter to cool.

Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container.

In a food processor, grind the almonds until finely ground.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the almonds, almond extract, and egg to the mixture and work together until well blended. Work in all of the flour in small increments until the dough sticks together. Cover and let the dough sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

When you are ready to bake the tartlets, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Generously grease small tart tins with butter.

Depending on the size of your tins, pinch off a walnut-size piece of dough and press it into the tin. Make sure that the dough is pressed all the way up the sides of the tin and is evenly distributed and pressed very thinly. If the dough gets too sticky, put it back in the refrigerator to chill for a while.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the tartlets are a light golden brown. Remove from the oven; when the tins are cool enough to touch, carefully tap the tartlet shells out. Let cool on the counter.