Swedish Ginger Cookies

By Cathy Horyn

Updated Nov. 15, 2024

Swedish Ginger Cookies
Erwan Frotin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Liza Jernow.
Total Time
About 30 minutes, after several hours' refrigeration
Rating
4(560)
Comments
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There is little good in any Christmas cookie except the thought behind it. This may be doubly true for Swedish ginger cookies, a recipe that I have cherished for years, but I often feel it should come with a special warning. The principal ingredient in a batch of Swedish ginger cookies — the one that really does the trick — is ¾ of a cup of bacon fat. You can never be too certain these days about what people will allow themselves to enjoy. Their ideas about what is good for them may be circumscribed by their upbringing, their religion or their proximity to a pig. However, I suspect that the Swedish cook who came up with this recipe was simply hemmed in by her larder. She had a pan of drippings and some extra sugar and spices, and she made a thin, brown cookie that tasted sweetly of smoke.

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Ingredients

  • ¾cup bacon fat, cooled (from 1½ to 2 pounds Oscar Mayer bacon)
  • 1cup sugar, plus ¼ cup for dusting the cookies
  • 4tablespoons dark molasses
  • 1large egg
  • 2cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2teaspoons baking soda
  • 1teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

301 calories; 18 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 296 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine all ingredients. Spin until dough forms.

  3. Step 3

    Chill the dough in the refrigerator for a few hours. Drop the dough in 1-tablespoon lumps on a cookie sheet, form into balls, roll in sugar, space 2 inches apart and press flat with fingers. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes until dark brown. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to finish cooling.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
560 user ratings
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Comments

Sheila Beck

This recope is virtually identical to one I got from my aunt and have given it to many friends. She used butter, no bacon fat. They're wonderful!

April

Why wouldn't you want to cook two pounds of bacon? Could be the best part of this recipe!

Sarah Jane Watson

Question: Could lard be substituted for bacon fat? then you wouldn't have to cook 2 lbs. of bacon.

mar

I substituted sugar for coconut sugar, flour for almond flour, and butter for earth balance and canola oil… this was a delightful gluten-free, dairy free (minus egg), refined sugar-free cookie for my family members with sensitivities to these ingredients. Instead of molasses, I did maple syrup. go a little extra on the earth balance for a delicious chewy texture.

MH

I’ve been making these every year with unsalted butter. They are thin and slightly chewy in the middle. Wonderful cookie!

carolk

I love this recipe, bacon fat and all! And, having had a Swedish grandmother that came to the table and poured fat drippings from the pan on your potatoes, yes I can see that this would be a Swedish cookie recipe. If you don’t like the bacon fat flavor then your bacon fat may have sat too long and has become rancid. For best results, store it in a jar in your refrigerator. And, for a little “spice”, in the Swedish sense, I add about a teaspoon of ground black pepper.

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