Swedish Spice Cookies recipe!

This recipe is reprinted with permission from Holiday Cookies by the Chicago Tribune staff, Agate Surrey, November 2014.

I love giving baked goods as gifts, and often feature recipes that are perfect for giving.  So I was thrilled when the folks at the Chicago Tribune asked me to do a review of their new Holiday Cookies recipe book.  Of course, just doing a review is impossible when you look at pages and pages of pretty baked goods.  I had to make at least one!  With sugar and spice and everything nice…how about Swedish Spice Cookies?

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Ummm….yeah.  They taste as amazing as they look!  And just for you, I was able to reprint the recipe here!  And since I am in the midst of a move here at chez Sitcom, I cannot hold onto this book for very long.  There is only so much space in the RV.

Holiday Cookies: Prize-Winning Family Recipes from the Chicago Tribune for Cookies, Bars, Brownies and More

So, a bit about this book.  The Chicago Tribune has run an annual Holiday Cookie Contest for over three decades.  They ask readers to submit recipes that are meaningful to them, accompanied by a brief description or story explaining why it is so special.  The staff of food writers and editors then select finalists and publish the winning recipes.

Good Eating’s Holiday Cookies is a comprehensive collection of the best holiday cookie recipes from nearly three decades worth of reader submissions! This book has amazing photos and helpful baking tips and tons of great recipes!  I had a very difficult time choosing which recipe to try!

Yummy recipes such as:

  • Grandma Grump’s Peanut Butter Drizzles
  • Coconut Cranberry Pinwheels
  • Crispy Chocolate Jumbles
  • Eggnog Cookies
  • Pumpkin Maple Dreams
  • Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

And tons more!  There are over 100 recipes in this book!  So, let’s start with Swedish Spice Cookies…

Swedish Spice Cookies

2-1/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted before measuring
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses

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Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Sift together flour, baking soda, spices and salt.  Set aside.

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In large bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup of sugar on high speed until light (about 1 minute).

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Add egg and molasses and mix well.

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Looking good!  And smelling like gingerbread!

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Add in the flour and mix well.  You should end up with a stiff dough.

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Now roll about 1-1/2 tsp full into a ball.

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Roll it in the 1/2 cup of sugar.

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And place them about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Put them in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 9 or ten minutes.

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See how they crackle!  Love this!  Let them cool for a few minutes.

About this time, the kitchen may or may not fill up with hungry folks who have been smelling cookies baking for the last ten minutes.  Let them have a warm cookie fresh from the oven.  It’s called “brownie points”.  Ha!

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Swedish Spice Cookies make fabulous gifts! Fill up a tin with them and make folks smile.  It’s all part of the holiday season!