The Best Gingerbread Cookies

Nyakers Gingerbread Cookies

Just the sight of those gingerbread cookie tins sitting on the shelves at World Market starts my mouth watering like I’m Pavlov’s dog. The distinctive red and green Swedish tile panels call to me, “We’re here.”  Yes, I can hearthem.  They are that good. Nyakers “Pepparkakor” (gingerbread in Swedish) are best gingerbread cookies anywhere.

I stumbled upon these cookies a few years ago while on a quest to find delicious, authentic Scandinavian gingerbread cookies.  I had tried more than one gingerbread cookie recipe, as well as other packaged gingerbread cookies, but was very unsatisfied.  They were always either too spicy or too sweet or too bland.  Ugh. What I really wanted was delicious gingerbread cookies, authentic or not, and there World Market (a.k.a. Cost Plus) was with the best gingerbread cookies I’d ever tasted!

Granted, you won’t be able to make a gingerbread man from the gingerbread man story with a store bought cookie, but for taste you can’t beat them!   If you’re looking for gingerbread house ideas, Nyaker Pepparkakor are perfectly round and flat , which will look great for roof tiles or as stepping stones.

A few weeks ago I knew the holidays were coming in spite of the 90 degree weather when I spotted the signature tins at my local store and, naturally, I had to buy some.  Getting them early, I tell myself, is efficient and prudent in case they run out.  Yeah, that’s it! That’s the ticket!

Today I decided it was time to break them open and take my photos for this post.  The anticipation of just getting the tape off was killing me.  Then I opened the lid….sigh…  That smell…  That perfect golden color…  There’s nothing like the first whiff to bring back holiday memories.  Spicy and sweet.  In the process of shooting photos one cookie “accidentally”  broke.  Darn.  I had to taste it.  It was crispy and crunchy and soft all rolled into one and thin, thin, thin, but crisp, almost caramelized on the bottom.  And they are so light!  All the ginger and spices saturate the taste buds without being too hot and the sweetness is perfect.  They are the kind of cookies that are perfect for dipping in milk or coffee and the kind you can eat a lot of without feeling over stuffed. They are my favorite and I can’t imagine anything tasting any better!

Pepparkakor gingerbread cookies at World Market are also perfect for making a cookie-type pie crust.  Crush them as you would for a graham cracker crust and you’ve got a unique cookie crust for any of your holiday pies! Our favorite is a concoction my daughter and I dreamed up called Eggnog Mousse pie.  More on that soon…

If you  have a craving for gingerbread anything this holiday season, try these Nyakers gingerbread cookies from World Market available online.  They are delightfully light, crispy and flavorful, guaranteed to make your quest for the perfect gingerbread cookies complete!

Disclaimer: I have no deals with either World Market or Nyakers, but if I did, I would have them pay me in cookies!

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