Pepparkaka Delight!

Greetings and Happy Thanksgiving to all who come from the States and are celebrating this great holiday! This is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. The smells, sites and atmosphere that engulf you when you gather together with family and friends is such a delight and I have wonderful memories of celebrating Thanksgiving. Since I live in Sweden and this is not a Swedish holiday, my husband and I, along with our other American/Swedish friends, have to be creative in our celebration. For instance, we are having chicken, rather than turkey, because here it cost around $20 per kilo for a turkey...and that is way too much money. We instead buy whole chickens and stuff them...like a turkey. We will also not have sweet potatoes or pumpkin pie, but on our spread will be a delicious cuisine that will satisfy our taste pallet. I have decided this year as well, to play the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade while people arrive, to help bring in a bit more tradition. I am looking forward to our evening!

For my baking endeavor today, I have made something very special. It's a simple recipe that I have created myself. In Sweden, they have a wonderful cookie called Pepparkaka (similar, but not the same as, gingerbread cookies). These cookies, if I am not careful, I can eat a whole box in no time. They are light weight crisps that taste like cardamom and cinnamon and seriously melt in your mouth. Anyway...
I have made a pepparkaka cream layered cake. First layer is melted chocolate, then the cookies, then a layer of whip cream, then cookies, then cream, then cookies dipped in chocolate and set on top to make a pretty design. And then I set the whole thing into the freezer and will take it out tomorrow morning before serving.
It tasted really good just in bits before I froze it, so I am confident that it will taste good tomorrow as the finished project.

Well it's now lunch time and I need to finish up a few things before heading off.

Until my next post...be thankful for the things that you have in your life!
Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen

Recipe for Frozen Pepparkaka Cream Cake

Box of pepparkaka or gingerbread cookies
Big bar of dark chocolate, melted with 2 tbls. of cream
1.5 cups (or 3dl) whipping cream, whipped

Smear some chocolate on bottom of pan, save enough to dip the cookies later
lay cookies on top, crumble some too, cover the bottom
Put on cream, then follow with more cookies, crumbled and remaing cream and then dip your remaining cookies in chocolate and set nicely on top. Freeze for a few hours or overnight!
Enjoy with a nice cup of tea or coffee.