Swedish Ginger Cookies

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 3/4 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.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup bacon fat, cooled (from 1 1/2 to 2 pounds Oscar Mayer bacon)
• 1 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for dusting the cookies
• 4 tablespoons dark molasses
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

    1171 calories; 101 grams fat; 39 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 45 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 60 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 32 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 121 milligrams cholesterol; 935 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine all ingredients. Spin until dough forms.
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.