Christmas Recipes from Latvia

• 1 lb butter
• 16 oz dark Karo syrup; one bottle
• 16 oz molasses
• 1 lb brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp cloves
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ginger
• 5 lbs flour; Wondra brand
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda

Place butter, Karo syrup, and 1/2 the sugars in a large pot. Heat to boiling. When it starts boiling, add the ground spices. Remove from heat.

Gradually add 1/2 the flour, stirring constantly to avoid lumping. Continue stirring until the mixture no longer sticks to the sides of the pot. Let cool until cool enough to touch.

Beat the egg yolks and the remaining sugar together slightly. Dissolve the baking powder and baking soda in about 1 Tbsp water. Add the egg yolks and sugar to the batter. Add the baking powder and baking soda to the batter. Gradually add the remaining flour, and knead the batter dough until it is smooth, shiny and hard.

Roll the dough out (in portions) to a thickness of 1/16". Cut out the cookie shapes, place on a cookie par, and bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes. Watch carefully - they burn easily.

Baked cookies are lightly brown, crisp, crumbly, piquant, very tasty. These are the favourite cookies in our family for Christmas. This kind of cookie (piparkukas - "pepper" + "cakes") is very popular in Latvia. And every housewife has her own recipe - family's recipe.

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