'Twas the Night Before Christmas and We're Baking CBD Cookies

IMG_9553.jpg

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, and well, of course, I’ve got the munchies. Much like Ol’ St. Nick, I love a good spin on the classic gingerbread cookie recipe. When I get that craving, I reach for my traditional Swedish Pepparkakor recipe. Pepparkakor, by definition, are traditional Swedish ginger snaps that also double as the perfect gingerbread cookie.

This recipe has been handed down 3 generations of my family and was originally from a publication in McCall's magazine. Nothing gets me into more of a holiday mood than the smell of the ginger, cinnamon, and cloves aromatically blending together in the air to provide a scent that just screams ”IT’S CHRISTMAS MORNING!!!”.

Tradition

The Swedish tradition is to place 1 of your cookies in the palm of your hand, make a wish and then use your pointer finger to tap on the cookie 3 times. If the cookie breaks, your wish will come true! I think we can all use a little luck around the holiday season so I happen to love sharing this tradition with my friends and family.

IMG_9562.jpg


By incorporating bäre when creaming the butter, sugar, and eggs,  I am able to benefit literally from my sweet tooth, while adding to my daily ritual of microdosing CBD to enrich and support my daily life and activities. For more information on how bäre works in your endocannabinoid system, I recommend reading another informative Kush Queen Blog post that goes into detail about the products abilities.


Traditional Pepparkakor Recipe

3 ½ Cups unsifted flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon cloves

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

½ cup unsalted butter (softened)

1 teaspoon or 6 full droppers bäre Tincture

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

¾ cup light molasses

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

  • In a large bowl, sift flour with spices, salt, and baking soda. If you don’t have a sifter at home, you can always shake the flour through a sieve to break up any clumps while evenly blending in the spices.

  • In another large bowl, separate from your flour mixture - beat together with an electric mixer, the unsalted butter, sugar, egg, and bäre; until blended smoothly.

  • Add molasses and lemon peel; beat ‘til well blended, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl intermittently to ensure an even mixture.

  • With a large spoon, stir in the flour mixture.  Once the flour is incorporated into the mixture, use your hands to knead the dough together until completely smooth again.

  • Wrap the dough with a piece of wax paper or foil and put into a plastic bag, ensuring no air can get inside. You can even use parchment paper tied up with hemp string if you’d like a more eco-friendly option!

  • Refrigerate the mixture for at least 4-5 hours or overnight. It is important that the dough is cold enough to work with.

  • Having the dough ready to go ensures you and your guests will have freshly baked cookies, hot out of the oven, on Christmas morning. You may even lure Santa back down the chimney to steal a bite or two!

  • Preheat oven to 375°. While the oven is heating up, prepare your cookie sheets by greasing lightly with butter.

  • Divide dough into 4 parts, keeping one section out and return the rest back into the refrigerator.

  • Lightly flour a pastry cloth and rolling pin, keeping a small pile of flour off to one side. This will make it handy to re-flour all surfaces regularly.

  • Take the ball of dough in your hands, pressing between your palms to make it flat like a pancake.  Lightly rub flour on the top of the dough.

  • Start to roll the dough to a ⅛ inch thickness. Flip dough occasionally, re-flouring all surfaces including the rolling pin as needed, so that the dough will not stick to anything.

  • Cut rolled dough into desired shapes with cookie cutters.

  • Transfer the cookies onto a pre-greased baking sheet using a metal spatula, placing ½ inch apart. The metal spatula will help maintain the edge and definition of the cookie.

  • Combine the leftover trimmings together with the unused dough and return to the fridge. I like to transfer the cookies one at a time, however, you can also cut the cookies first and then place them onto the sheet.

  • Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let the baking sheet cool for 1 minute and then using a metal spatula carefully scrape the cookies off, removing them to wire racks to cool. After cooling, frost if so desired.

  • Makes 6-7 dozen cookies depending on size.

Helpful Tips

  • Grate your lemon first using a box grater on a plate. This step can be time-consuming and I find it much easier to gather all my ingredients first, ensuring no last minute trips to the store.

  • It is also handy to keep a pile of flour in case the dough becomes too warm and sticky.

  • If you find that the dough is becoming too warm during the process, feel free to put it into the freezer for a few minutes. This allows you to work the dough, without it being unmanageable- if you don’t want your cookies to look like they had one too many eggnogs.

These cookies are amazing unfrosted, or fully bäre, as I like to call them.  However for a more traditional frosted cookie please see the recipe below. I love this step because it really can add the custom holiday vibe to your creation! Every year it is what I look forward to the most.

Royal Icing Recipe

1/4 C Egg Whites

3-4 Cups Powdered Sugar

Create your piping bag

  • In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with powdered sugar, using an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth and stiff. Be sure to have enough powdered sugar on hand if you need to adjust the stiffness of your frosting. The frosting needs to be thick enough to hold its shape on the cookie, however not too thick as it will not connect well while decorating and be tiresome to use. If the frosting is not stiff enough, add a little more powdered sugar.  If it is too stiff, add a few drops of water.

  • Once the frosting is done, take your premade piping bag and spoon ½ cup of the frosting into the bag.  Once done, fully roll the end of your bag down, so that while working you will not have frosting coming out of the top.

  • During the decoration process, be sure to cover mixture with a damp paper towel so that it doesn’t dry out.  This will give you ample time to work.

  • Use a #4 piping tip for writing or following the outlines of each cookie. Get Creative!  I like to use tips 3 and 4 however you are welcome to use any style tip.


Adding bäre to your daily ritual will not only help your overall wellbeing, but it can also serve a multitude of beneficial long-term effects as well. I find that the value it brings to my life is immeasurable. If you’re feeling especially festive, pair our Black Magic bath bomb - an excellent belated stocking stuffer or gift for the family member who deserves better than the traditional lump of coal.

We would love to see how you are incorporating Kush Queen recipe ideas and products into your Holidays! Don’t forget to follow and tag @kushqueenshop & @kushqueenco in all your instagram posts and stories.

Feeling the FOMO? Grab your Bäre below!