Pretzel & Guinness Cookie Bars

Photo of Pretzel & Guinness Cookie Bars

Fall Kickoff
We took Dude #1 back to school this past weekend. And, we moved him into a new apartment that is a major upgrade from his dorm. He is extremely excited—most likely because this will be the first time that he has had a room to himself. Ever. Such is the fate of a twin.

It’s always fun to be on campus when school starts because the energy is off the charts. They may not be excited about that four-hour chem lab, but everyone seems happy to be back together and, of course, the beginning of the school year means school sports which, in the fall, means football.

The college football season kicks off (see what I did there?) this weekend with a handful of games which for those of you, like my boys who have been anxiously awaiting the start of college football, should be most welcome despite the matchups not being that great. Next weekend will be way more entertaining…

I recommend making a batch of these Pretzel & Guinness Cookie Bars if you are so inclined. Everything about them screams football tailgate. Beer? Check. Pretzels? Check. Convenient and portable bar form? Also, check. Plus, they are pretty yummy!

Pretzel & Guinness Cookie Bars
Adapted from Cookies: The New Classics by Jesse Szewczyk
Yields about 24 bars Read more…

Danish Pebernødder Cookies

Danish Pebernødder CookiesDane Good Cookies
If you have been reading my blog for a while you will know that I come from a big tribe of Vikings. In one corner of the ring you have my dad’s side of the family, The Swedes. In the other corner you have my mother’s side, the Danes…and there really is no contest. The Danes outnumber the Swedes by a significant amount. Because of our familial makeup, it makes sense that many of our holiday celebrations have Scandinavian roots. This is no more apparent than in our Christmas cookies.

Scandinavians are fantastic bakers. In fact we can trace a lot of tasty treats back to the old country. The Danes even have an entire category of breakfast named after them. Where they really shine, in my opinion, is with their cookies. It wouldn’t be Christmas in my family if there weren’t any Gingie cookies. I have written about them before, and you will be happy to know that I have gone through two batches already. I will be making two more batches this weekend to hand out to friends. Can’t let Sweden have all the glory though. I will be making traditional Danish Pebernødder along with them.

The Danish people love their warming spices especially at Christmas time. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves are wildly popular flavors that are found all through Danish baking recipes. Pebernødder (or Peppernuts) contain all of the above but they take spice one step further by adding white pepper for some kick. If you are lucky enough to live in an area with a large Scandinavian population, you might be able to find these spices already mixed in specifically for Pebernødder this time of year but it’s just as easy to do it yourself.

These cookies are tiny little addictive balls of crunchy goodness that you can eat by the handful. The good news is this recipe makes a lot of them. They are great with a hot cup of tea or coffee or even better with a glass of milk for Santa…

Danish Pebernødder
Makes about 200 small cookies
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