Food Pepparkakor Kim Van Patten says these Swedish spice cookies are popular at Christmas. Heart shapes are traditional to encourage kindness and sweetness. It certainly is nice that her Iowa State Fair blue-ribbon winners are mixed up in one saucepan! By Midwest Living editors Midwest Living editors Midwest Living's experienced editors create best-in-class travel, lifestyle, food, home and garden content you won't find anywhere else. We're loudly, proudly Midwestern, and we're passionate about helping our audience explore and create through award-winning storytelling. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Published on June 7, 2021 Print Share Photo: Carson Downing Hands On Time: 20 mins Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Servings: 36 Yield: 36 cookies Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients ½ cup sugar ½ cup molasses ¼ cup vegetable shortening ¼ cup butter 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon orange zest ½ teaspoon ground allspice ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom ¼ teaspoon ground cloves 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour Toasted sliced almonds or slivered almonds Coarsely chopped maraschino cherries Directions In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, molasses, shortening and butter. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir over low 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool 45 minutes. Add egg, cinnamon, orange zest, allspice, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, cardamom and cloves to saucepan, stirring well to mix. Add flour; mix well. Divide dough in half. Wrap and chill until dough is easy to handle, at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375°. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Using 3-inch cutters, cut out dough. Place cutouts 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Top with almonds and cherries. Bake until set, about 7 minutes. Remove; cool on wire racks. Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 88 Calories 3g Fat 14g Carbs 1g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 36 Calories 88 % Daily Value * Total Fat 3g 4% Saturated Fat 1g 5% Cholesterol 9mg 3% Sodium 39mg 2% Total Carbohydrate 14g 5% Total Sugars 7g Protein 1g Vitamin C 0mg 1% Calcium 15mg 1% Iron 1mg 4% Potassium 83mg 2%