Anna's Pepparkakor

Say what?  These were brought to us from Sweden from one of our cacklers who paid a short visit to the Nordic land.  They were carried in his checked baggage and although we didn't really know what they were it sure sounded like what was left was a bunch of Pepparkakor bits and pieces. From the tin we assumed they would be the Swedish version of the ubiquitous Danish Butter cookies but that proved not to be the case. The tin was also instrumental in this being the treat to bring home by the specialist in gastric glands because on the tin is included a picture of a Swede from Gastricland. (Okay it's really spelled Gästrikland but you get the picture).

Imagine our surprise then when we opened the tin and the Pepparkakor was not smashed into crumbs.  The star-shaped thin cookies were mostly intact. We don't know if the Peppar part of the name indicated pepper as an ingredient but these were most certainly a Swedish version of the ginger snap. They were a hit and certainly were not filling.

We learned A LOT about Sweden during this session.  The cackler who had just been there found it interesting and worth a look. However another expert had the goods on the Swedes. Who would have imagined that on Saturday afternoon when everything shuts down the entire country goes inside their respective homes, closes the curtains and starts drinking. Is this why there are so many different flavors of Absolut? We are a bit suspicious but that's how the person remembered it.  We imagine there is some hyperbole in the recollection.  Or at least we hope so!

COOKIES!!

Once again thanks to the proximity of Gourmet Heaven we did not have to go hungry for another cake time.  We found cookies from a non-profit called cookieplace.org - an organization providing job training and employment opportunities for those with disabilities.  Not only did we get some treats but were altruistic in the process.  They also have a cafe!  We tried three different kinds and they were very good. However these definitely were of the more floury or cakey kind of cookie unlike Tate's. The lemon butterscotch was interesting but the ones with the macadamia nuts were best.  Note the ingredients. No artificial anything!

Tate's Cookies from Tate's Bake Shop

It's cake hour but other treats are always welcome. Tate's Cookies from Tate's Bake Shop, Southampton New York were on the menu. We enjoyed two different kinds - Walnut Chocolate Chip and Butterscotch Pecan. These cookies are quite good - not too sweet, crisp and not at all heavy or loaded with flour. They are available in Providence at Gourmet Heaven.

The startling realization today was that one of the cake hour attendees managed to miss the severity of the rain that fell on Rhode Island. Having taken a ride in a car when the rain was minimal, the false conclusion - that the rain wasn't that bad - was reached. Those under water of course beg to differ.