Christmas cookies

Christmas season is nearly in full bloom here (lights everywhere, Christmas markets popping up around town, delicious Christmas treats appearing in bakery windows). As in the U.S., Christmas cookies are extremely popular. Here, they have pepparkakor, which are gingersnaps similar to those Anna's Swedish gingersnaps that you can find in many stores in the U.S. A chilly, rainy evening like this one is perfect for baking, so I decided to try my hand at them. You can find a version that uses American ingredients and measurements here. I also tried making risgrynsgröt, a wonderful, cinnamony rice pudding. Recipe here. I added raisins, as many do, but they are very much optional.