There's a good chance you've visited Big Cedar Lodge if you grew up in the Midwest. Big Cedar Lodge is a resort near Branson, Missouri located on Table Rock Lake.
One of my favorite memories of Big Cedar Lodge is the freshly baked pepparkakor (gingersnap) cookies that were left in your room every evening.
The Big Cedar pepparkakor cookies are shaped like asymmetrical cedar trees. The cookies are a golden brown color and smell like ginger and a mix of other spices such as cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon.
Recipe Ingredients
To make Big Cedar Lodge's gingersnap cookie recipe, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Light brown sugar
- Light molasses
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Cloves
- Butter
- Eggs
- Flour
- Baking soda
How to Make Big Cedar Lodge's Cookies: Step by Step Instructions
The Big Cedar Lodge cookie recipe is slightly different than more traditional cookies, like chocolate chip cookies, since it requires you to boil a sugar and spice mixture before mixing it into the dry ingredients.
Step 1: Mix together the brown sugar, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves in a 1.5 quart saucepan. Heat the sugar mixture over medium heat. Make sure to stir constantly to prevent the mixture from burning. Boil for one minute then remove from the heat.
Step 2: Cut the butter into small squares. Place into a metal or glass bowl. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the butter until it has fully melted.
Step 3: Combine 2 cups flour and the baking soda. Slowly add it into the butter mixture and combine. Continue to add flour until a stiff dough forms. You may not use all of the flour.
Step 4: Wrap the cookie mixture in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Step 5: Once the cookie dough has chilled, set the dough at room temperature until it becomes pliable. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until the dough is about ⅛ - ¼ inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to make shapes. Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until a light golden brown.
📖 Recipe
Big Cedar Lodge Cookies (Pepparkakor/Gingersnaps)
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- ⅔ cup light molasses
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 12 tablespoons butter (cut up)
- 2 eggs
- 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Mix together the brown sugar, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves in a 1.5 quart saucepan. Heat the sugar mixture over medium heat. Make sure to stir constantly to prevent the mixture from burning. Boil for one minute then remove from the heat.
- Cut the butter into small squares. Place into a metal or glass bowl. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the butter until it has fully melted.
- Combine 2 cups flour and the baking soda. Slowly add it into the butter mixture and combine. Continue to add flour until a stiff dough forms. (You may not use all of the flour.)
- Wrap the cookie mixture in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- Once the cookie dough has chilled, set the dough at room temperature until it becomes pliable. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured serface until the dough is about ⅛ - ¼ inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to make shapes. Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, or until a light golden brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Big Cedar Lodge still give cookies?
Unfortunately, Big Cedar does not give freshly baked cookies. Apparently, the tradition of leaving freshly baked cookies in each guest's room every night stopped after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This was verified on 2/15/2023 after I called Big Cedar Lodge directly. Instead, they said they leave a small snack basket during your first night's stay.
Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
- Sombrero Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies with Butter Flavored Shortening
- Coffee Cake Cookies (Gilmore Girls)
M Ranta
They actually stopped giving cookies away 2024…in 2020-2023…housekeeping would leave them after cleaning up our room. Before covid…they actually delivered cookies every night of our holiday stay…On all of our stays, we have always received a goodie basket the first day of our stay. I wish they would bring back the cookie tradition…my family really misses them and it was a nice touch by BCL!
Lauren
The cookies were delicious when they did leave them!