The Swedish cookie tray, gleaned from my childhood memories, was a testament to logistics so efficient that it put army campaigns to shame. Like many women of Swedish heritage, Mrs. P began her Christmas countdown the day following Thanksgiving. The keepers, speculaas, lebkuchen and florentines, were the first batches to be baked and for days thereafter, additional cookies were added to her holiday assortment.The goal was to have at least 15 varieties to serve to guest throughout the Christmas season. Anything less than that was not acceptable and identified the hostess as a member of an inferior Nordic tribe. I never asked which tribe that might be and that's probably a very good thing given the geographic diversity of my readers. I suspect you've had most of the cookies that appeared on her holiday trays, but there is one that I haven't seen since those early days in Chicago. It's called a Drommar, or Swedish Dream Cookie. There are several versions of Drommar on the internet, but they are gussied up versions of the traditional cookie which should be made with ammonium carbonate or baker's ammonia. It can be purchased here. Ammonium carbonate is a classic leavener that was used years ago to make extra crisp cookies. It gives a "fluffiness" of texture that baking powder can't and its leavening power is activated by heat rather than moisture. It has a strong, almost repellent, smell, but the odor dissipates as the cookies bake, and, while the raw cookie dough is unpleasant, you'll find the finished dream cookies are delicious and will literally melt in your mouth. This is an easy cookie to make and I highly recommend it to those of you who would like to add something new to your holiday cookie tray. Here's how classic Drommar are made.

Swedish Dream Cookies

Ingredients:

1-1/2 stick butter, softened

1-1/2 cup white suggar

1/3 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon powdered ammonium carbonate

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2) Combine butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat, using paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. With mixer still running, add canola oil in a slow,steady stream, beating to incorporate.

3) Place flour and ammonium carbonate in a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly add to creamed mixture, mixing just until a smooth dough forms. Refrigerate dough for about 30 minutes, or until it can be shaped and rolled.

4) Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2-inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops of cookies crack and crater and are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool cookies on pans for 5 minutes, before transferring to wire racks to complete cooling. Yield: 36 cookies.

Note: Do not open the oven until cookies are done!

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