Grandma Sally's Swedish Rusks

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

2. Beat sugar, shortening, and milk together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Mix flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt together in a bowl. Add to the wet ingredients in batches, mixing after each addition until incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).

5. Cut cake into three 3-inch strips lengthwise and thirteen 1-inch strips crosswise for a total of 39 pieces. Lay pieces on their sides on 2 cookie sheets. Sprinkle the top sides of the cookies with 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar.

6. Bake rusks in the 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip rusks, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 more minutes.

Cook's Note:

These cookies take some time to do, but they are well worth the wait. The cardamom can be strong, so the first time you make these, you should maybe start with 2 teaspoons and see if these are a strong enough flavor for you. I like mine with 2 teaspoons.