Swedish crackers

In Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods, a curious dish appears on the Christmas menu: Swedish crackers. These aren't the rye crackers a Google image search suggests.

Not these!

Rather, according to Barbara M. Walker's Little House Cookbook, "a traditional Scandinavian soft cracker prepared at Christmas time." Perhaps they are a bit unseasonable at this time of year, but still, no doubt, delicious at any time.

Here's the recipe from the Little House Cookbook. Ingredients and supplies are in red for your convenience.

In a 1-pint saucepan scald 1/2 cup homogenized milk. Put .35 ounce ammonium carbonate in a 1-pint bowl, pour the hot milk over it, and cover bowl with a plate or lid as the mixture foams up.

While the foamy mixture cools, grease two baking sheets. Blend 1/2 cup lard and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar in a 2-quart bowl. Beat into this 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons lemon extract, 1/4 cup milk, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the cooled milk mixture (no longer foamy) and another cup of flour to make a stiff batter. Add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is firm enough to roll out.

On floured surface, roll out the dough to a rectangle about 10 inches by 23 inches by 1/4 inch. With a  floured knife, cut the dough into 2 1/2-inch squares, about 36 in all. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place squares on the baking sheets so they are not touching and prick them with a fork to make a design. Bake crackers until they are lightly tanned, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from pans to cool.