December 22, 20134 Comments
Just two more days until Christmas and here comes my last day of my cookie series! I wanted to leave a really easy one for last since most of you are probably feeling the stress of the holiday preparations by now.
This “cookie” is part cookie, part candy and particularly popular among children and those of us who have an extra big sweet tooth. “Risboller” is a standard at children’s birthday parties in Norway but are also a big hit among grown ups. Gluten free and made with puffed rice, melted chocolate and coconut fat – what could really go wrong here? Not much. These treats have been a standard in my family my entire life so I wanted to include them in , as a part of my slightly “atypical” seven cookies series. These are not baked, rather chilled – thus great for when you don’t feel like waiting for the oven to heat up to make some cookies!
Try these to add something different to your cookie collection. They have a different flavor, texture and look which can really brighten up your table!
Risboller
250 grams / 9 oz /1 cup coconut butter
200 grams / 7 oz/ 3/4 cup dark chocolate
2 eggs or 2 tbsp flax seed mixed with 6 tbsp water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract)
3 tbsp strongly brewed coffee
about 2 1/2 cups puffed rice
Muffin wrappers
Melt the coconut butter with the dark chocolate in a sauce pot over low-medium heat. I typically let the coconut butter melt first then add in the dark chocolate (to avoid it separating). Be careful when heating it up and whisk continuously over low-moderate heat. Cool. Whisk in the sugar with the eggs or the flaxseed mixture, add the vanilla sugar and pour in the coffee and the coconut-chocolate mixture. Lightly fold in the puffed rice.
Using a spoon, scoop up a bit of the rice mixture and place in a muffin cup and place on a tray and continue until all the “batter” is used up. Chill in fridge for a couple of hours before serving. After they have seized up you can place them in a cookie jar and store them in a cool spot.
December 17, 201311 Comments
December is without doubt my favorite month of the entire year. Not only is it my birth month, but also that of many of my closest friends, and the festive spirits that goes along with both birthdays and Christmas makes this a more carefree time where we can allow ourselves a little extra. I never feel stress at this time as many people express they do, as I feel one should really embrace this special time of year and remember why we celebrate. This holiday to me means spending time with your loved ones, showing why they are special to you, not through presents, but through wonderful food, drink, fun days and evenings where we all do something a little out of the ordinary and forget about every day worries and routines.
Since I have an unconventional job and work through most of the holiday (the negative bit about working in retail) I try to make every single day in December a fun and tasty day. Part of my ritual is of course baking my seven kinds of cookies (and then some) . Today we’re on to day six, where I felt I needed to include perhaps what is one of the most classic cookies in the Norwegian repertoire: Krumkaker. These cone shaped, thin, slightly sweet, buttery and crispy cookies are not only beautiful to look at but delicious and light (depending on what you fill them with, perhaps not the latter!) and part of our baking history.
The cookies get a very ornate and pretty pattern due to the special krumkake iron they are baked in. Today you can purchase these irons online through many stores in the U.S. Each iron can have a different pattern based on where in Norway you are and what traditions each family has, and they can be old fashioned (many Norwegian families haev had them in their family for generations) or more modern in style, if you purchase them today.
A small tablespoon or less of batter is dropped in the middle of the iron, then baked rapidly as they are super thin, lifted off the iron and rolled around a special krumkake pin right away while warm, soft and pliable to shape them into pretty cones:
My mother has been bragging her whole life about how her krumkake recipe is the best, so I must include her recipe below as it is also naturally the one I grew up eating. She inherited the recipe from her grandmother, who in turn inherited it from her grandmother. Not sure how old it is – but old enough to be a truly special recipe that I am happy to be in possession of!
KRUMKAKER
2 eggs or 2 small bananas or 1 cup applesauce
1 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 cup potato starch
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup water
2 tsp ground cardamom
Whisk the eggs lightly with the sugar and add in the butter and the remaining ingredients. Let sit for about 30 minutes before baking according to your krumkake iron’s instructions. Typically your iron comes with a cone shaped stick that you roll the flat cakes around – it’s important to do this right after you lift the cookies off the iron /before they cool and stiffen. Fill the krumkaker with your favorite filling – whipped cream, cloudberry jam (yes I know that can be hard to find in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world), or a chocolate whipped cream with fresh berries. So delicious!
December 16, 2013December 16, 201313 Comments
My aunt Gudrun was one of the best cooks I have ever known. She was widely known in my home town of Sykkylven for being an extremely knowledgeable and talented baker and homemaker, preserving traditions from our region of Norway that were hundreds of years old. Every time I went home to Sykkylven on holiday, I would look forward to visiting my aunt Gudrun who only lived a 5 minute walk away from the house I grew up in. I would always find her in the kitchen, where she felt most at home. It seemed she always had a project going on her kitchen counter, the coffee machine was constantly brewing coffee for all the guests that would stop by during the day and the house smelled heavenly and lived in. My aunt Gudrun’s house was a warm and welcoming house where we would learn about life in the old days, and how she tended to the animals in the barn intermingled with baking everything from flatbreads to lefse, breads and desserts from morning to night. I can still hear her laughter and see her big smile – she reminded me so much of my father, who had passed on several years before. Unfortunately, my aunt Gudrun left us a few years ago too, at the age 92, and I still miss her and all her delicious food but I am happy to keep her alive in my heart through her recipes.
Aunt Gudrun was in great shape for most of her life, kept her own house and tended the farm after her husband died, and she baked everything from scratch even after she turned 90 years old. This is her recipe for “tørrevafler” – her recipes were always rich and never skimped on anything, and was really a depiction of the type of generous person she was, always sharing with others and giving whatever she had. I haven’t experienced or seen tørrevafler in many other households in Norway, and they always seem to be derived from somebody’s grandmother or great grandmother. They look like regular waffles but are actually made into a dough rather than a batter, and then baked in a waffle maker. They are a bit sweet, but not too sweet, and many people include this in their “seven types of cookies” they make for Christmas. I choose to make these any time I want to think of my aunt Gudrun and our times together in her kitchen. This is a very special recipe that evokes many wonderful memories of a fantastic woman I was lucky enough to call my aunt, and I would like to share it with you all today.
Ever since posting a photo of tørrevafler on my Facebook page, I have received many requests to share the recipe, so here it is. Think of it like a cookie or a biscuit with a little extra softness, and unlike fresh waffles, these taste good for a week or two after you bake them as long as you keep them stored in a cookie jar. They taste great with Norwegian gjetost, which is the classic way to serve these but you can certainly use your own imagination and use whatever topping sounds good to you!
TØRREVAFLER
2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature
1 cup full fat sour cream (or vegan sour cream)
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk (or 1 large banana or 1 cup applesauce)
2 tbsp hornsalt (or baking soda)
2 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
about 400 grams all purpose flour (a little under 4 cups or enough all purpose flour to release dough from bowl when stirring)
In a stand mixer, combine sugar and butter and whip until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the eggs or banana or applesauce, then the sour cream. Fold in the hornsalt, vanilla sugar and enough flour to form a firm enough batter to roll out. Be careful not to add too much flour, as the waffles will end up being too dry. This you may have to try a couple of times before you perfect it. Divide the dough into pieces and roll each out to about 1/4 inch thick, that fits your waffle iron.
Place the piece in a prepared waffle maker (spray with baking spray or coat with butter) and cook according to your waffle maker’s instructions. The waffles should be nice and golden and you will have extra dough around the heart or square shaped cookie that you can peel off once the waffles have cooled on a rack. Top with your favorite Norwegian brown cheese and /or jam!
December 15, 20135 Comments
Every time I see “kransekakestenger” on a cookie plate, my mouth instantly starts to water. These soft, chewy and flavor packed concoctions contain only three ingredients but taste so heavenly it’s easy to believe these take all day to bake, when quite the opposite is true.
I am sure most of my readers who are familiar with Norwegian cakes have heard of the “kransekake” – an impressive tower of “circles” of cake made out of ground almonds, confectioners sugar and egg whites and decorated with Norwegian flags and bon bons. You can read more about it and get the recipe in my previous blog post here. Here’s a photo of one my mother made for my niece’s confirmation earlier this year:
Norwegians have taken the contents of this cake and turned them into “stick” like cookies, hence the name ‘kransekakestenger’. Much easier to prepare, and you still get the same taste and experience! A popular way to present them is to dip each end in chocolate, bringing extra delight at the beginning and end of eating this insanely good cookie.
Photo Source: Spar.no
These divine cookies are also gluten free if you don’t add in the optional tbsp of flour – I like to add it because I feel it adds a little texture to the cookies but the traditional recipe has no flour in it.
I’ve also added a plant based alternative to the egg whites, making these vegan if you would like to! Happy baking!
KRANSEKAKESTENGER
250 grams or 9 oz (1 cup) scolded almonds (see below how to do this)
250 grams or 9 oz (1 cup) whole almonds (unsalted)
250 grams or 9 oz (1 cup) confectioner’s sugar
3-4 egg whites at room temperature or 3 -4 tbsp ground flax seed whisked with 9-12 tbsp of water (this becomes gooey and gelatinous like egg whites)
1 tbsp all purpose flour (optional)
For chocolate dip:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
To scold almonds (this can be done days in advance): Bring some water in a pot to a boil, turn off heat and place the almonds in the water. Let them sit 2-3 minutes in the water, then rinse them in cold water. Squeeze the almonds and remove the shells. Let the almonds dry a couple of hours before using.
Grind up the scalded and un-scolded whole almonds in a food processor or an old fashioned grinder until fine. Add in the confectioners sugar and all purpose flour and add in egg whites or flax seed mixture until you have a firm, sticky dough (you may not need to add all the egg whites /flax seed mix, adding too much liquid can ruin the consistency of the cookies). Roll into a firm ball and wrap with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least a couple of hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400F or 2ooC. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out the dough to about 4-5 inch pieces and place on baking sheets. Cook for about 10 minutes until slightly golden on top. While the cookies are cooling, melt the chocolate on the stove in a double boiler. Dip the cookies in the chocolate on both ends, and place on rack to seize up. You can also decorate the cookies as shown below- pretty, right?
Photo Credit: Jan Inge Haga
December 9, 20136 Comments
Today turned into the perfect day to bake. A mix of sleet and rain had developed overnight here in the Hudson Valley and it was freezing outside this morning when I took my dogs out for their first outing. We quickly ran back inside after the usual (yet unusually wet and short) walk, where I was met with the warmth of the kitchen and the smell of freshly brewed coffee… My mind instantly went to day #4!!
Havreflarn, or “oatmeal wafers” are cookies that tastes just like candy. Super thin, crispy and almost caramelized cookies with an incredible texture and flavor that explodes in your mouth – these are laughingly easy to make, yet would impress even the most difficult to please guest. These are cookies I associate with being “typical Norwegian” for Christmas and I always look forward to making these and offering them to my guests around the holidays.
Although I associate havreflarn with Norwegian flavors, these are also made in Sweden where they go by the same name, and Ikea stores sell these in boxes as well across the world. Of course, they are much better when you make them yourself- and now you can!
Don’t even plan on putting these into a cookie jar – I have a feeling they won’t make it as you and your family will gobble these all up before they make it that far.
Image from tine.no
You can make the cookies without eggs (which I do) and eliminate the beating of the sugar/eggs, and just combine the sugar into the butter when you melt it. You can also add in some grated chocolate to the “dough” – (I use about 100 grams /about 1/2 cup for the below recipe) and create Chocolate Oatmeal Wafers. Sooo good!!
HAVREFLARN (Oatmeal Wafers)
Makes about 35 cookies
100 grams ( a stick less a tbsp) unsalted butter or margarine
300 grams or 1 1/4 cup oatmeal
1 egg or 1/2 cup applesauce or 1/2 banana
150 grams or 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp all purpose flour (optional)
Preheat oven to 350F /175C. Prepare cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
In a medium pot melt the butter over medium heat. Set aside and add in the oatmeal. Whisk the egg or apple sauce/banana and sugar until light and fluffy and sprinkle in the baking powder and optional flour. Fold in using a spatula with the slightly cool butter-oatmeal mixture. Using a tea spoon or small ice cream scoop and place a dollop of the mixture on the prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart (the dough will expand and the cookies will flatten as they bake). Plan on placing 9 or 10 cookies on each baking sheet.
Bake the cookies in the middle of the oven for 6-8 minutes until lightly golden and crisp around the edges. It’s VERY important you keep an eye on the cookies while they are baking as the cookies bake very quickly and every oven is different. Cool the cookies on the sheet long enough for them to be cool enough to move over to a rack. If you move them too quickly they will curl up.
Image from birka.pirkka.fi
Alternatively you can dip half of the cookies in melted chocolate (or both ends) and make “black and white cookies!”
Image from notcreme.se
December 8, 201315 Comments
Despite the German sounding name, “Berlinerkranser” (Berlin Wreaths) is as Norwegian as lutefisk and Jarlsberg cheese – and an important part of our cookie collection during the holidays. Why the reference to Berlin? It is believed that a lot of Scandinavian baking traditions came from German immigrants and their bakeries/ recipes. The Germans were considered masters at their craft and hence their baked goods became integrated into the Norwegian (and Swedish and Danish) food repertoire. Reversely, many Scandinavians went to Germany to learn the trade there. Regardless of the actual facts, there is definitely a connection between Germany and Scandinavia! I was able to trace back recipes for Berlinerkranser as far as 1903 for these cookies – so it’s safe to say they’ve had a relatively long history in Norway.
Image from tinepartner.no
Berlinerkranser is considered as one of the “seven” in the traditional cookie round up for Christmas, with its rich aromatic taste, and they are many people’s favorite. The baking of these can prove to be quite the test, but the result will be the most delicious Christmas cookies – I promise!
These buttery, wreath shaped cookies are easy to make and can be made ahead of time and frozen until ready to enjoy, so there is no need to stress minutes before – you can bake these whenever you have the time.
BERLINERKRANSER (Berlin Wreath)
Makes about 30 cookies
* 2 cooked egg yolks (see below for recipe to replicate animal free egg yolks)
2 raw egg yolks or substitute 1/2 cup applesauce
125 grams or 1/2 cup granulated sugar
250 grams or 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
about 300 grams or 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
Egg white (or substitute nut based milk) and pearl sugar for decoration
Preheat oven at 350 F (175C) . Prepare cookie sheets by coating them with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
In a bowl, mash the cooked egg yolks well. In a stand mixer, whisk the raw egg yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy. Combine with the mashed cooked egg yolks. Add the butter and flour and lightly work into a dough. Don’t mix too much, as the dough can become difficult to handle. Let the dough rest in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Remove the dough from fridge about 1/2 hour before rolling out. Roll into about 6 inch links and shape them into wreaths. The temperature of the dough is important here. If it’s too cold it may not be pliable enough to form it into the circle or if it is too warm, the link may break. This may take a few turns – but don’t despair!! Brush the cookies with the egg white or plant based milk and dip them in pearl sugar. Place them on baking sheets about 2 inches apart (they will expand) and bake them in the middle of the oven for about 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on a rack and keep the cookies in a cookie jar or freeze.
* How to make vegan egg yolks:1 lb. extra firm tofu (but I’d wager any kind would work just fine)
4 T Vegenaise (as a general rule, I loathe Vegenaise and Nayonaise and all that crap, but they work for this recipe. If you want to concoct something out of almonds or cashews, I’m sure it will be great too.)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp mustard
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 1/2 t salt
¾ t black salt
1 t turmeric
Put all ingredients in food processor. Whip until smooth.
Image from matprat.no
December 4, 201317 Comments
This is admittedly one of my absolute favorite cookies during the Christmas holiday; although not in the classic seven, I bet if you ask any family today in Norway you will get an acknowledgement and approving nod when mentioning “Brune Pinner”. These have been in families’ baking repertoire for quite some time in our country and are always a hit among the young and old. Chewy, crispy and moist all in one with a heavenly buttery taste with vanilla and cinnamon and a nice textural crunch from the chopped almonds they are topped with, this is a perfect accompaniment to your afternoon coffee. The name translates to something un-sexy like “Brown Pins” (one article named it the best Christmas cookies with the most boring name), but believe me, once you taste these, you will be hooked! Challenge yourself to have only one of these – it’s near impossible!
The below recipe is my grandmother’s who was an amazing cook. She passed away at 95 years old when I was only 12 years old… but I still remember her vividly and can only hope to become as great of a baker as she was!
P.S. Thanks to my sister in Sykkylven who has been great at maintaining old traditions in our family by constantly pestering my mother for these recipes and passing them on to me !
BRUNE PINNER
300 grams (10 1/2 oz) butter or margarine/vegan butter
3 cups sugar
2 egg yolks or equivalent egg substitute (You can use non dairy yogurt, applesauce or banana)
6 tablespoons light syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract)
3 tsp baking soda
About 550 grams (1 lb 4 oz) all purpose flour
Plant based milk or egg substitute for brushing
Additional sugar and chopped almonds (or hazelnuts, if you prefer) for rolling the cookies in
In a stand mixer, whip egg and sugar until combined and light in color. Add in the remaining ingredients. Knead the dough for a couple of minutes shape into an oval shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Let sit in fridge overnight. The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheet by either coating them with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Divide the dough into six portions. Roll out into thick links and lightly press down on them to flatten. Brush with egg substitute/or milk and dip in sugar and chopped almonds. Place on baking sheet and bake in the middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Cut the links on the diagonal into about 4 -5inch pieces while they are still warm and cool on a rack.
Image from matprat.no
November 10, 20136 Comments
If you don’t know what gløgg is yet then you have really been missing out. Many countries and cultures have their version of mulled wine (of which gløgg is one) – the Romans were the first to heat and spice their wine. These days, Scandinavians have got this recipe down and nowhere in the world does this drink taste as good as it does in this northern part of Europe. All Scandinavian countries have their version of gløgg, and naturally I think Norway has the best kind. Jokes aside, it is a traditional drink around the Christmas holiday and may be non alcoholic as well as alcoholic. There are pre-bottled gløggs out there for those that do not want to go to the trouble of making their own, but when you see how easy it is to make, you will never want to opt for the pre-made stuff again because my recipe is so much tastier! 🙂
The true sign of the upcoming Christmas season is when homes, restaurants and other businesses start offering a punch bowl of incredibly aromatic hot gløgg, spiced with everything from cinnamon to cloves, fresh ginger and citrus peel and served in elegant glass cups and with a surprise at the bottom: almonds and raisins. We like to serve some nutrition with our alcohol, what can I say! It’s party in a bowl and also serves to warm you up on a cold winter night.
This weekend I really noticed the sky getting darker and I even heard word of some snow flakes falling a few minutes north of where we live in New York. That is what prompted me to bring out my recipe for gløgg and I am definitely cooking this up on several nights in the coming weeks. Delicious as it is, it is also potent so be sure to savor your cup(s) !
Norwegian Gløgg
1 x 750 ml bottle of full bodied red wine
1 – 1 1/2 cup ruby port wine
2 cinnamon sticks
4-5 whole cloves
4-5 allspice berries
3-4 star anise pods
3-4 black or green cardamom pods
2 strips orange peel (no pith)
1 knob fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 oz vodka (Optional)
Handful of blanched almonds and raisins (optional)
Combine everything in a large pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Once simmering turn heat off and let the spices steep in the wine mixture for several hours or overnight. When ready to serve strain and heat up liquid. Pour vodka in cups (optional) and add a few almonds and raisins and top off with the mulled wine. Garnish with a cinnamon stick. Proceed with caution but enjoy!! 🙂
Note: Pairs really well with RISKREM!! I would pour some raspberry syrup on that… (see recipe for that by clicking here)
Image from helsenorge.no
October 5, 20135 Comments
As a follow up to my post about the Swedish “Kanelbulle” in conjunction with Cinnamon Bun Day yesterday, I promised to provide a recipe for the American version. These are sweeter, gooeyer and topped with a delicious sweet and tangy icing. Mind you, I just whipped these up in about one hour, which is why I think these are worth a post. One hour you say? How is that possible? The reason why most of us don’t bother making cinnamon buns is that they are time consuming, because typically it consists a yeast dough which requires a lengthy time to rise. But what if you eliminated the yeast and replaced it with baking powder and baking soda? You will be surprised at the results – identical in fluffiness and taste, these take just about 1/2 the time as the regular version. They are rolled up in the same way as the Swedish kanelbuller but instead of placing these onto a cookie tray, I put them in a 9-inch cake pan which I felt made them juicier and kept the filling in better. Try these out for when you are in a rush but still want to make something impressive and delicious for your family and guests!
QUICK CINNAMON BUNS
Makes 8
1 tbsp melted butter for greasing the pan
Cinnamon-Sugar Filling:
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Biscuit Dough:
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for work surface
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Icing:
2 tbsp cream cheese softened
2 tbsp buttermilk
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
Directions: Pour 1 tbsp of the melted butter into a 9-inch nonstick cake pan, brush to coat the pan. Preheat the oven to 425F/210 C.
For the sugar cinnamon filling: Combine sugar, spices and salt in a small bowl. Add tbsp of the melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture resembles wet sand, set aside.
For the Biscuit Dough: Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk and 2 tbsp of the melted butter in a measuring cup or small bowl. Add liquid to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed, about 30 seconds (the dough will look very shaggy). Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy.
Roll the dough out to a 9x 12 rectangle, brush with 2 tbsp of melted butter and sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon filling across. Starting at the bottom of the long end, roll into a ‘sausage’, cut into 8 equal pieces. Place the buns cut side up in the cake pan, starting with one in the middle, and filling the other 7 around. Brush the tops with the remaining melted butter.
Bake in the upper middle rack for 23-25 minutes until the buns are lightly golden. Loosen the sides with a spatula and using a large plate invert the cinnamon buns onto the plate. Grab a rack and invert the cinnamon buns again onto the rack with a baking /cookie sheet underneath the rack. Let the cinnamon buns cool while you make the icing. (I am bringing these to work today so I just placed them in a portable container like this right away, eliminating the cooling rack:
To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter milk and whisk thoroughly. Initially it will look like cottage cheese. Sift the confectioner’s sugar in to the mixture and whisk until smooth. Glaze the cinnamon buns and eat right away!!
October 4, 201310 Comments
In honor of Swedish cinnamon bun day today, October 4th, I was inspired to release a 2-part series about this heavenly creation. This first part will cover the true Swedish cinnamon buns or “kanelbullar” as our neighbors call them, and the next part will include a recipe for American cinnamon buns, because – after all, Americans know a thing or two about this baked item as well! That said, after eating American cupcakes, Italian panettone and French macaroons and other international sweets and breads, there is nothing tastier than biting into the aromatic, delicate, soft and juicy Swedish cinnamon bun….
The Swedes have celebrated the Cinnamon Bun Day every years since 1999. The day is observed to honor the tradition of baking at home and the Cinnamon Bun is one of the Swedish people’s pride and joy, ,something you are bound to see at every bakery and even people’s homes. The cinnamon bun originated in the 1920s, and were available for purchase for about 5 cents or so and school children would purchase these for breakfast. Later on in the 1950s, as the economy got better, people were able to afford the expensive ingredients that go into cinnamon buns, and the tradition of baking them at home got started. I have always wondered why the buns are shaped the way they are, and I read somewhere that after World War II, the cinnamon bun were developed as a variety of the traditional wheat bread. Originally wheat breads were shaped as a symbol of different religious and other celebratory gatherings.
In Norway we have also adapted these buns, and we share the love of cinnamon and cardamom in our baked goods. These soft and delicious buns have gone from an every day wheat bread that was enjoyed during the Swedish”Fika” (Coffee time accompanied by some type of baked delicacy, typically in the afternoon), to a trendy tradition today. In New York, we even have a cafe named Fika!
Because Scandinavians treasure their time at home and love to invite people over, it has always been tradition to bake something tasty and put on a pot of coffee. A variety of recipes fit for both every day and special occasions, exist – I’ve combined some of my favorite ones to the one below… I have to say the dough is one of the nicest ones I’ve worked with to date, so smooth, soft and easy to manipulate! And the smell that comes out of your oven is nothing short of heavenly… My weekend sure is going to start off well !! Hopefully I will do my Swedish friends proud! 🙂
SVENSKE KANELBULLAR
150 grams (or 1 stick 1 tbsp) unsalted butter
2 cups milk
1 egg
1 packet (2 1/2 tsp) dry yeast
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp fresh, ground cardamom
5 1/2 cups all purpose flour plus more for kneading the dough
Filling:
125 grams (1 stick ) unsalted butter ,room temperature (soft)
3/4 cup sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg for brushing the buns
Swedish Pearl Sugar and chopped almonds for decoration
Directions:
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat the milk and butter until lightly warm- mix in with the dry ingredients add the egg and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough comes together, it should be smooth and still a bit sticky. You may need to add more flour and/or liquid, depending on where you are, temperature, etc.
Set aside and cover with a cloth or plastic wrap to rise until double in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
While the dough is rising, make the filling . Combine the soft butter with the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl in to a mixable, soft spread.
Preheat oven to 425F or 250C.
Knead the dough in the bowl for a couple of minutes and pour onto a work surface. Add some flour and using a rolling pin, shape into a rectangular shape, about 20 x 40 cm – or 8 x 16 inches. Spread the butter/sugar/cinnamon mix on to the dough.
You can cut the cinnamon buns in two ways: Either 1) fold the dough in half, and slice the dough in 1 inch strips, then cut the strips in half again keeping the end part intact so that it looks like a pair of jeans. Twist the legs together and fold into a circle. Or 2) Start rolling the dough together from the widest part into a roll, then cut into 1 each circle. I chose #2:
Place cut side up onto a baking sheet and let rest for another 30 minutes under a towel.
Brush with the egg and sprinkle on some pearl sugar and/or almonds if you wish.
Place the buns in the middle of the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, depending on your oven, until nice and golden. The sugar filling may spill here, like with mine, but that doesn’t stop them from being oh-so delicious!
This recipe makes a lot but they also freeze well!
