Norwegians typically make seven types of cookies for Christmas (7 slag til jul). Each family will have its own favorites, but there are a few traditional cookies that make it in most people’s seven, including krumkaker, fattigmann, and brune pinner. Brune pinner, or “brown sticks,” are sliced cookies that are crispy on the edges and soft on the inside, spiced with cinnamon and cloves and topped with sugar and sometimes chopped almonds, or other nuts. They’re a bit like Swedish chokladsnittar and Swedish cardamom cookies, except instead of chocolate or cardamom, brune pinner feature Christmas spices and nuts. Actually Norwegians…
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Continue ReadingI’m a big fan of leftovers, so I love that one of the main Norwegian Christmas desserts is made from leftover risgrøt (rice porridge) on Christmas. Norwegians eat rice porridge for lunch on Christmas Eve, and then we’ll use mix the leftover porridge with whipped cream to make rice pudding…
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Continue ReadingThanksgiving is over and it has even snowed in Bergen now, so I’m in full Christmas mode over here. I’ve of course been baking lots of my favorite Scandinavian Christmas cookies, but another Christmas favorite of mine is risgrøt (also risengrynsgrøt), or Norwegian rice porridge. Risgrøt is a Norwegian rice…
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Continue ReadingFattigmann, or “poor man’s cookies,” are some of the most nostalgic Norwegian Christmas cookies for me. When I ate the first fattigmann of this batch it instantly felt like Christmas (it also helps that it snowed in Bergen last night!). Fattigmann are made from a simple cookie dough spiced with cardamom,…
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Continue ReadingIf you ask a Dane about classic Danish Christmas cookies, I’m sure they’ll mention brunkager, or “brown cookies,” which are a crispy gingerbread cookie with almonds, spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. They’re sort of like a larger version of pebernødder, except with almonds. Personally my favorite Danish Christmas cookies…
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Continue ReadingChristmas lights are beginning to pop up around Bergen, so this morning I decided I can start Christmas baking! I eased in with a simple Scandinavian classic: Danish pebernødder (peppernøtter in Norwegian and pepparnötter in Swedish). Pebernødder are tiny little ginger snap cookies spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and pepper.…
