7 Danish Christmas Cookies (With Recipes!)
I recently shared a list of my favorite Christmas cookies with a friend and of course many on the list were Danish, because Denmark has the best treats. And I guess that makes sense, considering how much wealthier Denmark was than Norway before we found our oil. Denmark is a little bit fancy, and fancy people eat cake cookies!
Denmark is also the home of hygge, and what is cosier than cracking open a tin of Christmas cookies?
Danes make lots of different Christmas cookies, but these are my favorites:
Pebernøtter
Danish pebernødder (peppernøtter in Norwegian and pepparnötter in Swedish) are tiny little ginger snap cookies spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and pepper. I also like to add a bit of orange zest to mine. They’re easy to make and I love that they’re so tiny you can enjoy several at a time. I’ve shared my pebernødder recipe here.
Vaniljekranse butter cookies
Vaniljekranse, or “vanilla wreaths,” are my favorite Scandinavian butter cookies. They’re incredibly buttery with the perfect hint of vanilla, and I love the crispy texture. They’re a bit similar to serinakaker (Norwegian butter cookies that are also popular for Christmas) and finskbrød but they’re crispier.
These cookies are notoriously difficult to pipe out (use a strong piping bag), but I promise they are worth the extra effort! I’ve shared my vanilla wreath cookie recipe here.
Sarah Bernhardt cookies
Sarah Bernhardt cookies were developed in Denmark and named after a French actress, but they’re also popular cookies to make during Christmas here in Norway. Sarah Bernhardt cookies have an almond cookie base, topped with a chocolate cream filling and then dipped in chocolate.
While Sarah Bernhardt cookies require several steps to make, I absolutely think they’re worth the extra bit of effort! I’ve shared my Sarah Bernhardt cookie recipe here.
Brunkager
If 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. I’ve shared my brunkager recipe here.
Havregrynskugler – chocolate oat balls
And now for a super easy, no-bake recipe: havregrynskugler! Havregrynskugler, or sjokoladekuler in Norwegian, are especially popular around Christmas, but they’re any easy dessert to make any time of the year as well.
They’re a bit similar to risboller, but instead of using chocolate and puffed rice, havregrynskugler are made with oats and cocoa powder, which you’re probably more likely to find in your cabinet already. They’re also fun cookies to make with kids. I’ve shared my havregrynskugler recipe here.
Finskbrød shortbread cookies
Finskbrød means Finnish bread, though it seems that this recipe does originally come from Denmark. And they continue to be popular Christmas cookies in Denmark.
They are incredibly simple shortbread cookies made with just flour, butter and sugar – and then I like to decorate them with sliced almonds as well. I’ve also seen people add lemon zest or vanilla to these, but I think they taste fantastic without any extra flavoring. I’ve shared my finskbrød recipe here.
Æbleskiver
Æbleskiver aren’t technically cookies, but they’re such a fun Danish treat especially popular at Christmas that I thought I would include them here as well. Æbleskiver are spherical pancake-like snacks made in a special æbleskiver pan with holes for the batter. They’re incredibly light and fluffy, usually sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with raspberry jam. I’ve shared my æbleskiver recipe here.