Norwegian Krumkake Cookies
It’s snowing here in Bergen today, so I am in full Christmas mode. I actually hadn’t expected much snow at all this winter when I moved from Tromsø to Bergen, so the snow came as such a nice surprise! And so I’m celebrating with lots of Christmas baking. My copy of Den Rutete Kokeboken is drowning in flour.
I thought I’d start with one of my favorite Norwegian Christmas cookies: krumkake. Norwegian krumkaker (the plural of krumkake is krumkaker) are so delicious, and actually a lot easier to make than you might expect.
You can find all of my Scandinavian Christmas recipes here.
While I was growing up my family would often spend Christmas in Telemark with my Norwegian grandparents, and I would help my bestemor make krumkaker. Her krumkaker were always the best, and I like to think that I made them enough times with her that my krumkaker are now also the best.
You will need a special krumkake iron and wooden roller for these, which I know is not ideal if you’re short on storage, as krumkake irons can really only be used to make krumkaker. But the good news is that krumkaker are so delicious you could absolutely make them year round to really get your iron’s worth. In fact while a lot of the other Christmas cookies I bake feel too Christmasy to make other times of year, I do enjoy making krumkaker any time of year.
I use an electric krumkake iron like this one.
They’re especially great to make when you have guests, as they’re so distinctly Norwegian and look impressive served next to ice cream, or filled with cream and berries. Plus they keep really well, so you can whip up a krumkake batch well before your dinner party.
You can use ground cardamom for this recipe, but if you have a mortar and pestal I highly recommend grinding cardamom seeds instead, as freshly ground seeds are much more flavorful. If you only have ground cardamom, I would double the amount in the recipe.
Krumkaker are made with equal weights of egg, butter, sugar, and flour, so you can start by weighing your eggs and then adding an equal amount of the rest. Or if you’re not using a scale I’ve included US measurements in the recipe below.
It does take a while to get the hang of using the krumkake iron, so don’t worry if the first few krumkaker don’t turn out quite right. You’ll need to figure out how hot to have your iron (I set mine halfway between medium and high heat) as well as how much batter to add for the right sized krumkake.
The good news is that once you get to know your iron, krumkaker are incredibly easy to make. So don’t be put off if they take a bit more time on your first go – soon making krumkaker will be a breeze.
You don’t need to grease the krumkake iron, as the batter oozes butter, so these won’t stick.
You want the krumkake to be nice and golden. If it’s undercooked it will be a bit soft and have less flavor, so it’s better to err on the side of darker than lighter.
If you have a krumkake roller with clip you can roll them directly from the iron. However if your roller doesn’t have a clip, you’ll want to quickly transfer the krumkake to a board or cloth first so you don’t burn your fingers on the iron. Then roll it quickly before it cools. If you’re still burning your fingers on the hot krumkake, try using the cloth to help you roll.
It’s much easier to roll krumkaker with a roller with a clip, but I wasn’t able to find any krumkake rollers with clips on Amazon so I’m not sure if you can buy them outside of Norway. But you can buy these at any kitchen goods store in Norway, so consider picking one up here if you ever visit!
My parents recently moved to France, and while they were visiting me in Bergen my mom had to pop into a shop to buy a new krumkake iron and roller for her apartment in France. Every Norwegian home needs one, even if that home is now in France!
You can switch the recipe from US measurements to metric by clicking from “US Customary” to “Metric” under Ingredients.
Norwegian Krumkake
Equipment
- krumkake iron
- wooden roller and/or cup for shaping
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 2/3 cups butter
- 1 tsp ground cardemom
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 and 1/4 cups flour
- a little water
Instructions
- Whisk the egg and sugar until the mixture thickens.
- Melt the butter and let it cool slightly, then add the butter to the egg mixture.
- Mix in spices and then slowly add the flour while stirring to avoid lumps.
- Let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes. This improves the texture of the krumkaker.
- Spoon about one heaping tablespoon of batter onto iron and bake. If the batter is too thick, add some water to it.
- While still hot, shape the krumkake with a wooden krumkake roller or over a cup (if using a cup, make them a bit thicker). The krumkaker harden quickly, so you can just let them sit on the roller/cup until the next krumkake is ready to be shaped.
- After completely cooled, store the krumkaker in a metal or glass tin lined with paper towels at the bottom. You can also freeze them!
13 Comments
Molly
December 23, 2022 at 10:37 pm
A clip! I’m so jealous, the iron we have from my great aunt doesn’t have one, so I’m always lightly burning my fingers.
The recipe we use (handwritten from the same great aunt) doesn’t have cardamon or nutmeg. Do you think that is a regional variation or just preference?
Silvia
January 3, 2023 at 9:52 pm
This was my first year with a roller with a clip and wow, what a difference! I think the spices are just preference, but I can highly recommend adding some cardamom at least.
Kirstie
April 23, 2023 at 11:10 pm
I was in Bergen last summer and tried to buy a Krumkake iron but only found waffle machines. Where would be best to try when I visit again this year?
Love your website btw – I love Scandinavian baking but only just found your website:-)
Silvia
April 28, 2023 at 7:37 am
Thanks! I bought mine at Clas Ohlson in downtown Bergen. I also just saw them (in April) at Europris downtown as well. If you don’t see them in the store I would ask the staff because they might have them in storage until Christmas, as krumkaker are most often made for Christmas.
Bonnie in Spanaway WA
December 10, 2023 at 1:24 am
The only roller with a clip at Clas’ store is tapered square. Who wants a square krumkake? Is that a new fad now?
Silvia
December 10, 2023 at 12:48 pm
Oh interesting, I haven’t seen that. Kitchn has rollers with a clip – in downtown Bergen, as well as other locations: https://www.kitchn.no/kjokken/bakeutstyr/ovrig-bakeutstyr/modern-house-krumkakehorn-245-cm/
Lisette
December 15, 2023 at 3:32 pm
I bought mine on Amazon
Christine
April 25, 2023 at 9:09 pm
I am now on a QVEST to find a roller with a clip!!! love the recipes, a fan from Minnesota, whose great, great, great grandfather emigrated from Telemark in 1866 😉
Silvia
April 28, 2023 at 7:39 am
Oh cool, my mother grew up in Telemark! I hope you can find one with a clip, it’s so much easier.
Bonnie in Spanaway WA
December 10, 2023 at 1:25 am
Me too. If you find a store, let us know!
Hilde
August 2, 2023 at 1:59 pm
I’ve been having so much fun going through all the recipes in your blog. My krumkake iron finally arrived and these were delicious!
Jordan Bower
December 7, 2023 at 1:54 am
I used to make cookies with my grandma using her mom’s over-the-stove style krumkake iron. I have now inherited the iron and am going to make krumkake this weekend with your recipe. I can’t wait. I have one question, do I used salted, or unsalted butter? Thank you
Silvia
December 8, 2023 at 8:36 am
I use salted butter! They’re best with a high quality, flavorful butter (like Kerrygold if you’re in the US, or Kviteseidsmør in Norway).