Fattigmann, 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.…
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Continue ReadingIf you’ve been to Norway you might know that Norwegians eat tacos on Friday and sweets on Saturday. And you know what we eat on Thursday? Raspeballer! Actually, many Norwegians make raspeballer at home on Sundays, but most restaurants here will only serve raspeballer on Thursdays. Thursdays used to be…
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Continue ReadingWhile Danes might be most famous for their pastries, they also make so many great cakes. And then there’s one cake that brings the best of both: brunsviger. Brunsviger is a yeast based coffee cake that’s a bit of a cross between a cake and a Danish, topped with a…
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Continue ReadingI’ve already shared recipes for most of my favorite Norwegian cakes, including suksessterte, fyrstekake, and the world’s best cake. So of course I also had to share a recipe for Norway’s favorite celebratory cake, kransekake, which you’ll see at Christmas, Norwegian weddings, and other celebrations. Kransekake, or “wreath cake,” is…
