8 Scandinavian Gifts for the Kitchen

The holidays are extra exciting for those of us who love baking, because we finally have an excuse to make ALL of the cookies. I’ve shared my favorite Norwegian Christmas cookie recipes here.

But it’s also a wonderful opportunity to add some special kitchen items to our wish lists – or gift them to people we love. Here are my favorite Scandinavian kitchen essentials that I think would make wonderful gifts!

Norwegian Waffle Iron

I think most people who’ve tried Norwegian waffles will agree that they are the best waffles. Plus they’re heart shaped and so prettty. However you do need a Norwegian waffle iron to make them, which might feel like an unnecessary splurge if you already own a waffle iron.

But that’s what Christmas gifts are for! This heart shaped waffle iron is perfect. 

I’ve shared my Norwegian waffle recipe here.

Lefse Kit

One of Norway’s most beloved traditional foods is lefse. Lefse is a soft Norwegian flatbread made with flour, butter, cream and sometimes potatoes. And many Norwegians will have fond memories of learning how to make lefse with their parents or grandparents.

It does take some practice to learn to make lefse, but probably the greatest barrier to making lefse is that it requires quite specific equipment. And that’s why I think a lefse starter kit would be a wonderful gift!

You can order a lefse starter kit like this one on Amazon, which has everything you’ll need to make Norwegian lefse.

Krumkake Iron

Perhaps the most beautiful (and delicious) Norwegian cookies are krumkaker, crispy cardamom cookies either rolled into cones or formed into small bowls, so you can fill them with berries and cream or ice cream if you like. They also taste great on their own.

We make krumkaker with a special krumkake iron and wooden roller, which I think would be such a fun gift. Then you can make krumkaker on Christmas day!

Æbelskiver pan

Æbleskiver (also written as ebelskiver or ebleskiver in English) are spherical pancake-like snacks popular in Denmark, especially around Christmastime. They’re incredibly light and fluffy, usually sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with raspberry jam. We make them in Norway as well and call them munker, but they’re considered a bit more old fashioned here, while in Denmark you’ll see them in supermarkets and street stalls every winter.

They’re such a fun, cosy pancake to make on Sunday mornings. I love my æbleskiver pan so much, and I think it’s the perfect gift because it’s quite niche and perhaps not something someone would already have, but they’ll get lots of use out of it.

You can buy an æbleskiver pan on Amazon here. 

Brown Cheese

Probably one of the most beloved Norwegian foods is our brunost, or brown cheese. Norwegians love to eat this sweet, fudgy cheese on top of bread or waffles, and we also use it for added flavor in stews and sauces. I also love using it in these white chocolate and brown cheese cookies.

You can buy Norwegian brown cheese on Amazon here.

Pearl Sugar

I’m going to Northern Sweden for Christmas this year, and I’m so excited to buy Swedish pearl sugar while there.

While Norwegian pearl sugar is clear, Swedish pearl sugar is white and looks so pretty on top of sweet buns and cookies. If you sprinkle your cinnamon buns with pearl sugar they will immediately look Scandinavian.

You can order Swedish pearl sugar online here.

Piping Bags

Ok piping bags aren’t specifically Scandinavian, but we use them in so many of our recipes. I use a piping bag for skolebrød, solskinnsboller, pumpkin pie kanelsnurrer, and vaniljekranser. And personally I think piping bags are a fantastic gift for any avid baker, as sometimes they break so we always need extra! You could also gift some fun piping tips as well.

This piping bag and tips set would be perfect.

Crimped pastry wheel

Another inexpensive but cute gift would be a crimped pastry wheel to make fattigmann, some of Norway’s most traditional Christmas cookies. You could even print out a fattigmann recipe to give with the wheel!