Swedish Cardamom Cookies
Yesterday I shared a recipe for Norwegian cardamom cookies, but I have a confession: those aren’t my favorite cardamom cookies. And now I have an embarrassing confession: my favorite cardamom cookies are actually Swedish. These sliced cardamom cookies are soft and fudgy with a hint of cinnamon and caramel. They are so good, and so easy to make!
They’re quite similar to chokladsnittar, or Swedish sliced chocolate cookies. They’re also made without egg, which makes them extra dense in the center – in a good way.
You will want to use freshly ground cardamom seeds for these cardamom cookies if you can, as pre ground cardamom doesn’t have much flavor. I use seeds from green cardamom pods and grind them in a mortar and pestle.
Then combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, except for the four. After you’ve mixed them well, add the flour and combine with your hands until the dough comes together in a ball.
I love how easy sliced cookies are to make, as you can simply roll out the dough and press it down with your hands. You don’t have to be exact here at all, in fact you want them to be imperfect.
For extra cardamom flavor, you can sprinkle the top of the cookie dough with sugar and more ground cardamom. You can also skip this step if you don’t want quite as strong of a cardamom flavor (I think they’re delicious with and without).
If you’re a fan of cardamom, you’ll also love these Swedish kardemummabullar (cardamom buns).
I usually let the cookies cool for a couple of minutes before slicing them up. But don’t wait too long, as they’re a lot easier to slice when they’re still warm. You can use a pizza/pastry wheel or a knife to slice them.
You can switch the recipe from US measurements to metric by clicking from “US Customary” to “Metric” under Ingredients.
Swedish Cardamom Cookies
Equipment
- mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- 2 tsp cardamom seeds
- 14 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup light syrup (Lyle's Golden Syrup or maple syrup)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar (or extract)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cups all purpose flour
Decoration
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- Grind the cardamom seeds with a mortar and pestle. Set aside one teaspoon of cardamom for decoration.
- Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, except for the flour.
- Add the flour and continue to mix, switching to your hands at the end until the dough comes together in a ball.
- Divide the dough in two and roll out into two long sausages. Press them down on a baking sheet.
- Mix together the extra teaspoon of cardamom and granulated sugar. Sprinkle across the top of the flattened cookie dough.
- Bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before slicing into diagonal slices.
14 Comments
Goodbread
November 25, 2023 at 12:07 pm
2 cups of flour in metric is 240g, not 450ml.
Silvia
November 25, 2023 at 12:23 pm
Swedes often use ml (or actually dl) to measure flour instead of grams – you will often see this in traditional Swedish recipes. But yes, 450 ml (4.5 dl) of flour is equal to about 240 grams.
Yasmina
December 16, 2023 at 2:18 am
Is light syrup also considered corn syrup?
Silvia
December 18, 2023 at 8:47 am
No, it’s a bit different from corn syrup. You can use Lyle’s Golden Syrup or an inverted sugar syrup. I’ve also made these with maple syrup, though it’s a bit different.
Cindy
December 16, 2023 at 1:43 pm
What is the light syrup made of? In the US, I can buy light corn syrup and also Lyles golden syrup from UK. I believe maple syrup is sweeter?
Silvia
December 18, 2023 at 8:44 am
Lyle’s Golden Syrup is the most similar!
Marcy Blacker
December 29, 2023 at 12:09 am
I have green and black cardamom seeds. Which would you suggest? Thanks!
Silvia
December 29, 2023 at 3:27 pm
I use green cardamom seeds!
Dżoana
January 27, 2024 at 10:28 pm
Should it be moisty inside?
How long should I knid the dough? It was quite sticky from the beginning and you could stick it into a ball. So short as 3 minutes or long?
Silvia
January 28, 2024 at 11:26 am
Yes, the cookies should be soft and moist inside. I only knead the dough until it comes together – three minutes should be good!
LM Ritch
March 13, 2024 at 2:28 pm
What is the best way to store these cookies and how long will they keep? Thanks!
Silvia
March 14, 2024 at 9:24 pm
I store mine in an airtight container. I’ve always eaten them up within 3 – 5 days, so I’m not sure how much longer than that they’ll keep, but I would guess at least a week!
Teresa
July 26, 2024 at 10:04 am
I’m confused about the flour, so how much is needed in grams please?
Silvia
September 4, 2024 at 2:04 pm
260 grams