Traditionally associated with Christmas time, these popular Norwegian donuts called smultringer are made from a dough that is often spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, and sometimes lemon or orange zest. Smaller than American donuts, the classic version is fried in lard,...
Brente Mandler loosely translates to ‘candied almonds’ in Norwegian, and a yearly Christmas tradition to make in Norway. You will find these in Sweden and Denmark too and you can see these sweet and crunchy ‘brente mandler’ in the Christmas markets in Germany, where it’s common to add a touch of cinnamon to them. I love this addition so I’ve chosen to include it in my recipe I’m sharing with you here as well.
Nøtteroser is a more modern version of a Norwegian holiday cookie that I didn’t grow up with, but in reality, they are like a version of “kransekakestenger”. Made with ground-up nuts (almonds and hazelnuts in this instance), mixed with powdered sugar and a bit of aquafaba (my vegan substitute for egg whites), they are baked, cooled and then dipped in chocolate.
Sjakkruter, translated loosely to ‘checkers’ or ‘chessboard squares’, are fun looking butter cookies that many Norwegian homes count as one of their obligatory 7 types of Christmas cookies every year. I like to call them Norway’s version of the American black and white cookie, although they are very different both in flavor and texture.
Many Norwegian food fans are very familiar with kransekake, the show-stopping cornucopia-shaped marzipan-like almond cake made for special occasions such as weddings, confirmations, baptisms, and Christmas. Kransekakestenger however, are less known.
Brune pinner literally translates to ‘brown sticks’. Doesn’t sound very romantic or catchy now, does it? But I promise you, even though they sound a tad boring, once you taste these cookies, you’ll fall in love. They are some of the most popular modern Norwegian Christmas cookies today, and for many families, it’s considered one of the obligatory seven types of cookies to make every year during the holidays. Why seven? This number is associated with good luck in most countries. Seven is also a religious number, but it’s not necessarily a Norwegian tradition. Regardless, I doubt you’ll find seven types of Christmas cookies in any other household outside of Norway (and people of Norwegian descent)!
The first Christmas cookies I typically eat, are pepperkaker. These crispy, flavorful gingerbread cookies are seen everywhere across Norway from early December on to the end of the year, and a clear favorite among many kids and grown-ups alike. Nothing creates the feeling of Christmas quite like the smell of these aromatic cookies baking in the oven. Gingerbread houses are also common to make, particularly in households with small children. In fact, the world’s largest gingerbread city is located in Bergen, Norway and opens every year during this time of year.
Continuing my yearly holiday series of Norwegian cookies, I realized I've never shared my recipe for these delightful, two-bite-sized cookies called peppernøtter. Perhaps it's not a coincidence, as they are a bit anonymous compared to the other famous seven kinds we...
Serinakaker is regarded as one of the original, classic Christmas cookies in Norway and are classified as "småkaker" (small cookies). These are small butter-sugar-flour cookies with a ruffled pattern, topped with sliced almonds and sugar and are known as many...
Baking seven kinds of cookies for Christmas has long been a tradition in Norway. And why exactly seven, you ask? The number seven was regarded as a lucky number in the old days, which is why people felt the need to fill their cake boxes with this many varieties. While the seven types vary from region to region and family to family, generally speaking, they were smultringer, sandkaker, sirupssnippper, berlinerkranser, goro, krumkaker and fattigmann.
Sunny is a native of Norway and a professionally trained chef and wine consultant with nearly 20 years of experience in the food and wine industry. She had her own catering company for seven years, and today she is a vegan food blogger and digital creator with a special focus on Norwegian cuisine.
Sunny is the founder of The Plant Curious Table, a plant-based food and beverage company delivering digital content to educate consumers about how to cook with plants and drink deliciously.
Sunny is also a Health Coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition with a certification in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell. She enjoys making recipes for anyone who loves to explore plant-based foods and whom she calls “plant curious”.