Cinnamon-Sugar Kringle

Who has heard of kringle? The kringle is a popular Scandinavian pastry here in the U.S. among those familiar with Nordic cuisine. Often times referred to as the Nordic pretzel because of its similarity in shape, it is said to have arrived in Scandinavian in the 13th century with the Roman Catholic monks. Denmark might be better known for its kringler, and although I’m Norwegian must admit the Danes perhaps have a slight upper hand on coming up with creative varieties of this delicious knot-shaped pastry. The Danish are thought to be the ones who brought kringle to the United States too, so kudos to them for that!

Sjakkruter to Complete Your Christmas Cookie Platter

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.

Norwegian Kransekakestenger

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.

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Before I went vegan, I worked at Swedish restaurant Aquavit, located in midtown New York for a while. This also happens to be where I met my American husband, who worked as a chef there at the time. I fell in love with both the food and the chef, and naturally have...

Krumkaker with trollkrem

Krumkaker are cone shaped, waffle-like cookies with a pretty pattern, and a very classic and popular in Norwegian cuisine, particularly around Christmas time. I would venture to say it's probably the most well known and made pastry besides lefse, and a true symbol of...

Norwegian julebrød part 2

Julebrød is Norwegian for "Christmas bread", although in some parts of the country this same bread is called "julekake", or Christmas cake. Not sure why, because although this bread is slightly sweet because of added sugar and dried fruits (raisins, and...

Kokosmakroner: one of the seven classic Norwegian Christmas cookies

One of the most popular and well known Norwegian Christmas cookies is kokosmakroner, translated to coconut macaroons. It simply won't be a complete, authentic Norwegian cookie tray without these guys. Kokosmakroner are probably the easiest and quickest cookies to...

A Norwegian Christmas Cookie Everyone Will Love

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)!

Norwegian Pepperkaker to kick off Christmas

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.

Risgrøt (Norwegian Rice Porridge)

Risgrøt, or risengrynsgrøt as they call it in my part of Norway, is a simple rice porridge made typically of short grain rice, short grain rice, salt and perhaps a little cream. Served with a generous sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon with a big dollop of butter placed...