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, but the version I’m sharing with you today is equally flavorful using regular vegetable oil.
Although traditionally enjoyed plain, today you can find smultringer sometimes glazed or sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar and are sold across convenience stores in Norway.
Smultringer is considered one of the seven classic Norwegian kinds of Christmas cookies and therefore… you will simply need to try your hand at these if you haven’t already! These donuts are soft, cakey and light and in my house, served without any glaze or coated sugar – which I think is not needed and what makes them a nice treat any time of day.
Smultringer has a relative known as hjortetakk (deer antlers) that can remind one of smultringer and is also by some regarded as one of the classic 7 Christmas cookies. Hjortetakk is firmer and crisper in consistency and has the shape of ‘tags’ (takk) in the form of deer antlers.
Both types of cookies are best when freshly made but can be kept in the freezer as well in case you want to save some for a later occasion.
I hope you will enjoy my vegan recipe for these!
SMULTRINGER
Makes about 20 doughnuts
½ (1.25 dl) cup Just Eggs (can omit if you don’t have this product available)
1 ½ cups (250 grams) organic sugar
2 cups (5 dl) vegan sour cream (I prefer Follow Your Heart’s brand)
½ cup (1 dl ) unsweetened plain soy milk (oat or cashew milk works well too)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda (or hornsalt /hartshorn if you can find it)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 lb 9 oz or about 6 ¼ cups (750 grams) all purpose flour
About 1 quart (1 liter) vegetable oil for frying
Whisk the Just Eggs if using, with the sugar in a large bowl, add in the sour cream and whisk to combine. Add the apple cider vinegar to the soy milk and stir, let sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to curdle. Pour into the egg-sugar-sour cream mixture and stir to incorporate.
Sift the baking soda or hornsalt (hartshorn) if using, baking powder, cardamom and flour into a separate bowl, then carefully fold in the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until you have a firm, slightly moist dough (you might have to use your hands here).
Cover the bowl, place in the refrigerator and let rest until the following day.
When ready to bake the doughnuts, remove the dough from the refrigerator, and transfer onto a clean, lightly floured work surface.
Roll out the dough using a rolling pin to about ½ inch thickness. Using either a doughnut cutter or two cookie cutters (one 1 inch (2.5 cm) and the other 4 inch(10cm), cut out the doughnuts and place onto a sheet tray. Place in the fridge to keep the doughnuts cold while you heat up the oil.
Heat up the oil in a heavy bottomed large pot, place a thermometer in the oil (I use a candy thermometer), and when the oil reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit (about 175 degrees Celsius), you are ready to go.
Prepare a sheet tray lined with foil and place a rack on top of it, this is where you will transfer the fried donuts.
Carefully and slowly place the chilled doughnuts into the hot oil, no more than 4 at a time, and fry until they are golden brown on both sides, about 1-2 minutes.
Remove from hot oil using a skimmer or spider mesh to drain off oil and place on the prepared sheet rack.
Before placing a new batch of doughnuts in the oil, make sure the oil has gone back up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, remembering that the temperature will drop once you place the cold doughnuts into the oil.
The doughnuts are of course best the same day you make them, but these can stay in an airtight container for about a week.
Smultringer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1.25 dl) cup Just Eggs or omit
- 1 ½ cups (250 grams) organic sugar
- 2 cups (5 dl) vegan sour cream I recommend the Follow Your Heart brand
- ½ cup (1 dl) soy milk (oat or cashew milk works well too)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda or hornsalt /hartshorn if you can find it
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 750 grams (about 6 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 quart (about 1 liter) vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Whisk the Just Eggs or applesauce with the sugar in a large bowl, add in the sour cream and whisk to combine. Add the apple cider vinegar to the soy milk and stir, let sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to curdle. Pour into the egg-sugar-sour cream mixture and stir to incorporate.
- Sift the baking soda or hornsalt (hartshorn) if using, baking powder, cardamom and flour into a separate bowl, then carefully fold in the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until you have a firm, slightly moist dough (you might have to use your hands here).
- Cover the bowl, place in the refrigerator and let rest until the following day.
- When ready to bake the doughnuts, remove the dough from the refrigerator, and transfer onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin to about ½ inch thickness. Using either a doughnut cutter or two cookie cutters (one 1 inch (2.5 cm) and the other 4 inch(10cm), cut out the doughnuts and place onto a sheet tray. Place in the fridge to keep the doughnuts cold while you heat up the oil.
- Heat up the oil in a heavy bottomed large pot, place a thermometer in the oil (I use a candy thermometer), and when the oil reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit (about 175 degrees Celsius), you are ready to go. Prepare a sheet tray lined with foil and place a rack on top of it, this is where you will transfer the fried donuts.
- Carefully and slowly place the chilled doughnuts into the hot oil, no more than 4 at a time, and fry until they are golden brown on both sides, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from hot oil using a skimmer or spider mesh to drain off oil and place on the prepared sheet rack. Before placing a new batch of doughnuts in the oil, make sure the oil has gone back up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, remembering that the temperature will drop once you place the cold doughnuts into the oil.
I find this recipe so interesting. My grandmother immigrated from western Norway. The recipe we use for kringle is nearly identical. The difference is we rolled a piece of dough to about 10″, shaped it more or less like a pretzel and baked in a hot oven for 5 minutes.
Hi Ida! Nice to hear from you and interesting indeed that your grandmother’s kringle recipe is so similar! What I enjoy about Norwegian cuisine is there are so many variations of similar recipes of nearly every dish, one could explore them for an entire lifetime! I loved hearing your story, thanks for writing in! 🙂 Sunny