Photo: Tate Carlson
A cultural cookie recipe from my Norwegian mother-in-law.
The holiday season is a time for tradition. Some traditions are adapted from those fun things we see others do that we want to include in our own festivities. But many traditions are cultural, including recipes that are handed down from grandparents or great grandparents who emigrated from far away lands many years ago. It’s likely not news to you that a large Scandinavian population has left its cultural imprint on many local family traditions and tastes. Nordic Ware, located in neighboring St. Louis Park, has sold a version of a Norwegian krumkake iron for years allowing generations of Scandinavians to create traditional krumkake cookies for the holidays.
In fact, my Norwegian mother-in-law purchased her Nordic Ware krumkake iron shortly after she was married in 1960. She decided to include making krumkake as part of her family holiday traditions.
Krumkake or “crumble cookie” is a cone shaped thin embossed cookie that is delicious on its own, with your morning coffee or filled with whipped cream and fruit for a more decadent holiday dessert. My mother-in-law thinks they make Christmas cookie platters look prettier and insists they aren’t difficult to make.
Decades later, when my mother-in-law’s sister purchased an electric krumkake baker with plates for making two cookies at a time, she decided it would be fun to start a new tradition of getting together with her sister to make krumkake. And so, my husband has since inherited her old cast iron krumkake iron. He faithfully digs it out of its original box each year to make krumkake for our family. Thus, another holiday tradition was established for a new generation.
Holiday foods are an especially good way to learn from and appreciate each other. Email me at editor@edinamag.com with your favorite family traditions. Maybe we can share them in a future issue of Edina Magazine.
The holiday season is a time for tradition. Some traditions are adapted from those fun things we see others do that we want to include in our own festivities. But many traditions are cultural, including recipes that are handed down from grandparents or great grandparents who emigrated from far away lands many years ago. It’s likely not news to you that a large Scandinavian population has left its cultural imprint on many local family traditions and tastes. Nordic Ware, located in neighboring St. Louis Park, has sold a version of a Norwegian krumkake iron for years allowing generations of Scandinavians to create traditional krumkake cookies for the holidays.
In fact, my Norwegian mother-in-law purchased her Nordic Ware krumkake iron shortly after she was married in 1960. She decided to include making krumkake as part of her family holiday traditions.
Krumkake or “crumble cookie” is a cone shaped thin embossed cookie that is delicious on its own, with your morning coffee or filled with whipped cream and fruit for a more decadent holiday dessert. My mother-in-law thinks they make Christmas cookie platters look prettier and insists they aren’t difficult to make. Decades later, when my mother-in-law’s sister purchased an electric krumkake baker with plates for making two cookies at a time, she decided it would be fun to start a new tradition of getting together with her sister to make krumkake. And so, my husband has since inherited her old cast iron krumkake iron. He faithfully digs it out of its original box each year to make krumkake for our family. Thus, another holiday tradition was established for a new generation.
Holiday foods are an especially good way to learn from and appreciate each other. Email me at editor@edinamag.com with your favorite family traditions. Maybe we can share them in a future issue of Edina Magazine.
My Norwegian Mother-In-Law’s Krumkake Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs beaten
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup flour
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- ½ cup melted butter
Alternate Recipe:
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 ½ cups flour
Heat krumkake iron over medium heat. Mix all ingredients together. Pour a spoonful of batter onto preheated iron and press together. Cook until browned, approximately 30 seconds. A bit of trial and error is expected here until you determine the precise timing of your desired level of doneness. Remove the finished cookie and immediately roll it around the cone included with your iron. (You must roll each cookie while it’s hot or they’ll remain flat.) Slide the cone from your finished cookie and set it aside to cool. Begin again until you’ve used up all of your cookie batter. Completely cooled cookies can be stored in a tin for several days. Feel free to serve your krumkake plain or experiment with a variety of fillings. Our family loves krumkake filled with raspberries and whipped cream.
Look for krumkake irons at nordicware.com or at other local Scandinavian shops.
