Dessert

Blueberry Cardamom Compote

May 20, 2020 by Kristi Leave a Comment

I developed this Blueberry Cardamom Compote as part of a recipe for overnight oats (coming Friday!), but loved it so much that I thought it deserved its own billing. Because as it turns out, not only is this Blueberry Cardamom Compote good on overnight oats, it is also delicious on toast, on cream cheese-smeared crispbread, on steel cut oat porridge, on ice cream (YES!), mixed into skyr or yogurt and topped with granola or STRAIGHT FROM THE JAR. Seriously, we can’t get enough of this stuff around here!

One of the very best things about this Blueberry Cardamom Compote is that frozen wild blueberries work really well in this recipe. In fact, I like them better here than fresh blueberries from produce section. That means that if you get in the habit of picking up one of those giant bags of frozen blueberries on your weekly Costco run, you can make this compote on a moment’s notice and at any time of the year. That’s right! No need to forage the forest floor in late summer for your blueberries Scandinavian style (although that does sound delightful, doesn’t it?). A quick trip to the store and you’ll be all stocked up and ready for blueberry cardamom goodness whenever the mood strikes.

There isn’t much to say to ensure your success with this Blueberry Cardamom Compote….it couldn’t be easier and only requires a stir now and then to keep it from sticking to the pan. My only word of advice (as always) is to use freshly ground cardamom if you can. It is SO much better than the cardamom that is already ground for you. I have a mortar and pestle that works really well for this. It’s a little extra effort but well worth it in terms of flavor!

This Blueberry Cardamom Compote will keep for at least a week in the fridge. Ours never lasts more than a day or two though….too many delicious ways to put it to use! For longer storage, you could easily keep it the freezer for a couple of months.

I hope you give this Blueberry Cardamom Compote a try! It is simply delicious and a fun thing to have on hand to perk up your breakfast, afternoon snack or dessert. Looking for more delicious seasonal compotes to try? I’ve got several here on the blog:

Blueberry Cardamom Compote

A simple and delicious fruit compote made with frozen blueberries, ground cardamom and pure maple syrup. The perfect way to perk up your breakfast, afternoon snack or late night bowl of ice cream!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 cups 1x
Category: compote
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian
Diet: Vegan

Scale

Ingredients

4 cups frozen wild blueberries, no need to defrost (fresh blueberries will also work)

1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom

¼ cup pure maple syrup (more to taste)

Pinch of fine sea salt

1 teaspoon of freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium low stirring frequently until berries get syrupy and begin to break down, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in lemon juice. Once berries have cooled, transfer them to a jar and store in the fridge until ready to use (berries will keep in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for a couple of months).

Keywords: blueberry, compote, cardamom, maple syrup, easy, simple, make ahead, vegan, vegetarian

Brown Sugar Skyr Tart

May 7, 2020 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Whether it’s in design, fashion or food, I have a thing for simplicity and elegance. I like things that are the essence of themselves without much need for embellishment or fuss. This Brown Sugar Skyr Tart falls nicely in that category. With an easy, pat-in-the-pan almond crust filled with a brown sugar skyr mixture, it’s like an ultra-creamy brown sugar cheesecake in a buttery almond crust. And it is absolute perfection with an afternoon cup of coffee.

WHAT IS SKYR?

Skyr (pronounced skeer) has become increasingly popular in recent years here in the United States. Although it might be new to us, skyr is a dairy product that has been an important part of Icelandic food culture for over a thousand years. Here in America, it is often marketed as the Nordic answer to Greek yogurt. In Iceland, however, skyr as technically considered a fresh cheese, something like quark, because of the addition of rennet in the recipe. Most commercial brands no longer use rennet to make skyr, just particular strains of probiotics that are unique to the product, and different from those used to make yogurt. Skyr is also strained, much like Greek yogurt is, which helps give it a thick, creamy texture and high protein content. It takes 4 cups of milk to make 1 cup of skyr. If you can’t find skyr in your grocery store, Greek yogurt makes an excellent substitute.

This simple tart comes together in no time at all. The dough is pulsed in the food processor and simply pressed into a tart pan (no rolling pin necessary). While the crust firms up in the freezer, the filling ingredients are whisked together until smooth.

The filling is then poured into the frozen crust and the whole thing slides in to the oven for 30 minutes. And that’s all there is to it! It is absolutely delicious on its own, but it is also nice with a dusting of powdered sugar and a few sugared blackberries scattered alongside.

I hope you give this Brown Sugar Skyr Tart a try! It is your new “little black dress” of fika treats. Looking for more ways to incorporate skyr into your diet? I’ve got a few ideas for you:

Brown Sugar Skyr Tart

A simply delicious tart made with an almond crust and a creamy, cheesecake-like skyr and brown sugar filling.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour + cooling time
Yield: 1 9-inch tart
Category: fika, dessert
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Ingredients

For the Crust:

½ cup blanched almonds

¾ cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon fine salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into a ½ inch dice

3 tablespoons ice water

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 ¼ cups skyr, preferably whole milk (Greek yogurt makes a fine substitute)

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

⅔ cup dark brown sugar

¼ teaspoon fine salt

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Powdered sugar for serving (optional)

Instructions

Make the Crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until toasted and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Add toasted nuts to the work bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground. Add flour, sugar and salt and pulse a few times to combine.
Scatter butter over the top of the flour mixture and pulse 8-10 times or until the mixture is the texture of wet sand.
Sprinkle water and vanilla extract over the top and pulse until dough just begins to clump together.
Transfer dough to a 9-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
Press dough into an even layer over the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan creating a crust. Flour the bottom of a metal measuring cup and press it over the bottom and sides of the crust to help even everything out. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the Filling: Whisk all the filling ingredients except the flour together in a medium bowl. Sift flour over the top and whisk thoroughly to combine. Pour filling into the frozen tart shell and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the tart until it is set and golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.

Keywords: brown sugar, skyr, tart, fika, creamy, easy, simple

3 Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce

April 14, 2020 by Kristi Leave a Comment

This sauce is a serious go-to around our house. We always have the ingredients on hand (sugar, cream and salt), and I’ve been known to whip up a batch at 9:30 at night for a quick topping for late night bowl of ice cream. Seriously….3 ingredients and 15 minutes! You’ve got to give this one a try.

The best part? It’s really, really easy to make. Homemade caramel sauce gets a bad rap sometimes for being finicky, but I promise, this recipe is as simple and straightforward as they come.

Tips and Tricks for Perfect Salted Caramel Sauce

Making perfect Salted Caramel Sauce every time is all about technique and a little bit of practice. Here are some tips and tricks to help you along:

Gently whisk the water and sugar together on the bottom of the pan while the sugar is dissolving. You want to avoid splashing the sugar and water mixture up on the sides of the pan as that can lead to crystallization of the final product (a caramel sauce that is grainy in texture and cloudy in appearance).

Three Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce — *Clear and bubbly. Time to leave it undisturbed until it begins to turn amber.*

Once the sugar has dissolved, leave the mixture undisturbed as it cooks. Again, it’s all about avoiding crystallization on the sides of the pan. The mixture will be clear and extremely bubbly as it cooks. Simply let it do its thing and keep a close eye on it.
Once it begins to turn amber in color, gently swirl the pan over the heat. This helps even out the heat and the caramelization of the sugar.

Once you’ve reached the desired deep shade of amber, turn off the heat and immediately pour in the cream. Caramel can go from perfect to overcooked in a matter of seconds. Pouring in the cream will cool down the mixture and stop the cooking process.
Be extra careful during this process! Caramel is extremely hot and the mixture will bubble up when you add the cream. At this point, the caramel will be a bit of a incohesive mess. No worries! Simply whisk the mixture until it is silky smooth throughout.
If you plan to use the caramel sauce on ice cream (and you should), add a tablespoon or two of water after everything comes together. When the caramel comes into contact with the cold ice cream, it can harden rather than maintaining that silky smooth texture we just worked so hard to achieve. Adding a tablespoon or two of water prevents this from happening and maintains the fluidity of the sauce.

Where might you use this Salted Caramel Sauce? Ice cream is just the start! Here are some other recipes on the site that might benefit from a drizzle of warm salted caramel:

I hope you give this easy 3 Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce a try! It’s incredibly delicious and versatile….just the thing to have in the fridge for that morning bowl of porridge or late night bowl of ice cream.

3 Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce

The easiest and best homemade salted caramel sauce made with only 3 ingredients.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: about 1 cup 1x
Category: desserts, sauces
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale

Ingredients

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup water

½ cup heavy cream

½–1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

Instructions

Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, gently whisking on the bottom of the pan as necessary until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook, without stirring, until mixture begins to turn amber in color.
Gently swirl the pan to even out the cooking. Continue to cook and swirl the pan until the mixture is deep amber in color.
Immediately turn off the heat and carefully pour in the cream (caramel is VERY HOT and it WILL splatter). Whisk until cream is fully combined. Add sea salt (I like a full teaspoon in mine but if you don’t want yours as salty, start with ½ teaspoon).
If sauce seems too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water until desired consistency is reached. If you plan to serve it on top of ice cream or something else cold, definitely add a tablespoon or two of water. This will keep the sauce from hardening when it comes into contact with the cold ice cream. Salted Caramel Sauce keeps for two weeks in the fridge. Warm briefly in the microwave before serving.

Keywords: salted, caramel, sauce, easy

Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake (Kladdkaka)

April 7, 2020 by Kristi 2 Comments

I’m no mind reader, but I’m pretty sure this Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake is what you need right now. It’s simple to make, super-chocolatey and calls for pantry staples that you are likely to already have on hand. See what I mean? It’s just what you need. And did I mention it’s gluten and dairy-free? YES. It’s true. You can feed it to nearly everyone.

Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake is one of Sweden’s most beloved fika treats. It meets all the requirement for an at-home afternoon baking project: Easy, delicious and an excellent pair with coffee. Think of it as a Swedish brownie cake that is lightly crispy on the outside and a bit gooey on the inside. Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake is delicious on it’s own, maybe with a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top, but it can also be dressed up with a little whipped cream and fresh berries or ice cream and suddenly it’s a company-worthy dessert.

Tips and Tricks for Kladdkaka Success

Use a 9-inch springform pan. Springform pans are really nice for a cake like this because you are able to remove the sides of the pan and leave the base in place. Because this cake is indeed STICKY, it can be difficult to transfer it from the baking pan to a serving plate. Feel free to use a regular 9-inch cake pan or a pie plate, just plan on serving it straight from the pan.
Grease the pan and dust it with cocoa powder. Again, this cake is delightfully STICKY, so measures must be taken to make it easy to release from the sides and from the bottom of the pan.
Use canola oil instead of butter. Not only is canola oil a pantry staple, it makes an exceptionally moist and tender cake. In some cases, you might miss the buttery flavor but in a cake like this with BIG chocolate flavor, you won’t miss it.
Include a hefty dose of cocoa powder. Some recipes for Sticky Chocolate Cake call for as little as 1/4 cup of cocoa powder. I tested several different amounts but kept coming back to half a cup which gives this cake deep, rich chocolate flavor.
Use almond flour. Not only does this make your cake gluten-free, it ups the tenderness factor. You can sub in all-purpose flour, but your cake might be a bit less gooey and more brownie-like. Absolutely delicious either way!
Add just a bit of espresso powder. This is optional, but a little bit of espresso powder really enhances the flavor of the chocolate without making the cake taste like coffee. Read this informative post here from the King Arthur Flour blog if you would like to learn more.
Don’t overbake. This is a bit tricky because of the gooey nature of this cake. The skewer in the middle of the cake trick just doesn’t work here! Follow the times and watch for the visual cues (i.e., the cake will puff up in the center) and you should be fine.
Cool Completely before serving. This allows the cake to set up properly and makes it easier to slice and serve.

Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake on a plate with coffee

I do hope you will give this delicious Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake a try! If you do, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I always enjoy hearing from you!

Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake (Kladdkaka)

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

A Swedish fika favorite! This simple chocolate cake is light and crispy on the outside with a gooey, chocolatey inside. Absolutely perfect with that afternoon cup of coffee!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes + cooling time
Yield: 1 9-inch cake
Category: fika
Method: baking
Cuisine: Nordic, Swedish, Scandinavian

Ingredients

½ cup almond flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted + more for dusting the pan

½ teaspoon espresso powder (optional)

¼ teaspoon fine salt

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

½ cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

Powdered sugar for serving, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a nine-inch round springform pan and dust with cocoa powder. Set aside.
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a separte bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until mixture is thick and pale yellow in color. Add oil and vanilla and continue whisking until fully combined. Fold in dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until the batter just comes together.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and even out the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center has puffed up. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Once the cake has cooled completely, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Cut into wedges and serve.

Keywords: chocolate, cake, sticky, Swedish, easy, simple, fika, gluten-free, dairy-free

Brown Butter Swedish Oat Crisps (Havreflarn)

March 21, 2020 by Kristi 4 Comments

Most oatmeal cookies are a hearty affair, craggy and thick, chock full of extras such as dried fruit, chocolate or butterscotch chips. While there is nothing wrong with your standard oatmeal cookie, let me introduce you to something entirely different….the Swedish Oat Crisp. It is like no other oatmeal cookie you’ve had before. Light and crispy and nearly see-through thin, these Brown Butter Swedish Oat Crisps are a very Scandinavian take on the oatmeal cookie. And thankfully, they are also an incredibly easy afternoon baking project that comes together in less than an hour and makes an ideal accompaniment to your afternoon cup of coffee.

Brown Butter for Rich, Nutty Flavor

My recipe for Swedish Oat Crisps is pretty straightforward but with one little extra step: browning the butter. Brown butter is quite simply butter that is melted in a skillet on the stove until it smells nutty and turns golden brown in color. It is easy to make and adds toasty, caramel notes to baked goods. If you’ve never baked with brown butter before you are in for a treat. If you enjoy the rich, nutty flavor it brings to these Swedish Oat Crisps, try it in my recipe for Krumkake or this delicious Simple Brown Butter Carrot Cake).

The Best Way to Melt and Drizzle Chocolate

I tried several methods for both melting the chocolate and drizzling it over the cookies. I achieved the best results with microwaving semi-sweet chocolate chips at 50% power for one minute at a time, stirring between each interval. In my microwave, it took about three minutes to melt one cup of chocolate.

As far as drizzling goes, I tried using a fork (not very easy to control), but found that it was much easier to place the warm melted chocolate in a quart-sized ziploc freezer bag and snip a tiny hole in the corner. This creates a makeshift pastry bag that produces a nice, even zig zag drizzle every time. Better Homes and Gardens magazine has a great article about melting, dipping and drizzling chocolate here if you are interested in learning more.

I hope you give these Swedish Oat Crisps a try! They are a perfect afternoon fika treat…light, crispy and a little bit chocolate-y. Just right for coffee. Let me know how it goes in the comments below!

Brown Butter Swedish Oat Crisps (Havreflarn)

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

A light and crispy oatmeal cookie drizzled with chocolate. Perfect to go with that afternoon cup of coffee!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Category: fika
Method: baking
Cuisine: Swedish, Nordic

Scale

Ingredients

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 ¼ cups quick rolled oats (or old-fashioned oats pulsed briefly in a food processor)

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon fine salt

1 large egg

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place butter in a medium skillet (preferably not nonstick or cast iron so that you can more easily see the color change) and heat over medium low heat, swirling the pan frequently. Once the butter has melted, continue to cook, swirling the pan frequently, until the butter has a nutty aroma and is golden brown in color. Don’t walk away from the stove! Brown butter can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds. Immediately transfer brown butter to a bowl to cool.
Whisk oats, flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Combine egg, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until sugar is dissoved and mixture is frothy. Add brown butter and whisk until everything has just come together. Add dry mixture and stir to combine.
Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of batter onto prepared cookie sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie (they will spread considerably). Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are set and the edges are golden brown. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter.
Drizzle cookies attractively with warm melted chocolate. Allow to dry before serving.

Keywords: oatmeal, cookie, crisps, havreflarn, chocolate, fika

Scandinavian Almond Tartlets (Sandbakkels in Norwegian or Mandelmusslor in Swedish)

March 6, 2020 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Scandinavian Almond Tarts (Sandbakkels in Norwegian or Madelmusslor in Swedish)

If you are of Scandinavian heritage, perhaps someone in your family owns a box of these cute little tart pans.

Many Scandinavian Americans use them to make these sweet almond tartlets known as Mandelmusslor in Swedish or Sandbakkels in Norwegian, usually during the Christmas season. I also have a friend who claims that she made these into Christmas ornaments! To each her own.

Scandinavian Almond Tartlets (Sandbakkels in Norwegian or Madelmusslor in Swedish)

These almond tartlets are one of those cookies that really deserves a more year-round presence. Easy to make with just the right amount of almond flavor, these almond tartlets not only delicious, they are exceptionally versatile. You can serve them plain, perhaps with a cup of coffee. Or fill them with a myriad of sweet things such as jam, fruit compote (strawberry rhubarb is heavenly!), fresh fruit, lemon curd, pastry cream, whipped cream…..you get the idea.

I know they look kind of fussy and complicated, but the process for making these little Scandinavian Almond Tartlets is really simple. Just press the dough evenly into each tart pan and bake. Done! And for your efforts you are rewarded with these intricate, stunning little cookies that double as mini pastry tarts. And did I mention that they freeze nicely? Whether they are served plain on the afternoon fika tray or filled and served for dessert, it’s great to have a batch of these tartlets ready and waiting in the freezer.

I’ve got a few thoughts for ensuring Scandinavian Almond Tartlet success each and every time:

Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours prior to working with it. Not only does this make the dough easier to press into the tart pans, it also gives the final product a more uniform surface.
Don’t bother greasing the tart pans. I used to do this and it was a big extra step that I didn’t enjoy. When I was developing this recipe for the blog, I tried buttering the pans, using a baking spray (like Pam for Baking) and leaving them alone. All the tarts came out of the pan with the same relative ease. Don’t waste time on this extra step.
Press the dough into the tart pans thinly and evenly. That said, don’t drive yourself crazy trying to get them REALLY thin. I promise they will be tasty whether they are thin or a little on the thicker side. My kids, in fact, prefer them a little thicker. And another bonus…they don’t break as easily.

Once you are done pressing, Finish off the top edge of the tart with your fingers. Just make sure the edge is even with the top of the tart pan for an attractive final product.
Once the tarts are baked and have cooled slightly, gently release them from the tart pans. This might take a little practice, but they should release pretty easily with a little wiggling and help from your fingers.

I hope you give these Scandinavian Almond Tartlets a try, and don’t wait for Christmas! They are a year-round cookie if there ever was one. Let me know how they turn out in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

Scandinavian Almond Tartlets (Sandbakkels in Norwegian or Mandelmusslor in Swedish)

A crisp, buttery, almond flavored tartlet that is delicious plain or filled with something sweet!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
Total Time: 2 Hours
Yield: 25-30 tartlets
Category: baking, fika
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian, Swedish, Norwegian

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 cup blanched, slivered almonds, finely ground in a food processor

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

Special Equipment Needed:

Scandinavian tart pans

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

2. Add the egg, followed by the ground almonds, salt and almond extract. Mix until incorporated.

3. Add the flour and mix on low until just combined.

4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and knead the dough gently with your hands inside the bowl for a minute or two until it all comes together into a cohesive whole. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and chill dough for at least 30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and have 25 or so tart pans at the ready. Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator and tear off a piece that is approximately the size of a walnut. Pat the small piece of dough into the tart pan using your thumbs and fingers. The dough should be uniformly 1/16th inch to an 1/8th inch thick across the surface of the tart pan. Create a nice even edge at the top of the pan.

6. Place 8-10 filled tart pans on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper and slide them in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until they are light golden brown in color.

7. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow tart shells to cool before handling. Once they are cool enough to touch, tip them upside down and remove the tart shell from the pan. This may require a little help from your fingers or by tapping and/or wiggling the pan a little to loosen the tart shell from the sides. This may take a little practice. Let the tart shells cool upside down on a wire baking rack. Repeat with remaining tart pans, baking 8-10 on a baking sheet at a time. Fill (or don’t fill) as desired.

Notes

These tart shells freeze beautifully. Put any tart shells that you are not immediately eating or filling in a freezer bag and consume at your leisure.

Keywords: almond, tart, cookies, fika, Christmas, holiday

Nordic Lemon Wafers

February 29, 2020 by Kristi Leave a Comment

This time of year calls for lemon. Not only is citrus in season, lemons have a way of bringing a little sunshine to these late winter days and letting our tastebuds know that spring is just around the corner.

Buttery and bursting with lemon flavor, these cheerful Nordic Lemon Wafers are the perfect fika treat to brighten any afternoon. I love a good lemon treat now and then (especially as February gives way to March) and thought it was time to include one here on the blog. I wasn’t sure if they were particularly Nordic, but I found a recipe for Lemon Wafers in Beatrice Ojakangas’s brilliant The Great Scandinavian Baking Book which was proof enough to me that lemon cookies are indeed a Scandinavian thing.

These Nordic Lemon Wafers are a delight. Not only are they easy to make, they are everything a lemon cookie should be…buttery and tender with just the right amount of lemon flavor and covered in a light cream cheese glaze to finish things off just right.

Lemon Cookie Tips and Tricks

I have just a few thoughts for ensuring lemon cookie success every time:

Use a high-quality, all-natural lemon extract for big lemon flavor. It can be difficult to coax enough lemon flavor from juice and lemon zest alone. Lemon extract packs a serious lemon punch which is just what this cookie calls for.
Chill the dough prior to shaping. The dough will be much easier to work with if it’s been in the refrigerator for an hour or so prior to working with it.
Roll and flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass covered in parchment paper. Several of the recipes I tried called for rolling the dough out and then using a cookie cutter to create circles. This method requires dusting your rolling surface, pin and the dough with a good amount of flour to prevent the dough from sticking. When I tried this, I ended up with many misshapen circles after attempting to pry them off of my kitchen counter with a thin spatula. Rolling the dough between your hands into a ball and then flattening the ball with the bottom of a parchment covered glass is the way to go. Not only does this method require no additional flour (resulting in a more tender cookie), it also creates perfect circles every time.

Don’t overbake. There is something about lemon cookies and browning that that just doesn’t go together. Keep them light in color for the best flavor.

I hope you bake a batch of these sunshine-y Nordic Lemon Wafers sometime soon. They are likely to become a new fika favorite!

Nordic Lemon Wafers

The perfect lemon cookie for afternoon fika…buttery and tender with just the right amount of lemon flavor and covered in a light cream cheese glaze to finish things off just right.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 1 hour + 1 hour chilling time
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Yield: 40 cookies
Category: fika
Method: baking
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon fine salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

⅛ teaspoon baking soda

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons freshly sqeezed lemon juice

1 large egg yolk

1 ½ teaspoons lemon extract

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon softened cream cheese

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Instructions

Whisk flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Combine butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add lemon juice, egg yolk and lemon extract and mix until fully combined. Reduce speed to low and slowly add dry ingredients until dough just comes together.
Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and press into a 6 inch disk. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough round from the fridge. Working with about a teaspoon of dough at a time, roll dough into a ball between your hands and transfer to the baking sheet, leaving an inch and a half between each cookie. Flatten each ball with the back of a glass covered in parchment paper (to prevent sticking) until you have a disk that is about ¼ inch thick. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are firm and just beginning to brown on the edges. Cool slightly on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire baking rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
Once cookies have cooled to room temperature, whisk glaze ingredients together. Top each cookie with a small dollop of glaze. Allow glaze to dry before serving, about 15 minutes.

Notes

These cookies freeze nicely, especially if you hold off on glazing until right before you eat them.

Adapted from The Perfect Cookie by America’s Test Kitchen

Keywords: lemon, cookie, Nordic, Scandinavian, fika

Raspberry Hazelnut Hearts

February 6, 2020 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Will you be making sweets for the sweeties in your life this Valentine’s Day? If so, I invite you to consider baking a batch of these easy and festive Raspberry Hazelnut Hearts. Crispy, hazelnut-y and filled with raspberry jam, this tasty little butter cookie has the potential to become a year round fika favorite.

To give credit where credit is due, a variation of heart-shaped thumbprint cookies grace the cover of the January/February 2020 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. I’ve been meaning to add a jam thumbprint cookie to the blog for awhile (they are a traditional Scandinavian fika treat after all) and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to develop my own recipe but with sweet heart-shaped vibes that would be perfect for a February fika treat.

I began by doing my research on Swedish jam thumbprint cookies. According to the charming book Fika by Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall, jam thumbprints in Sweden are known as syltgrottor which literally translates to “jam caves”. They are softer and lighter than their American counterparts and are baked in a small paper liner. In her book, Scandinavian Classic Baking, Pat Sinclair has a recipe for hazelnut thumbprints baked in a more traditional American style. I decided to use that as my model but with those sweet little heart shapes in the middle rather than the traditional thumbprint.

The recipe itself is largely adapted from The Perfect Cookie by America’s Test Kitchen and is incredibly simple and straightforward. Toasted hazelnuts are ground together with flour and salt and added to creamed butter and sugar and an egg yolk. This creates an exceptionally fragrant, crispy hazelnut butter cookie that is the perfect home for a dollop of raspberry jam.

As fancy as those heart shapes in the center of the cookie look, they are deceptively simple to create. Simply use an eating utensil with a flat end or the inside end of a rubber spatula (see photo below) to create a deep “V” in the center of each cookie. The V will open up during baking to create a heart shape. It’s as easy as can be!

This recipe is so fun and easy to make and hits all the right Valentine’s Day notes. Of course you could choose to make a round divot in the center of each cookie for a traditional thumbprint if you would rather. If you decide to go that route, you can use your thumb to make a spot for the jam (obviously) or the back of a rounded teaspoon works well, too. But if it’s February, why not make hearts, right?

I really hope you give these easy Raspberry Hazelnut Hearts a try. They come together in a snap and are a sweet and creative way to let those cookie-loving people in your life know how much you care about them. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Raspberry Hazelnut Hearts

Crispy, hazelnut-y and filled wit raspberry jam, this easy and festive take on the thumbprint cookie is sure to become a year round fika favorite.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 24-26 cookies
Category: fika, dessert
Method: baking
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian, Swedish

Ingredients

¾ cup hazelnuts

1 cup all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon fine salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

⅓ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg yolk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

¾ cup raspberry jam or preserves

Powdered sugar for sprinkling, optional

Instructions

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toast in the oven until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Transfer nuts to a clean kitchen towel and wrap them inside allowing the nuts to steam for a minute or so. Rub the nuts between the kitchen towel to remove the skins (don’t worry if all the skins don’t come off).
Transfer toasted hazelnuts to a food processor along with flour and salt. Process until mixture is finely ground.
Place butter and sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk and extracts and mix until fully combined. Slowly add flour and hazelnut mixture and mix on low until just combined.
Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop 12 tablespoons of dough onto each baking sheet and roll each tablespoon of dough into a ball leaving at least an inch and a half of space between each cookie. Using the flat edge of an eating utensil or rubber spatula, create a deep V shape in the center of each cookie (for heart-shaped thumbprints) or press the back of a rounded teaspoon in the center of each cookie (for traditional thumbprints).
Bake cookies for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the raspberry filling. Heat jam in a saucepan over medium low heat until bubbling. Pour through a fine mesh strainer and discard seeds. Spoon jam into the center of cooled cookies (or use a squeeze bottle or piping bag for more precision). Allow jam to set slightly before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Notes

Inspired and adapted from Scandinavian Classic Baking by Pat Sinclair, The Perfect Cookie by America’s Test Kitchen and the January/February 2020 issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine.

Keywords: raspberry, hazelnut, cookies, thumbprint, fika, Valentine’s Day, heart

Almond Tiger Cake

January 17, 2020 by Kristi Leave a Comment

I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who, when asked what their favorite type of cake is, says “marble cake, of course!” Generally something one comes across at a graduation or birthday party, the marble cake seems to be the choice of the indecisive. Hmmm…do I want chocolate or vanilla…how about both? But as we all know, marble cake is not usually the coming together of two delicious flavors into something greater than the sum of its parts. It does have a pretty swirl, though, and does its job of making us feel like we are making everyone happy.

Introducing the Tiger Cake

In the Nordic countries, a marble cake is known as a Tiger Cake. Isn’t that charming? Perhaps the poor marble cake just needs a name change and a good recipe to go along with it. I recently set out to make my own version of Tiger Cake, one that was not only beautiful but delicious in its own right. I also wanted my Tiger Cake to be a fika-style cake…..something unfussy and simple enough to make on a lazy weekend morning and pair with an afternoon cup of coffee or tea.

The recipes I found in my research were all quite similar. There was one, however, from an issue of King Arthur Flour’s Sift magazine (such a beautiful publication if you haven’t seen it), that included almond flour in addition to all-purpose along with a bit of almond extract. I knew I wanted both in my recipe as that touch of almond flavor brings a delightful Scandinavian vibe to any baked good. The almond flour and a bit of sour cream in the batter added much needed tenderness and a moist texture in the final product that is something between a butter cake and a pound cake.

The Bundt Pan Wins

After trying a recipe or two that called for a loaf pan, I quickly decided I wanted to bake my cake in a bundt pan. It adds visual interest and has a way of turning a very simple cake into something special just because of the pan you chose to bake it in.

As far as achieving a “tiger look” with batter, I read a few different theories on the best way to create that marbled appearance In the end I chose to simply alternate spoonfuls of batter in the bundt pan and than swirl a a skewer through it a few times in a figure-8 motion. This did the trick and wasn’t overly fussy or time consuming.

Tips and Tricks for Great Almond Tiger Cake

I’ve got just a few thoughts for making your Almond Tiger Cake the best it can be:

Use a baking spray rather than greasing and flouring your bundt pan. I’ve done both, and the appearance of the cake baked in a pan sprayed with baking spray is far superior to that of a greased and floured pan. It can be difficult to prevent flour from settling in the grooves of your bundt pan, and this can lead to unsightly lines of flour in your baked cake. In order to achieve the best appearance possible, go with the baking spray.
Use a bit of almond flour in the batter. There is a wonderful article here at the King Arthur Flour website which discusses the virtues of including a bit of almond flour in your baked goods. It does, indeed, create a tender and moist final product. You will find it in many of the cakes I bake and for good reason.

Create a paste with the cocoa powder, espresso powder and hot water prior to folding it in to half of the batter. This helps it come together more quickly and easily than if you simply add the cocoa powder straight to the batter and mix from there. Overmixing is never a good idea as it can toughen the texture of your cake. The more gently and efficiently you can fold the chocolate mixture into the batter, the happier you will be with your final product. And the espresso powder? It will deepen the chocolate flavor without adding any coffee flavor. It really makes a big difference.
Don’t overthink the pattern as you alternate spoonfuls of batter in the cake pan. This isn’t meant to be perfect, just a charming, haphazard mix of chocolate and vanilla swirled together.

Tap the pan on the counter a few times to help the batter settle and resist the urge to smooth out the top of the batter. This will help create that tiger appearance in the baked cake.

Run a skewer through the batter in a figure-eight motion a few times until swirls begin to appear. Not only will this create the look you are after, it will also help the batter settle without you having to smooth out the top.

Go forth and make this easy and delicious Tiger Cake! This one is worth it, I promise. Who knows? Maybe it will become your new favorite.

Almond Tiger Cake

A deliciously moist and tender marble cake made with a bit of almond flour and almond extract.

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes + cooling time
Yield: 1 9-inch bundt cake 1x
Category: desserts, fika
Method: baking
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian, Swedish

Scale

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour

¾ cup almond flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 ¼ teaspoons fine salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

½ cup sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup whole milk

¼ cup cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon espresso powder

3 tablespoons hot water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10 cup capacity bundt pan with baking spray (such as Pam for Baking) or, alternatively, grease and flour the pan. Set aside.
Combine flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
Combine butter and sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Cream together at medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the sour cream and extracts and mix until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low and add ⅓ of the milk followed by ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Repeat this process two more times ending with the final ⅓ of the flour mixture.
Transfer about half of the batter to a separate bowl. Whisk cocoa powder and espresso powder with hot water in a small bowl until a thick paste forms. Fold cocoa mixture into this batch of batter until consistent in color.
Alternate dropping heaping spoonfuls of the white and brown batters into the prepared pan, creating a checkerboard effect. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to help the batter settle.
Stick a skewer into the batter and swirl it back and forth in a figure eight motion as you make your way around the pan a few times creating a marbled effect.
Transfer pan to the oven and bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes. Invert cake onto a serving plate and cool completely before serving.

Lingonberry Skyr Mousse

December 3, 2019 by Kristi Leave a Comment

The season of entertaining is upon us and I, for one, am always looking for ways to make hosting a festive dinner party easier and more enjoyable. I mean, who wants to be frantically running around the kitchen preparing dinner while your guests sip cocktails without you? We’ve all been there. But let’s resolve this year to enjoy our own gatherings, shall we?

Enter this Lingonberry Skyr Mousse. Creamy, festive and bursting with lingonberry flavor, this easy recipe is COMPLETELY do ahead. As dinner comes to a close, little individual portions of this sublime dessert will be patiently waiting for you in the fridge. There’s nothing for you do to other than maybe toss a few frozen berries on top of each serving and set out some dessert spoons. DONE.

And just because it is easy and make-ahead doesn’t mean that your guests won’t be completely wowed by this gorgeous Nordic dessert. A lovely shade of pink, big lingonberry flavor, and a light and creamy texture keep you coming back bite after bite. When I was testing this recipe I could not walk by the fridge without sneaking a little taste (which often led to an entire cup) of this sublime treat.

I served mine in martini glasses which makes for a lovely presentation, but any small glass or cup will do.

This Lingonberry Skyr Mousse does call for frozen lingonberries. If you live in a larger city or in a place with a strong Scandinavian heritage, you should have no problem finding them. Many grocery stores and specialty Scandinavian stores carry frozen lingonberries. If you can’t find them in your area, you always can order them from www.sturdiwheat.com. You’ll get three pounds of lovely lingonberries delivered straight to your door!

I tried making this Lingonberry Skyr Mousse with a 14.5 ounce jar of lingonberry preserves in place of the sugar and frozen lingonberries. The flavor wasn’t quite the same, and the color of the final product was more of a dusty rose than the soft pink mousse pictured above, but it is an acceptable and delicious alternative if you don’t have access to frozen lingonberries.

You’ve just got to give this Lingonberry Skyr Mousse a try sometime during this holiday season. It’s really something special. And your guests will think so too!

Lingonberry Skyr Mousse

A light and airy lingonberry mousse made with Icelandic yogurt (skyr) and whipped cream. A delicious and impressive make-ahead dessert for easy entertaining this holiday season!

Author: Kristi
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes + 2 hours cooling time
Yield: 6–8 portions 1x
Category: dessert
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Scale

Ingredients

½ cup cold water

1 packet unflavored gelatin

¾ cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

1 ½ cups frozen lingonberries, plus additional berries for serving (see note below)

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 cup full-fat skyr or Greek yogurt

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Place water in a saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Let sit for 3 minutes. Add sugar and salt. Heat mixture over medium until sugar dissolves. Add lingonberries and remove from heat. Transfer mixture to a blender and puree until smooth.
Whisk lingonberry mixture with vanilla and skyr in a medium bowl until fully combined. Set aside. Whip cream to medium peaks in a mixer. Gently whisk cream into lingonberry mixture until fully combined.
Pour mousse into individual serving cups and chill at least two hours. Serve, garnished with lingonberries.

Notes

Frozen lingonberries are available at some grocery and Scandinavian specialty stores, particularly if you live in an area with a strong Scandinavian heritage. They can also be ordered online through www.sturdiwheat.com. You can substitute a 14.5 ounce jar of lingonberry preserves for the frozen lingonberries and sugar. Should you choose to go that route, simply omit the sugar and add the full jar of preserves to the saucepan with the water and gelatin in step 1. Heat over medium until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Transfer mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Continue with step 2.

Keywords: lingonberries, skyr, mousse, easy, dessert, make ahead, festive, holiday, Christmas