Krumkake (Norwegian Waffle Cookies)

Krumkake (krumkaker plural) is a traditional Norwegian cookie you must try! Thin, buttery and delicate, krumkaker are made in a two-sided iron griddle that is imprinted with intricate designs. Once the cookie has been cooked and is still warm, it is wrapped around a cone-shaped form while it cools to give the krumkake its characteristic shape.

Krumkaker are lightly textured, delicate and surprisingly easy to make! Keep reading for simple and clear step-by-step instructions to walk you through how to make these beautifully imprinted waffle cookies at home.

Why This Recipe Works

This krumkake recipe is a winner because:

• It contains just the right amount of sugar to create a perfectly sweet cookie that is golden brown and crispy;
• Just a little bit of salt (often absent from most krumkake recipes) goes a long way to balance out the tendency for the this cookie to be one-dimensionally sweet; and
• With a little practice with the krumkake iron and a cone-shaped form, you will be churning out beautifully-shaped, perfectly crisp cookies in no time!

The Ingredients

Our ingredients are very straightforward and are probably items you already have on hand: Flour, sugar, salt, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla extract and water. The only surprise here might be cornstarch. Just 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in the batter makes the krumkaker noticeably more tender and crisp. See the recipe card below for exact amounts and instructions.

The Equipment

First and foremost, you will need a krumkake iron to make this recipe. What kind you prefer is entirely up to you. There are electric models that plug in and are very simple to use (very much like a waffle iron), but some people prefer the stovetop model that fits right over the burner on your stove. This one takes a little more practice and results can vary depending on the type of stove you have and how hot it runs. I personally use the electric model and have been very happy with the results. Other equipment that is helpful in making krumkake:

• Wooden cone form. It's quite likely that your krumkake iron will come with a cone form, but it might be made of plastic (mine was). I prefer the wooden form. It's a little easier to work with.
• Small offset spatula. This little guy has so many uses in the kitchen and is just the thing to help you lift each krumkake off the iron and onto a hot towel for rolling. It's not essential but it works well.
• A clean, non-terry cotton dishtowel. This is the perfect landing spot for the hot krumkake just off the iron and waiting to be rolled. The towel can also help protect your fingers as you roll the hot cookie around the form.

How to Make this Recipe

Krumkake might look impressive but in truth, once you have the right equipment, the process for making this beautiful Norwegian cookie couldn't be easier:

• Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
• Combine the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and whisk until fully combined. Add the cooled melted butter and vanilla extract. Keep whisking until the mixture is emulsified and cohesive.

• Add milk and water and whisk until fully combined.  
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth and no lumps remain.

• Rest batter for 30-45 minutes at room temperature. This rest period greatly improves the crispiness and light texture of the final product.
• Working with 1 tablespoon of batter at a time, bake the cookies on a krumkake iron, either an electric model or one that goes on the stove, according to manufacturer’s instructions (I use this electric model).  It may take a few tries to get the hang of how your iron works so be patient. I like to err on the side of a cookie that is darker in color. They are more crisp and have better flavor.
• Remove the hot cookie from iron and place it on a clean kitchen towel.  Quickly, while the cookie is still hot, carefully roll the krumkake around a cone-shaped form.  Use the towel to help start the rolling process if the cookies are too hot for your fingers. The sooner you begin rolling the better.  The cookies will almost immediately start to harden as they cool and become difficult or impossible to roll into a cone shape. Let the rolled cookie rest with the form inside, seam side down on the clean towel, while the next cookie is baking.

• Remove the cone form and transfer krumkake to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter.

Expert Tips for Crispy Krumkake

There are a few expert tips that will ahelp achieve (and maintain) that delightfully light and crisp texture in your cookies:

• Don't cut back on the sugar in the recipe. Sugar plays an important role in the texture of the cookie in addition to being a sweetener. The sugar in the batter melts as it is heated during the cooking process but then recrystallizes as the cookie cools creating a crispier krumkake.
• Include the short rest time (30-44 minutes) for the batter. A rested, fully-hydrated batter leads to a better (and crispier) texture. Don't skip this step.
• Bake each krumkake until nicely browned. If your cookies are pale in color, it's possible that they haven't baked long enough and are still retaining moisture. Brown is better.
• Cool completely on a wire rack before storing. Warm cookies haven't completely dried out and may still contain moisture. Wait until they are completely cool to seal them in an airtight container.
• Choose the right storage container. As I said above, plastic is not the choice for krumkake. An old-fashioned cookie tin or a sealed glass container lined on the bottom with paper towels is the way to go.
• Fill them immediately before serving. Filling krumkake with whipped cream or some other delightful filling will eventually lead to sogginess over time. It's best to wait until the last minute to fill them if you want them to retain a crispy texture.

FAQs

Krumkake Filling Ideas

You can definitely serve krumkaker plain, with maybe just a pretty dusting of powdered sugar. But these versatile waffle cookies are delicious filled as well. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Vanilla whipped cream (serve fresh berries alongside if you like).
• Cloudberry cream (Multekrem), a simple mixture of whipped cream and cloudberry jam.
• Lingonberry cream (whipped cream flavored with lingonberry jam).
• Vanilla pastry cream.
• Chocolate mousse, pudding or another custard-like filling.
• Lemon curd or lemon curd mixed with whipped cream.
• Ice cream (krumkaker make great ice cream cones!)

Remember to wait and fill the krumkake just before serving to prevent them from becoming soggy!

Krumkake Variations

Krumkake can be flavored very simply with just vanilla extract (like this basic recipe) but there are other delicious variations of these cookies to try! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Brown Butter: My favorite variation! Rather than simply melting the butter in this recipe, brown it in a skillet first for toasty, caramel notes in the cookies. To brown butter, place the 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 over medium low, swirling the pan frequently, until the butter has a nutty aroma and is golden brown in color.  Transfer to a bowl to cool before proceeding with the recipe.
• Nutmeg: Add a ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg to the dry ingredients.
• Cardamom: Add ¾ teaspoon of ground cardamom to the dry ingredients.
• Almond: Omit the vanilla extract and add ½ teaspoon almond extract instead.
• Lemon: Omit the vanilla extract and add 1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest and 1 teaspoon of lemon extract instead.

Related Recipes

Need some more traditional Scandinavian cookie ideas? I've got you covered!

Krumkake (Norwegian Waffle Cookies)

A buttery and delicately beautiful cone-shaped cookie.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Cookies, Dessert, Fika

Cuisine: Nordic, Norwegian, Scandinavian

Keyword: cookie cones, Krumkake, vanilla cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Rest Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 30 cookies

Calories: 81kcal

Author: Kristi

Equipment

• ▢
  Krumkake iron
• ▢
  Cone form

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk
• ▢ 3 tablespoons water
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ 1 ½ cups all purpose flour

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Whisk salt, cornstarch and flour together in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
• Combine granulated sugar and eggs in a large bowl and whisk until fully combined and no lumps of sugar remain.  Slowly whisk in cooled butter and vanilla extract. Keep whisking until the mixture is emulsified and cohesive.
• Add milk and water and whisk until fully combined.  Add flour mixture and whisk until batter is smooth and no lumps remain.  Rest batter for 30-45 minutes at room temperature.
• Working with 1 tablespoon of batter at a time, bake cookies on a krumkake iron, either an electric model or one that goes on the stove, according to manufacturer’s instructions.  It may take a few tries to get the hang of how your iron works so be patient. I like to err on the side of a cookie that is darker in color. They are more crisp and have better flavor.
• Remove the hot cookie from iron and place it on a clean kitchen towel.  Quickly, while the cookie is still hot, carefully roll the krumkake around a cone-shaped form.  Use the towel to help start the rolling process if the cookies are too hot for your fingers. The sooner you begin rolling the better.  The cookies will almost immediately start to harden as they cool and become difficult or impossible to roll into a cone shape. Let the rolled cookie rest with the form inside, seam side down on the clean towel, while the next cookie is baking.  Remove the cone form and transfer krumkake to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve.

Video

Notes

Expert Tips:

• Bake each krumkake until nicely browned. If your cookies are pale in color, it's possible that they haven't baked long enough and are still retaining moisture. Brown is better.
• Cool completely on a wire rack before storing. Warm cookies haven't completely dried out and may still contain moisture. Wait until they are completely cool to seal them in an airtight container.
• Choose the right storage container. Plastic is not the choice for krumkake. An old-fashioned cookie tin or a sealed glass container lined on the bottom with paper towels is the way to go.

• Fill them immediately before serving. Filling krumkake with whipped cream or some other delightful filling will eventually lead to sogginess over time. It's best to wait until the last minute to fill them if you want them to retain a crispy texture.

Variations:

Brown Butter: My favorite variation! Rather than simply melting the butter in this recipe, brown it in a skillet first for toasty, caramel notes in the cookies. To brown butter, place the 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 over medium low, swirling the pan frequently, until the butter has a nutty aroma and is golden brown in color.  Transfer to a bowl to cool before proceeding with the recipe.

Nutmeg: Add a ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg to the dry ingredients.

Cardamom: Add ¾ teaspoon of ground cardamom to the dry ingredients.

Almond: Omit the vanilla extract and add ½ teaspoon almond extract instead.

Lemon: Omit the vanilla extract and add 1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest and 1 teaspoon of lemon extract instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 123IU | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg

If you loved this recipe, give it a star review! Also, snap a picture of your krumkake and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #truenorthkitchen and tagging me @true_north_kitchen.