Scandinavian Almond Tarts (Swedish Mandelmusslor/Norwegian Sandbakkels)

Easy to make with just the right amount of almond flavor, these little almond tarts are 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, fresh fruit, lemon curd, pastry cream, whipped cream or cloudberry cream. The options are endless!

I know they look kind of fussy and complicated, but the process for making these little Scandinavian Almond Tarts 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. It's a great project for kids, too!

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 tarts ready and waiting in the freezer.

Why This Recipe Works

• This simple tart dough is rich with butter and ground almonds and contains just the right amount of almond extract to really accentuate the almond flavor.
• The dough is easy to work with and the process of pressing the dough into the molds is simple and yields beautifully intricate and delicious cookies. Involve your kiddos in the process if you have some!
• These tarts are so versatile! Fill them or don't fill them with something sweet. They are wonderful either way.

The Ingredients

Talk about simple! These wholesome tarts contain just the basics. If you don't like the flavor of almond extract or want to switch things up a bit, you can use vanilla extract instead.

Special Equipment Needed

You will need:

• A set of these of these cute little almond tart pans. If you are of Scandinavian heritage, perhaps someone in your family already owns a set. They can be found on Amazon and Scandinavian specialty stores and are relatively inexpensive.

• A food processor for grinding the almonds. You can also use pre-ground almonds (also known as almond flour), but the flavor of the freshly ground almonds is much better.

What Makes This Recipe Nordic/Scandinavian?

Mandelmusslor/Sandbakkels are classic Scandinavian cookies that are often served as part of the selection of sweets at holiday gatherings alongside a bowl of whipped cream and berries or preserves. Both ground almonds and almond extract are very common ingredients in both Swedish and Norwegian baking recipes.

How to Make This Recipe

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a couple of rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Finely grind the almonds in a food processor.

• Combine the butter and sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg, ground almonds, almond extract and salt. Continue to mix until everything is fully incorporated.
• Add the flour and mix on low until everything just comes together.
• Knead the dough inside the bowl with your hand briefly to form the dough into a rough ball. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours).
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and, working with one walnut-sized piece of dough at a time, press evenly into each tart pan. The dough inside the tart pan should be about ⅛ inch thick. Be sure to even out the top edges of each tart as you finish.

• Transfer 8-10 filled tart pans to one of the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the are beginning to turn golden brown in color, about 12-15 minutes.

• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the tarts 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.
• Let the tarts cool on a wire baking rack. Repeat with remaining tart pans.  Fill (or don't fill) as desired.

Expert Tips

• 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. If the dough has been in the refrigerator for longer than a couple of hours, you may need to let it warm up slightly before working with it.
• 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, 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. That said, if your set of tart pans is different than mine, it's possible that greasing the tins might be necessary. Try a small batch without greasing first and see how it goes. You can always adjust the process and grease the pans for the next go around.
• 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. 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. See the video above for a helpful visual example of this process.
• Once the tarts are baked and have cooled enough so that you can handle them, 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.

What to Put In Sandbakkels/Mandelmusslor

As I mentioned above, these tarts are often served plain but can also be filled with something sweet and delicious. Give some of these ideas a try or come up with your own! The options are endless.

• Whipped cream and fresh berries
• Whipped Vanilla Skyr Cream
• Jam, preserves or homemade fruit compote (try strawberry-rhubarb, apple, pear cardamom, blueberry or peach depending on the season)
• Cloudberry Cream (that lovely image above)
• Lemon curd (homemade or store-bought)
• Chocolate or vanilla pudding or pastry cream and a dollop of whipped cream (like an individual cream pie)!

It's best not to fill the tarts too far ahead of time as they will get soggy. Either fill just before serving or serve the fillings in bowls alongside the tarts and let your guests fill the tarts themselves.

FAQs

Related Recipes

Looking for more classic Scandinavian cookie recipes? Here are a few blog favorites to get you started:

Scandinavian Almond Tarts (Swedish Mandelmusslor/Norwegian Sandbakkels

Crisp, buttery, almond flavored tarts that are delicious plain or filled with something sweet!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert, Fika

Cuisine: Nordic, Norwegian, Scandinavian, Swedish

Keyword: almond tart recipe, fika, mandelmusslor, sandbakkels

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 25 -30 tarts

Calories: 117kcal

Author: Kristi

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 cup blanched slivered almonds, finely ground in a food processor
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon almond extract
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour

Special Equipment Needed:

• ▢ Scandinavian tart pans
• ▢ Food processor

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 ready to go.  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 about ⅛th inch thick across the surface of the tart pan.  Create a nice even edge at the top of the pan (see video for a visual demonstration).
• 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 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.

Video

Notes

• 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. If the dough has been in the refrigerator for longer than a couple of hours, you may need to let it warm up slightly before working with it.
• 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, 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. That said, if your set of tart pans is different than mine, it's possible that greasing the tins might be necessary. Try a small batch without greasing first and see how it goes. You can always adjust the process and grease the pans for the next go around.
• 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. 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. See the video above for a helpful visual example of this process.
• Once the tarts are baked and have cooled enough so that you can handle them, 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.
• These tarts freeze beautifully.  Put any tarts that you are not immediately eating into freezer bag or other tightly sealed freezer-safe container and consume at your leisure.

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 123IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

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