A Christmas Tradition: A Cookie Exchange and Recipe for Kringla - A Traditional Norwegian Cookie (2024)

FAQs

What are the steps for making the Norwegian cookie called a sand kage? ›

The idea is simple: Everyone brings a big batch of (hopefully homemade) cookies and distributes roughly 6 - 12 cookies each to the other attendees. So at the end of the event, you and your guests will each have your own delectable assortment.

The practice of putting out cookies for Santa began in the 1930s during the Great Depression, when parents were trying to instill a sense of thankfulness in their children. Leaving goodies, perhaps in a sweet cookie jar, continues to be a way of sharing the holiday bounty.

The origin of the Kringle is in Scandinavia in the 13th century, and the word itself originates from the word “Kringla,” which means a ring or circle. An interesting fact about this word is that the correct pronunciation is “kring-luh” instead of “kring-el,” which is what most Americans say.

The term syv slag småkaker (seven types of cookies) refers to an old tradition of having seven different kinds of cookies in the tin as the number 7 was thought to bring luck and is an important religious number.

Cookie exchanges are a centuries-old tradition dating back to medieval times. The classic idea is of a holiday party in which guests bring a selection of homemade cookies to trade with one another.

While cookie exchanges typically involve batches of homemade cookies, you can incorporate other delicious treats into your evening. Consider making peppermint brownies, reindeer brownies, or chocolate peppermint bark. You can also include pecan date bars or peanut butter chocolate bars to mix things up.

The First Christmas Cookies

Those who would like to take credit for the invention of the Christmas cookie will have to arm wrestle the Germans for it. They believe that Weihnachtsplätzchen, a term that refers specifically to cookies and broadly to holiday treats, encompasses the origin of Christmas baking.

Where did the tradition of Christmas cookies begin? ›

By the 16th century Christmas biscuits had become popular across Europe, with Lebkuchen being favoured in Germany and pepparkakor in Sweden, while in Norway krumkake were popular. The earliest examples of Christmas cookies in the United States were brought by the Dutch in the early 17th century.

Cookies appear to have their origins in 7th century AD Persia, shortly after the use of sugar became relatively common in the region. They spread to Europe through the Muslim conquest of Spain.

The word originates from the Old Norse kringla, meaning ring or circle.

This cookie originates in the Scandinavian countries … Norway, Sweden and Denmark. As with many Kringla recipes, the ingredients and baking methods vary from region to region and country to country. Browsing other recipes for Kringla shows a variety of fats used including butter, lard and shortening.

A Kringle is a “Danish". “Danish pastry” or a “Danish” is an umbrella term for various types of buttery, flaky pastry. A Kringle is a pastry made with layers of sweet, flaky pastry, filled with fruit, nut or gourmet filling and topped with sweet icing.

Cookies with less sugar and a dry dough have a crumbly but soft texture. This causes the cookies to have both the texture and look of sand.

In 1845 a recipe for sandbakelse appeared in a Norwegian cookbook, but they were not widespread until later in the 19th century. They became popular later than the similar krumkake because sandbakelse required fine flour, which was not yet widely available.

Sanding a cookies that has been properly dried, may be done by hand or with a mechanical table mounted belt sander. The initial sanding should be done with course paper and then a second one with medium paper. Place the sandpaper on a flat surface and sand your cookies until you can count the annual rings easily.

Krumkake (Norwegian: [ˈkrʊ̀mˌkɑːkə]; meaning 'curved cake'; pl. : krumkaker) is a Norwegian waffle cookie made of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and cream.