Krumkaker

The Krumkake is the quintessential Norwegian Christmas cookie.

I have fond memories of my grandmother making these, and nibbling on them all Christmas long.They are very recognizable by their cone shape.  And they are baked in an iron with an intricate pattern in it that transfers onto the cookie, making it look very pretty. I still make them with an old fashion iron passed on to me from my mother in-law. It sits over the open flame and it takes some practice to get the temperature and timing just right. You cannot take your eyes off of it for a second! Every year I debate whether I should switch to an electric iron or not. It would certainly be more efficient, making two cookies at a time, and the browning likely more even, but there is something really satisfying and soothing to me to do it the old way, like my grandmother and generations before her did it. It means a lot to me to be able to continue this baking tradition for my own family. 

The krumkake is a staple on the Christmas dessert table in our family. We eat them alongside the traditional rice cream dessert or filled with mulktekrem, a whipped cream with cloudberries folded into it. 

There are many different recipes out there that claim to be the authentic version, and I have tried a few different ones. I have settled on the version below, which makes perfectly thin and crispy cookies every year. It is unique in the sense that the weight of the eggs will determine the amount of the rest of the ingredients.This makes it very easy to make less or more batter.
My cooking instructions are based on using an old fashioned non-electric iron.

Ingredients:
4 large eggs
Sugar
Butter
Flour
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
2-3 tablespoons warm water per egg

Weigh 4 large eggs and weigh out the same amount of sugar, butter (cold) and flour. Melt butter and mix ingredients together with an electric mixer or by hand until you have a smooth batter. Add 2-3 tablespoons warm water per egg and let the batter rest for about 20 minutes. You can also let it sit in the refrigerator over night. If it seems too thick add a few teaspoons tepid water.

Preheat the iron over medium heat. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Spoon a scant tablespoon of batter into the iron and cook about 1 minute. Turn iron and cook 25-30 seconds. You will have to try a few times to figure out the timing and adjust the temperature as you go. It is ok to lift the lid and peek! Working quickly, lift the cookie round from  the iron using a knife. Quickly wrap around the cone roller (It only takes about 6 seconds for the cookies to harden so speed is important!). Let rolled cookies cool on a rack. The cookies will keep for a few weeks in a tight lidded cookie tin.

Yield: With 4 eggs you should get approximately 40 cookies