Many of these dishes are pretty simple, using fresh ingredients and not going overboard with anything. There’s no fussy frosting or crazy whipping techniques. Instead, they use warm spices and plenty of family favorite flavors to create some truly beautiful desserts. You might be looking for some different cookies to add to your holiday boxes or for a quick little cake to serve to family and friends. Either way, Norway has your back. You’ll love all 10 of these Norwegian desserts!
1. Norwegian Pepperkaker
I’ve spent a lot of time in Europe over the holidays, and it’s always surprising to see how simple many of their favorite dishes are. This kind of spice cookie can be found all around Scandinavia and the Baltics, and it’s often served plain, with no frosting at all. The dough is made much like gingerbread, so you’ll need to warm through your butter and syrup until it’s melted and incorporated. Be careful when mixing in the rest, and allow it to cool before mixing in your eggs. Just fold the dry ingredients in. You might need to wrap and chill your dough before you can roll and cut the cookies out.
2. Norwegian Butter Cookies (Serinakaker)
As much as I like a good sugar cookie, I prefer something like this. Short and buttery, it has a better flavor and can be served plain or with a glaze. As the name would suggest, you’ll need good quality butter for this, since it’s the star of the show. There can’t be any substitutes or alterations, I’m afraid. What’s different here is that you will be mixing the butter with the dry first, rather than creaming it with sugar. You can scoop and bake these, roll and cut shapes, or use them as a base for some flavored thumbprint cookies.
3. Norwegian Apple Pie
This pie is much closer to a cake or cobbler if you ask me. Yes, it’s full of sweet and tart apple chunks, but there’s no pastry crust or covering.Instead, this needs a simple batter that gets mixed with the fruit. As it bakes, the apples will soften and release their juices to create a lovely, moist crumb. I like it still warm with a scoop of ice cream.
4. Norwegian Cardamom-Almond Tart (Yarnall Family’s Fyrstekake)
Cardamom is pretty popular in Scandinavia, and you’ll see almond desserts all over. When combined, it’s such a lovely mix of mild fruit and nuts. The crust for this has cardamom, but you can use store-bought, too. There’s enough spice in the filling that you won’t be missing out. Due to the egg whites, this filling gets made much like a macaron, resulting in a sweet and light crumb.
5. Norwegian Krumkake Cookies
Do you eat the whole cone after you finish your ice cream? Do you love those crunchy little waffles you can buy in the store? Then this is for you. Delicate, sweet, and excellent when filled with whipped cream, these are a staple in Norway. The traditional krumkake (waffle iron) can be a little expensive, so I like this alternative. It doesn’t give quite the same effect, but will recreate the cookies well.
6. Norwegian Almond Cookies
If you’ve put off buying a cookie press, now’s the time! It’s so fun to make a big batch of this dough and see it come out in all different shapes and sizes. Of course, you can always use a scoop or even pipe this dough if you prefer. Using powdered sugar will keep it sweet, but means you won’t be left with that gritty texture. Since they only cook for about 7 minutes, it’s not enough time for the sugar to dissolve. Once you’ve thoroughly creamed the butter and sugar, be gentle with the rest. This will give you a lighter dough and a more tender cookie.
7. Norwegian Pudding (Rømmegrøt)
This is about as traditional as it comes! It’s best served warm with some melted butter and a good sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. What a super satisfying way to keep warm in the cold months. At its core, it’s a simple mixture of milk, butter, flour, sugar, and salt. It’s frugal and straightforward. It’s great with cinnamon, but I like mine with a dollop of strawberry jam. Either way, you’ll love this comforting dessert.
8. Norwegian Cinnamon Bun Pastries (Skillingsboller)
Is there anything as satisfying as diving into a big, warm, sticky cinnamon bun? I can’t think of a thing. This recipe is similar to my favorite from Sweden, even incorporating cardamom into the dough. As with any decent recipe, it will take some time. The dough needs to rise, and then the sliced rolls also need to rise before baking. I like to make my dough the night before and keep it in the fridge. By the morning, it’s just a matter of rolling and letting it rise before baking.
9. Norwegian Rhubarb Compote
One thing I noticed right away when I was in Sweden (and surrounding countries) is that they don’t like their sweets overly sweet. They use lots of spice, and they love their tart berries. You won’t find too many overly frosted cakes or super sweet cookies. And that’s ok! Their flavors shine without all that sugar. This recipe took me a minute to love because it’s very tart and sour. Served with some whipped cream, it’s mellowed out. But I prefer it mixed with some baked apples and a scoop of creamy ice cream.
10. Oslo Kringle Recipe
The base to this is the same choux-pastry you would use for cream puffs. If you’ve never made that before, this is definitely the recipe to try it with. You can practice your technique and get a tasty tart, too! I like to sprinkle mine with some sugar and slices almonds so that they bake into the dough and create a crispy top. When it’s baked and cooled, liberally drizzle with the glaze and maybe add a touch of lemon zest over the top, too. Click on a star to rate it!
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