A few years ago, I decided to introduce the younger generation of our family to more of the old Norwegian Christmas cookies. Some of my family’s favorite Norwegian Christmas cookies ended up being sandbakkels and rosettes. The sandbakkels are usually filled with ice cream; I personally like to cover the ice cream with a second sandbakkel to make a custom ice cream sandwich; this makes it much easier to eat without dripping or breaking the sandbakkels. We also sometimes use strawberry Danish Junket with fresh sliced strawberries and fresh whipped cream. You could also fill them with mousse. Ice cream and whipped cream always draw my grandkids’ interest!

Rosettes were first given a side-eye until the first grandkid took the plunge and tasted one. When he declared it just like a funnel cake from the fair, everyone was happy to take a taste! The rosettes disappeared from the cookie trays quickly after that!! Soon the grandkids were asking to borrow the rosette irons so they could make more themselves at their own homes!

Maybe you have some antique rosette irons and sandbakkel tins that you never knew what to do with. If not, you can purchase brand new  sandbakkel tins and rosette irons from Norsland Lefse. Both sandbakkel mixes and rosette mixes are available as well if you are looking for some help in the busy holiday season.

Below you can find my recipes for sandbakkels and rosettes as well as some photos of the various steps of the recipes.

Sandbakkels Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup butter-flavored shortening
• 1 cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups flour

Directions:

Step 1: Cream the butter, shortening, and sugars until fluffy. Mix in the eggs, salt, and vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour.

Step 2: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Form the sandbakkels in the tins by putting a ball of dough in the tin and pressing the dough to the edge of the tin. You’ll want to make the dough thin, but don’t press the dough so thin that you can see the ridges of the tin through the dough. (This would cause the sandbakkel to break easily.)

Step 3: Bake the sandbakkels on a cookie sheet in the middle of the oven for about 10 minutes until golden.

Step 4: After allowing the tins to cool enough to handle, tip the tins onto a towel on your work surface. After cooling a bit more, pick up the tins several inches from the surface and tap them on the towel to release the sandbakkels from the tins.

Step 5: Allow the sandbakkels and the tins to cool before continuing to make the rest of the sandbakkels. Stack the sandbakkels in an airtight plastic container to keep them fresh.

Step 6: If desired, fill with ice cream just before serving. If you want to use Danish Junket, cook the Junket using the pie filling directions; mix with sliced fresh strawberries and top with whipped cream. Junket can be found in many grocery stores and online for those of you unfamiliar with it.

Check out the step-by-step photos to make Sandbakkels below!

1. Place dough ball in a tin.

2. Press the dough thinly to the edge of the tin.

3. Clean excess dough from the edge of the tin.

4. Tip tins onto a towel while still warm.

5. One at a time, tap tins to loosen the sandbakkels.

6. Remove the sandbakkels and let cool.

7. Ready to serve: From the left: ice cream in a sandbakkel, empty sandbakkels, Danish Junket with fresh sliced strawberries and whipped cream.

Rosettes Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• Powdered sugar to dust the rosettes

Directions:

Step 1: Whisk together eggs, sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Then add flour and salt and whisk until smoothly combined.

Step 2: Heat oil in a heavy saucepan; use a thermometer to check the temperature. The oil needs to be between 370 to 375 degrees. You can also use a deep fryer; I use a FryDaddy. Heat your rosette iron with the handle attached in the oil. The iron needs to be hot.

Step 3: When the oil is hot, remove your hot iron and dip it into the batter. Be sure to only go up to near the top. If you dip the iron into the batter completely, you will not be able to get the rosette off the iron. The batter will sizzle a bit, after a few seconds, remove the iron from the batter, letting excess batter to drip off slightly. If you have trouble with the batter sliding off the iron, the iron may not be hot enough or was left in the batter too long or not moved immediately to the hot oil.

Step 4: Immediately submerge the iron into the hot oil; hold the iron so it does not rest on the bottom of the fryer or pan. The oil will bubble as the rosette fries.

Step 5: When the bubbling decreases, check the rosette. It should be golden by that time. Immediately remove and let it drain edges down on a paper towel.

Step 6: replace the iron in the oil to heat up a bit and then repeat. You will find a rhythm to the process; at first it might be challenging, but keep trying!

Step 7: Store the rosettes in air-tight plastic containers. Sift powdered sugar over the rosettes right before serving the rosettes with a small sifter.

Check out the step-by-step photos to make Rosettes below!

1. Dip heated iron into the batter; do not allow the batter to come over the top of the iron.

2. Put in oil; do not let the iron touch the bottom of the pan.

3. The oil will bubble as the rosette begins to fry.

4. The bubbling will lessen as the rosette finishes frying.

5. Finished rosettes.

6. Powdered sugar has been sifted over the rosettes right before serving.

My family and I hope you and yours enjoy these Norwegian Christmas delicacies as much as we do! Who knows, you may develop a new baker in the family, if they like them as much as my grandkid!