Cardamom is a spice with which many people are unfamiliar. We all know the ginger and cinnamon often used during the holidays, but cardamom? Yes, Cardamom is the featured spice in several popular Norwegian holiday cookies. Cardamom is actually made from seeds from several plants which are native to India and Indonesia. The taste is both sweet and spicy with hints of citrus and mint, but still has a warm taste that is slightly peppery. While some cultures use the spice in curries and meat entrees, the Norwegians usually use it in desserts and cookies.

The top two Christmas cookies that use cardamom are Kransekake cookies and Fattigmand. Kransekake cookies use a variation of the dough used to make Kransekakes, the stacked rings of cookie created for celebrations. Kransekake literally means wreath cake. Instead of handling and stacking the concentric rings, however, you simply roll the dough into a ½ inch diameter rope and cut two inch lengths before baking.

While Kransekake cookies are rather plain, once you taste them, you understand the cookies’ popularity. The light, slightly tart lemon flavor is carried through both the cookie and the icing; the blend of cardamom and almond flour adds an intriguing flavor. An added plus is that these cookies can be made gluten free by using rice flour rather than regular flour.  Swedish Pearl Sugar is used to decorate Kransekake cookies.

Fattigmand are deep-fried cookies that date back to the Middle Ages. They are sometimes called poor man’s cookies. The dough is prepared the day ahead and chilled to make the dough easier to roll. Rolling the dough for the cookies can be done in several ways. I personally like to simply use my rolling pin, but my sister prefers to use her pasta maker machine. Cutting the cookies can be done using a  Fattigmand roller from Norsland Lefse, diamond shaped cookie cutters or a knife. Slits need to be made the long way in the shapes cut with a cookie cutter or knife.

When I was little, I called these “elf shoes” or “slippers” because of the unique shape of the cookies. The knot looked like the top of a shoe with a pointed toe and heel with a point at the top. Below is a picture of one that shows that resemblance. Each Fattigmand as it fries takes on its own shape.

Here are my recipes for both the Kransekake Cookies and the Fattigmand.

Kransekake Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

4 ½ cups almond flour

3 ½ cups powdered sugar

⅓ cup rice flour or regular flour (plus a little more for rolling surface

1 teaspoon lemon extract

2 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom

4 large egg whites

Icing for Kransekake Cookies

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or bottled Real Lemon Juice

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the first five ingredients. Add the egg whites and beat until the dough is like sticky play dough.

Step 2: Take a handful of dough and place on your floured work surface. Roll into a rope with about a ½ inch diameter.

Step 3: Cut the ropes into 2-inch pieces. Lay them on parchment paper-lined cookies sheets about two inches apart.

Step 4: Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes until they are golden on the edges. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes after removing them from the oven. (They will continue to bake during this time.) Then transfer them to a cooling rack.

Step 5: Once the cookies are completely cooled, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice to create your icing. Put the icing into a small ziploc baggie and cut a very small hole in a lower corner of the bag. (Or put it in a squeeze bottle.) Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies and add drop Swedish Pearl Sugar on the cookies to decorate them and let dry before storing the cookies in air-tight plastic containers.

Check out the step-by-step instructions for making Kransekake Cookies below!

1. Rolling the dough to 1/2 inch diameter ropes and cutting 2 inch cookies.

2. A panful ready for baking.

3. Baked cookies cooling for the extra 5 minutes on the cookie sheet.

4. Icing the cookies using a baggie. Note a paper towel and cookie sheet under the rack to catch the extra icing.

5. Adding the decorative Swedish Pearl Sugar.

6. Kransekake Cookies are ready to share!

Fattigmand Recipe

Ingredients:

6 egg yolks

6 tablespoons white sugar

½ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons brandy or whiskey

2 ½ cups flour

1 to 1 ½ teaspoon cardamom

Oil for deep frying

Powdered sugar for sifting over the cookies

Directions:

Step 1: A day or at least a couple hours ahead of time prepare the dough. First whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until light and fluffy and add the brandy.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, whip the cream until firm and then fold into the egg mixture.

Step 3: Add flour and cardamom and blend well. Sprinkle a little flour over the dough, cover and refrigerate.

Step 4: Heat the oil to 375 degrees in a large saucepan or a fryer. (I use a Fry Daddy which maintains the temperature.)

Step 5: Roll the dough out very thinly using a floured board and rolling pin or a pasta maker machine.

Step 6: Cut the dough using a Fattigmand roller, a diamond-shaped cookie cutter, or a knife. Make slits the long way if using s cookie cutter or knife.

Step 7: Take one of the long end and tuck it through the slit and gently pull it through.

Step 8: Put three or four in the oil at a time and cook until golden brown, turning once.

Step 9: Remove from oil and drain on a cooling rack over a paper towel. right before serving, dust using a sifter with powdered sugar. Store undusted Fattigmand in air-tight plastic containers.

Check out the step-by-step instructions for making Fattigmand below!

1. Rolling using a pasta maker machine.

2. Hand rolling the dough; the flour will be dusted off before forming the cookie.

3. Forming the unique shape.

4. Side view of a formed Fattigmand.

6. Frying the Fattigmand.

7. Finished Fattigmand cooling.

It’s a great plan to make the Kransekake Cookies and Fattigmand one right after the other. Notice the Kransekake cookies use 4 egg whites while the Fattigmand uses 6 egg yolks. I’ve got the remaining two egg whites waiting in the refrigerator—the plan is to make a batch of divinity candy with those! These two cookies will make you a fan of Cardamom without a doubt! Enjoy!