Written By Bethany Glosser
I’d like to introduce you to my sweet friend I am so honored to know, Bethany Glosser. We both fellowship at the same church and have started a small homeschool group for our kids. Please welcome her as this is her first post to write on a blog. I’m sure once you get to know her gentle spirit you’ll be just as excited as I am to see more posts written by her. Thanks Bethany, I love ya!!
I love the holidays, especially Christmas. It is a season steeped in traditions, sprinkled with sweet memories, and filled with good things like family, festive music, and, (of course) delicious food.
One of my favorite traditions that I am a part of at home is an annual Christmas cookie exchange. I look forward to it every year. A couple friends and I gather together with recipes and ingredients in hand to spend the day baking, listening to Christmas tunes, and enjoying each others company. At the end of the day, we divide our goodies with one another and each go home with an assortment of Christmas cookies. Well, sadly, the timing didn’t work out for me this year to participate in our little tradition.
Thankfully, this year I had the amazing opportunity to travel to the west coast with my mom and baby girl to visit my mom’s cousins in Washington State. It had been fourteen years since my last visit, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to reconnect with our extended family. Oh, and did I mention that our trip just happened to coincide with a family Christmas cookie exchange?
It was a fantastic trip full of firsts. Ellie’s first plane ride, her first time collapsing asleep in my arms (I know, at 6 1/2 months old you’d think she’d have that down by now!), her first time crawling (It’s more like creeping like an inch worm but it’s still WAY cool!), and my first helicopter ride (cross one off my bucket list!). All of these events were hugely memorable and wonderful to experience. I was truly blessed. And did I mention there were cookies?
The Cookie Exchange, Norske Style
After my mom, baby, and I settled in at our cousin’s house, we got busy baking. For our family cookie exchange we were partnered up with a relative to pick out a couple recipes to prepare and bake together. Fun idea, right?
I was partnered up with cousin Linda and my mom was partnered up with cousin Elaine, our ever-so-gracious hostess, and lucky us we all did our baking together. After brief discussion we landed on biscotti, Rolo turtles, and a traditional Norwegian cookie called Kringla. A soft, fragile cookie with a rich buttery flavor and a hint of sweetness.
They’re a lot like a sugar cookie, but with way less “sugar” and a lot more better-ness. (Yes, I did just make up that word.)
To make, the Kringla ingredients get mixed up. You then take small pieces of dough and roll them into long ropes about 1/2” in diameter and about 6-7” long. Then you make a figure-eight or pretzel shape and bake for about 5 minutes. It’s pretty simple once you get the hang of the rolling and pretzel shaping. And the fruit of your labor is so worth it. It was my first time to make these little gems, and I’m so glad I tried it out.
Kringla – A Traditional Norwegian Cookie
Kringla - a traditional Norwegian cookie. A soft, fragile cookie with a rich buttery flavor and a hint of sweetness.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups sour cream
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups organic sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Method:
- In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients, set aside.
- In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar.
- Mix in the sour cream and egg yolks.
- A tablespoon at a time, add the dry ingredients until it's all incorporated.
- Cover, and refrigerate the dough overnight.
Once chilled overnight
- Break off a piece of dough to roll into a rope about 14” long and form into figure eight shapes. Bake @ 400F for 5 min. (Do not allow to brown, they will end up being dry and overdone.)
https://www.myhumblekitchen.com/2012/12/a-christmas-tradition-a-cookie-exchange-and-recipe-for-kringla-a-traditional-norwegian-cookie/
©Copyright, A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
What traditions do you have for the holidays? How do you incorporate your family’s heritage into your holidays? Do you have any traditional cookie favorites? I’d love to hear how you and your family celebrate!
FAQs
Favorite Norwegian Cookie Survey Results
- 74.54% – Krumkaker / Krumkake / Norwegian cone cookies (1,300)
- 4.24% – Fattigmann / Poor man's cookies (74)
- 3.84% – Sandkaker / Sandbakkels (67)
- 3.1% – Rosetter / Rosettes (54)
- 3.1% – Smultringer / Doughnuts (54)
- 2.98% – Kransekake / Almond ring cake (52)
Sju sorters kakor (Norwegian: syv slags kaker), "seven kinds of cookies", is a Swedish and Norwegian tradition where hosts typically prepare seven different kinds of cookies for their guests.
What is a cookie exchange Christmas? ›
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.
What country is Kringla from? ›
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.
What is the national dessert of Norway? ›
Kvæfjordkake, Norway's national cake, is a sweet dream made of meringue and vanilla cream. It's a firm favourite for any festive occasion, and an irresistible temptation in all cake shops. In the north of Norway, Kvæfjordkake represents the sweetest of childhood memories.
What are Norwegian Christmas traditions? ›
On Christmas Eve (24 December) most Norwegians gather for a traditional meal and the opening of presents, and sometimes Father Christmas will pay them a visit. All in all, the whole country is an ongoing huge festival of lightsthat keeps on shining for weeks after New Year's Eve to preserve that fairy tale spirit.
What is the tradition Norwegian Christmas food? ›
Christmas food, drinks and snacks
The most popular Christmas Eve dinner is the ribbe (pork ribs or pork belly, bone in), but lutefisk (cod cured in lye), pinnekjøtt (dry-cured ribs of lamb), boiled cod, ham roast and turkey are also common dishes.
What is the tradition of cookies at Christmas? ›
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.
Which of the following is a traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner? ›
In Norway, two traditional dishes are contenders for the most popular Christmas dinners – “ribbe” (pork rib) and “pinnekjøtt” (lamb or mutton rib). Whilst the former has been the overall prime choice for years, the popularity of pinnekjøtt grows for each passing year.
How do you prepare for a cookie exchange? ›
From making a guest list to picking out cookie recipes, this guide will make sure you don't miss a thing.
- Create Your Guest List.
- Send Your Invitations.
- Choose Cookie Recipes and Other Food Items.
- Set Up the Decor.
- Arrange Entertainment.
- Holiday Cookie Swap Invitation.
- Festive and Geometric Invitation.
For those who don't know, the exchange gift is a present that each person brings to the party and then exchanges with someone else at the end of the night. It's a great way to get everyone in on the gift-giving fun, and it can also be a really nice way to show your appreciation for someone.
What is a Secret Santa exchange? ›
A Secret Santa gift exchange is a fun way to exchange gifts with friends in person or across the miles! Our Secret Santa Generator will randomly assign names that participants will be sending a gift to. In a Secret Santa style gift exchange, participants will not draw the same person who drew them.
What does Kringla mean? ›
The word originates from the Old Norse kringla, meaning ring or circle. The Vyborg Kringle (Viipurinrinkeli) In the Netherlands, a particular type of sweet kringle is well known under the Dutch name krakeling.
How do you eat Kringla? ›
The Danish serve Kringle at room temperature or warmed, cut into slices, and usually with a glass of milk or a coffee. Of course, whether you warm it or not, and how you slice it, may depend on how hungry you are or what company you keep.
Is kringle Danish or Norwegian? ›
It's a Danish pastry made from dough that has butter folded in and many layers, making it light and fluffy.
What are the best biscuits in Norway? ›
Sætre Gjende Original is a Norwegian traditional mild and sweet biscuit. This delicious biscuit has been a favorite to many Norwegians since its existence in 1954.
What is the best selling chocolate in Norway? ›
Freia is Norway's most famous chocolate brand, and their creamy, sweet, milk chocolate Melkesjokolade is the most popular chocolate in Norway, featuring the tagline, "A little piece of Norway."
What is the number one selling cookie in the world? ›
According to the Kraft Foods company, the Oreo is the "World's Best Selling Cookie".
