The shape of happiness: krumkake

For many of us, these crispy, tasty cones are synonymous with Christimas cheer

Photo: Linn Heidi Knutsen / Thanks For The Food Cookbook
This minimalist dessert is hansdsome on its own, and extra Nordic on this Hval dish from Norwegian porcelain company Figgjo, located in Sandnes, against a classic Norwegian handwoven tapestry. The company sponsored all the table settings in Whitney Love’s new cookbook, Takk for Maten.

Whitney Love
Stavanger, Norway

The quintessential Norwegian Christmas cookie. Serve plain as a cone, or shaped as a bowl and filled with whipped cream and multe berries or jam. For this recipe, you will need a krumkaker iron and a cone shaper, both of which can be found from retailers online.

Krumkake
250 grams (1 1/4 cup) sugar
4 eggs
250 grams (1 cup) butter, melted
250 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Whip eggs and sugar together until fluffy and pale yellow. Stir in the melted butter, flour, and cardamom. Mix until all ingredients are combined. Refrigerate the batter for 20 minutes.

Heat the krumkaker iron over medium-low heat. Pour a tablespoon of batter into the center of the hot krumkaker iron and bake until the batter is cooked and turns light golden brown. Use a cone shaper to form the krumkaker into cones while the cookie is warm. Alternatively, form the hot krumkaker into a bowl shape by molding it over the bottom of an upturned coffee mug.

Cool and enjoy plain, or fill with whipped cream and multe berries or your favorite jam.Store krumkaker in an air-tight container.

Makes 15 cookies.

Whitney Love is a cookbook author and blogger. She hails from Tucson, Arizona and is currently living in Stavanger, Norway. She runs the English language blog Thanks For The Food where she documents her love affair with Norway through the lens of traditional and modern Norwegian gastronomy. Find her online at thanksforthefood.com.

This article originally appeared in the Dec. 5, 2014, issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (800) 305-0271.