Norwegian Berlin Wreath Cookies Recipes

NORWEGIAN BERLIN WREATH COOKIES

Steps:

• Mash the hard-boiled yolks well, then add the raw egg yolks, mixing well.
• Blend in the sugar, butter and flour to make a stiff dough. Cover dough and refrigerate for several hours.
• Lightly grease the cookie sheet and preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Take small pieces of dough and roll them into ropes 1/2 inch thick and 4 inches long. Join the two ends and press together, forming a wreath shape.
• Dip the wreaths into the lightly beaten egg whites, then into granulated sugar, placing them on the cookie sheet. If using glace fruit for decoration, place it now.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

NORWEGIAN WREATH CAKE

Steps:

• Whisk together the almond meal, powdered sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the egg whites, almond extract and orange blossom water or rosewater, if using, and stir with a spatula to combine. At first it will seem like there is not enough liquid to hold everything together, but just keep on mixing and it will eventually form a dough. Pat the dough into 2 discs, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and position two racks in the center of the oven. Use your hands to grease the kransekake molds liberally with butter or coconut oil, then set aside. (I prefer to set the molds on large baking sheets so that they're easier to move around.)
• Working with one dough disc at a time, chop off a piece of dough and roll it into a rope that's a generous 1/2-inch thick (or, if you're pulling your kitchen ruler out, just go with 5/8-inch thick), dusting with additional almond flour if the dough is sticky. Coil the rope into the molds, then pinch off any excess dough and pinch the ends to seal them together. Continue the process, re-rolling scraps as needed, until all of the molds are filled. Don't worry about overworking the dough!
• Bake until golden; begin checking for doneness at 9 minutes. You'll likely need to bake these layers in batches, which is totally fine; just keep any dough that you're not working with covered and in the refrigerator.
• Let the rings cool in the pans, then carefully pop them out (a small offset spatula or butter knife will help) and transfer to a baking sheet or wire rack.
• Stack the rings up using dots of the royal icing as "glue" (I do dots at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock). Decorate with sprinkles. Let the icing dry, 30 minutes to 1 hour, then decorate with paper chains, flags or other decor as desired. This is good for at least a few days uncovered at room temperature, so feel free to make it in advance!

NORWEGIAN BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt together. Add the butter and rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in all the icing sugar and the vanilla sugar, then add the whole egg and mix until just combined, but be careful not to overmix.
• Transfer the dough to a food bag and put in the fridge to chill for about 1 hr.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll the chilled dough into about 40 even balls (around 15g each). Arrange the dough balls over two baking sheets lined with baking parchment, leaving space between each for spreading. Using the back of a fork, press the balls down gently in the middle, so they spread to a diameter of about 3cm (they will spread more as they bake). If you prefer flat cookies, use the bottom of a glass.
• Brush the cookies with the beaten egg white and sprinkle over the pearl sugar or almonds. Bake for 10 mins, or until just cooked through (the cookies should not be fully browned, just lightly golden at the edges). Remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

BERLINER KRANZ COOKIES

Steps:

• Cut hard-boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks; discard whites or save for another use. Press yolks through a potato ricer or strainer into a small bowl., In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the uncooked egg yolks, hard-boiled egg yolks and extract. Combine flour and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with cream, beating well after each addition. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. doughnut cutter. Reroll scraps if desired., Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets; brush with egg white. Sprinkle as desired with colored sugar. Bake at 350° for 6 minutes; carefully decorate as desired with candies. Bake 4-8 minutes longer or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

NORWEGEN COOKIES - BERLINERKRANZER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, sugar, orange peel and eggs. Blend in flour. Color with green food coloring, if desired.
• Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into ropes, each about 6 inches long and 1/4 inch in diameter.
• Form each rope into a circle, bringing one end over the other and through into a single knot. Let about 1/2 inch extend at each end. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Press in red cinnamon candies, if desired.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from baking sheet.

NORWEGIAN COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add egg and extracts; beat until well. Add flour and nuts; beat just until moistened. Cover and chill 1 hour or until firm enough to handle., Preheat oven to 350°. Shape into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten to 1/4-in. thickness with a glass dipped in colored sugar. Sprinkle with additional sugar if desired. Bake until cookies are set, 10-12 minutes. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.