Seven Kinds of Cookies: A Scandinavian Christmas Tradition

Being a Scandinavian-American, I grew up with a Norwegian Christmas celebration. Dancing around the tree, going to the Sons of Norway Christmas party, visits from Julenisse. Our traditional Christmas feast is no exception. We have meatballs in brown gravy, lefse (a kind of potato tortilla), and sweet fruit soup. For dessert, we have a "little lunch", as my grandma calls it: 7 kinds of traditional cookies, breads, and rømmegrøt (a cream pudding).

For most Scandinavian families, it is traditional to have seven kinds of cookies (sju sorter småkaker), but the kinds vary from household to household. This year, some of my friends at the Sons of Norway lodge are getting together to all bake cookies together. We are each going to bring some recipes for our cookies to share with others. Here are the seven I am going to bring: 

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice Krispies

1 cup coconut

1 cup corn flakes

1 cup nutmeats

36 Kraft caramels

3 tablespoons cream

Directions:

Mix first four ingredients together.  In a separate bowl, melt caramels, then add cream.  Butter a large bowl and mix all ingredients together, then roll into balls.  Put (not touching each other!) on a waxed-paper covered cookie sheet and put in the freezer until just frozen.  Take out, put in tins, and freeze. 

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup quick rolled oats, uncooked

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Beat butter until creamy.  Add sugar gradually, beat until fluffy.  Stir in vanilla, flour and salt.  Blend in rolled oats.  Dough will be quite stiff.

Add in spices and mix well.  Shape dough into balls.  Make depression in each with thumb.  Bake about 26 minutes in 325°F oven.  When cool, fill depressions with jam or jelly. 

Sift:  2 1/4 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. soda, 1/2 tsp. salt

Blend:  3/4 cup Crisco or other shortening, 1 cup sugar, creaming well

Add:  2 eggs, 2 tablespoons milk and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Beat well.

Blend in:  The dry ingredients gradually, mix thoroughly.

Add:  1 cup pecans, 1 cup chopped dates, and 1 cup maraschino cherries, drained & chopped.  Mix well.

Drop:  By rounded tsp. into 2 1/2 cups Kellogg's corn flakes, crushed.  Toss lightly to coat, form into balls.

Place on greased baking sheet.  Top each with 1/4 cherry.  Bake in moderate oven (375°F) 12 to 15 minutes. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup Crisco

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon soda

2 3/4 cup flour

Filling:

Cook together until thick:

1 cup dates -- cut up

1 cup ground raisins

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

wee bit salt 

Directions:

Mix and form into 2 rolls and put in refrigerator overnight.  (May put in freezer for a few hours instead).  Slice thin and put filling on cookies.  Cover with another slice.  Do not press down (it will melt down).  Bake at 375°F about 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

3 pkgs. yeast

2 Tbsp. shortening, melted

3 or more cups water

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 or more tsp. anise (optional)

Flour to roll

Directions:

Soak yeast in small amount of water -- let set til it foams.  Mix all ingredients together until a soft, consistent dough forms.  I roll mine out in about 15 minutes after I mixed them.  Take enough dough to make finger-sized rope about 10" long.  Form into figure eight.  Bake on greased baking sheet (or parchment paper) in moderate oven until done.  Top should be golden, but not overly brown.

When warm, glaze with mixture of granulated sugar and hot water. 

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup raisins

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. boiling water, or enough to make thin glaze

1/4 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Sift flour, baking powder, salt & sugar into bowl.  Cut in shortening.  Beat egg and add with milk to first mixture.  Divide in half.  Roll each half into round 8 to 9 inches in diameter.  Spread each with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar & raisins.  With sharp knife, cut each circle into 8 equal sized pie-shaped pieces.  Starting from outside edge, roll up each triangle to its point.  Place on lightly greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart, and curve pointed ends into a crescent shape.

Bake in hot oven, 425°F, about 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove and spread tops with glaze while warm.

Makes 16 crescents. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup chopped pitted dates

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 egg, beaten

2 1/4 cups sifted flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Pour the boiling water over dates and let stand 10 minutes.  Meanwhile add sugar gradually to the egg while beating with a spoon.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt & soda and stir the walnuts into the mixture.  Add date mixture alternately with the sifted dry ingredients and nuts to the sugar and egg mixture.  Stir in melted shortening and vanilla and pour into greased pan about 10"x5"x3".  Bake in moderate oven, 350°F, for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done. 

All of these recipes work fine with a sugar substitute instead of the sugar.  I have not tried substitutions for the other ingredients.