Art of Gluten-Free Baking

Krumkake (Scandinavian Crisp Cookies), Gluten-Free

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Greetings, all!  I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas had a wonderful day!  And those of you who celebrate Kwanza, Happy Kwanza!

Today’s cookie is something I’ve been dying to make for awhile.  This is actually a traditional Christmas cookie, but I ended up not having time to make these before Christmas.  I think I told you in my previous posts that earlier in the month I had asked on Twitter what people’s favorite Christmas cookies were.  One of the answers I got was krumkake, which is a Scandinavian crisp cookie.

I love the concept of these cookies because you make them on a special krumkake iron (I know, some many different irons for these Scandinavian cookies) and then roll them into pretty cones.  The iron for these cookies is more like a fancy waffle iron.  I got an electric Krumkake iron for Christmas, but the traditional ones are designed to be used on the stove.  They all have a pretty design that gets imprinted on the krumkake when you use them.  I have no experience with the stove-top irons, but my electric one is awesome!  As far as I can tell, you can probably use this iron for pizzelles, the Italian Christmas cookies (even though the recipe would be different).  I looked online for pizzelle makers, and it looks like they have different design for the imprint but otherwise work on the the same principles as krumkake makers.

To make krumkake, you place a blob of dough in the iron and squish the cover on top of it.  This makes a flat krumkake:

As soon as the krumkake has cooked, you quickly remove it from the iron and then immediately use a  cone roller:to shape them into cones.   Luckily, a cone roller came with my iron–yay! I have to say, it’s so fun to make these! And they are surprisingly easy to make and to roll.

After the cones are cooled, you fill them.  It’s my understanding that in Norway and Sweden, it’s traditional to fill the cones with whipped cream mixed with cloudberry jam.   I got my cloudberry jam at Ikea.  You can also fill them with whatever you want to–plain whipped cream would be awesome.  And I also want to try chocolate whipped cream.  Mmmm.  They also quite tasty on their own, so you can just eat them plain like a cookie.

You can use a pastry bag and fancy tip to fill the cones.   Or you can just spoon the cream into the krumkake.  Regardless of the way you get the cream into the krumkake, they taste delicious!

Because of their cone shape, I’m thinking these might be great as ice cream cones.  I haven’t tried that yet, but I intend to do so soon!  For anyone who wants to try this idea before I do, what I would do is put a blob of chocolate in the bottom of the cone and let it harden. Then place the ice cream in the cone–with the idea that the chocolate would stop the melting ice cream from dripping out of the bottom of the cone.

Krumkake (Scandinavian Crisp Cookies), Gluten-Free
-adapted from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book, Beatrice Ojakangas
-makes around 20 krumkake

Special Equipment Needed
-hand mixer
–krumkake iron

Ingredients
1 C (200g) granulated sugar
1/2 C (1 stick; 4 oz; 115g) unsalted butter (or butter substitute), softened
2 large or extra large eggs
1 C (235ml) milk (or milk substitute)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 C (215g) Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix
Neutral flavored oil for the iron (Rice Bran Oil) 
For the filling: whipped cream and jam of your choice, mixed together

In a medium bowl, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy.  Add the vanilla extract and beat until blended.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until mixture is light and fluffy.  Beginning and ending with the flour, add the flour and the milk, alternating between the two.  Beat until mixture is smooth–a few seconds.

Preheat the krumkake iron.  If you have an electric iron, preheat it to the 2.5 darkness level.  Brush the iron with a bit of vegetable oil. You will probably only need to brush the iron with oil for the first krumkake of the day–see how your iron behaves and brush with oil accordingly.

When iron is ready, place a heaping tablespoon of batter in the middle and close top.  Let cook for 60-70 seconds.  You will need to make a few in order to find out the optimal cooking time for your iron.  Once cooked, remove the cookie from iron onto a plate or cookie sheet and quickly roll around roller cone.  Let sit for a minute or two until the cookie has cooled into the cone shape.  Remove cone.

Repeat process with the rest of the batter.  Let the cookies cool completely–they will crisp as they cool.

Immediately before serving, fill with your choice of filling.  We like to mix unsweetened whipped cream with a some cloudberry jam (or other jam) for the filling.  Also, the krumkake can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container, unfilled, until needed.  Don’t store these filled, as the krumkake will become soggy.

Enjoy!

Note:  If you use a different gluten-free flour mix, alter the amount of or eliminate the xanthan gum or use a different gluten-replacer, use dairy-free or egg-free substitutes, or change any other ingredients in this recipe, your results may not match my results.

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Comments

  1. Meg

    I made these yesterday. I used Bob’s Red Mill Baking flour, and added a little bit of xantham gum to it. I used coconut sugar to replace the other sugar, and added a little almond extract. We also made traditional krumkake (a family tradition). Many liked this version better than the gluten version!

  2. Kate

    I just made these, and they are absolutely delicious.
    I used the Bob’s Red Mill Baking Flour (not their mix with garbanzo bean flour) and they are just beautiful. There is no hint of graininess, they browned nicely, and they rolled and cooled into perfect tubes/cones.
    I used an electric pizelle iron, and because it makes two and I only had one rolling cone, I used a hot sauce bottle to roll as well.
    These are just like my memory, only they are gluten free so I can eat them again. I will make these again and again!

  3. Lisa

    I’m going to bookmark this recipe! I’ve tried other premade flour blends to make these and they just don’t come out right. I have my mother’s krumkake iron to use on the stove.

    I have had no problem making regular krumkake, but the GF ones have been vexing me for a few years. (We do a mass cookie bake every year at my in-laws’ house. All of the families contribute to the ingredient stash and then we divide the delicious spoils among all of us.). Oh, by the way, my mother’s filling of choice was always whipped cream mixed with lemon curd. Delicious! (And she was a full Norwegian.)

  4. Paula

    Pizzelle makers are generally just a smidge wider. They make a slightly thicker cookie. Nothing visable but noticeable when you eat them. I prefer the thinner Krumkake iron but really not that big of a difference. Both are very edible cookies.

  5. Susanne

    OK, scratch that. Apparently my husband did NOT put the right amount of flour in! I added more and they are coming out beautifully! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!

  6. Janet

    I’m going to make these – my husband will be SO excited! The only thing I see missing is the 1/2 tsp of cardamom…

    I can’t wait to try this out this weekend!

    I tried making a GF potato lefse this season and it still needs refining. Tastes fine, but falls apart. So, I’m hoping by adding another egg, it will have enough binder and maybe I can get it a bit thinner as well. The hardest part was rolling it out because the dough has to be pretty wet. If anyone comes up with something, I would love to hear from you!

    • Jeanne

      Janet: Yay! I think you will really like them! Also, email me the lefse recipe you were using–I can look at it and let you know if I think anything should be tweaked. Happy baking!

  7. Kimberly Ovall

    We tried these last week!!!! ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!! They taste almost identical to my grandma’s recipe from ages ago! We eeat tehm plain. I bought the iron you recommended. It works great, though the back where the hinge is tends to be a tiny bit thinner and darker when it cooks. My grandma always made her’s a light brown, so we didn’t mind. We (including my mom who is always very critical of gluten free taste) thought they were great, better after they have sat and dried harder a couple days later and taste better a little darker. We also tried them as ice cream cones. Just be gentle. You can roll them so the point of the cone closes a bit.

    This is easy enough my 11 year old can make them, just be careful getting them off the very hot iron – fairly easy with a silicone spatual. We laid them on an air bake sheet to roll them, let each sit until right before the next was done, then transfered to a large baking sheet to cool.

    Thank you!! My entire family is so excited to have this special treat from our heritage.

  8. Christina

    I have been gluten free for almost a year now and was concerned because I thought I wouldn’t be able to make Krumkake. I cannot wait to try them. I was very upset that I wouldn’t be able to continue a family tradition of making Krumkake and Spritz cookies.

    • admin

      Sarabeth: Thanks! The challenge with veganizing them (love that word!) is that the recipe does contain eggs. Haven’t tried making them with an egg substitute, yet. If you do, let me know!

  13. Joy

    Scandinavian kitchens must have the best storage in the world for all these cookie associated irons. I’m always amazed at your baking, your baked goods are always so light and crisp, that perfect airiness.

  15. Brittany

    Oh my gosh… these are just so BEAUTIFUL. I have never heard of this cookie before- Are they similar at all to a Pizzelle flavor or texture wise? My family is Italian- and we have had them every year as long as I can remember. My aunt and I had a discussion over the fact that finding a pizzelle maker like the one she still uses (its an antique) is nearly impossible – but as you suggested I think this Waffle Iron would work beautifully.
    Thank you for sharing this recipe- as usual you have totally inspired me! xo,
    Brittany

    • admin

      Brittany: I’m thinking that the krumkake iron I have would make pizzelles, but just so you know: the company (Chef’s Choice) that makes my iron makes a pizzelle iron, too! As far as I can tell, the main difference between the two is that the designs they make on the pizzelle/krumkake are different.

  16. Amanda Williams

    Oh my goodness! I just want to sit here crying! I am scandinavian, and we eat things like Kumbla, Kringla, Leftsa etc. I have finally adapted my Kumbla recipe to gluten free, but haven’t been able to enjoy treats like this in over 3 years at Christmas. This is a HUGE part of our family Christmas traditions on my side and by you posting this, I feel somewhat complete again, ha! Okay, so I am being a LITTLE dramatic, but thank you, thank you, thank you! Do you have a leftsa recipe by chance? My family uses a recipe that doesn’t call for potatoes, and I just can’t seem to get it right. Thanks! Amanda

  17. kelly

    seriously!!!! you just keep outdoing yourself….just when I think it wasn’t possible. These are beautiful and look like a lot of fun to make!

    • admin

      Kelly: Aw, you make me blush!! I’m so glad! They are super fun to make (esp, with kids) and they are delish!!

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