Kristen Berit Cooking

Recipes

  • Norwegian Waffles

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    Making Norwegian waffles will make your home smell amazing – the scent of cardamom spice will fill your kitchen! Serving these waffles is extra fun, as people seem to devour them wherever I’ve taken them (kids especially love them!)

    My grandma made these waffles for special get-togethers, and we devoured them. These waffles are rich and pretty sweet, so they really don’t need syrup or a topping (although some might still want some).

    We make them with a Norwegian waffle iron, which will make your waffles into little heart shapes. In the video here, I show that you really do not need a special Norwegian waffle iron to make these. (I would not recommend using a Belgian waffle iron, however – though you could try it!)

    One thing that I think is a must to include: cardamom. This spice is more expensive, but I have found that a bottle of this spice will last a good amount of time, and it really gives these waffles a wonderful flavor. Some might wish to use whole cardamom seeds and grind them up fresh, which would likely be more cost-effective as well.

    How to Make Norwegian Waffles

    Norwegian Waffles

    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Servings: 8 waffles
    Ingredients Equipment Method

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt
    • 1 tsp Baking Soda
    • 1 tsp Baking Powder
    • 1 pinch Salt
    • 1/2 – 1 tsp Cardamom
    • 4 Eggs
    • 1 cup Sugar
    • 1 stick Butter (melted and cooled a bit)
    • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour

    Equipment

    • Norwegian waffle iron A regular waffle iron can also be used

    Method
     

    1. Add baking powder, baking soda, and cardamom to the yogurt or sour cream in a small bowl.
    2. Mix it together and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
    3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together.
    4. Add flour to the eggs and sugar, and mix together.
    5. Add a pinch of salt.
    6. Add melted butter, and mix together.
    7. Gently stir in your sour cream/yogurt into the large bowl.
    8. Heat up your waffle iron and grease it with butter.
    9. Add a ladle full of batter to the waffle iron, and cook until the waffle is golden brown. The waffle should be soft.
    10. Serve your waffles hot, room temperature, or cold. These are sweet on their own and can be eaten plain, but you may serve with maple syrup if desired.

  • Pannekaker (Norwegian Pancakes)

    This is one of my favorites from my grandma! My late grandma – “Bessa” – would make these Norwegian pancakes for us, and we loved them. It’s a pretty simple recipe, but it can take some practice to get the consistency of your batter just right. Watch the embedded video which could help you learn how to get the right thickness.

    Enjoy these hot or cold, with toppings or without! I like them with raspberry jam. Other toppings could include powdered sugar or maple syrup.

    How to make Norwegian Pancakes

    Kristen Berit Cooking

    Norwegian Pancakes

    A Norwegian pancake is kind of like a delicious, thick crepe. You only need a few ingredients to make them, but you'll want to pay close attention to the steps to get the right consistency. Practice, and over time you will get them just right!
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Servings: 7 pancakes
    Course: Breakfast
    Ingredients Method

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 Large Eggs
    • 1-2 tbsp Sugar
    • ~1.25 cups All-purpose Flour Add up to 1/3 cup more if needed to thicken.
    • ~1 cup Milk Add more if needed (follow instructions).
    • 1 pinch Salt
    • Butter

    Method
     

    1. Crack 4 eggs and whisk in about 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. (You may adjust the sugar if you want them more or less sweet.)
    2. Begin adding flour, about a half cup at a time until the batter is thick. It should become somewhat more difficult to stir.
    3. Next add in your milk, whisking until you have a nice smooth batter. It should be quite liquidy now.
    4. Add a pinch of salt.
    5. Heat up your pan on medium-high heat. (Wait until your batter is complete before you do this step.)
    6. Add about a half tablespoon of butter to the pan, then ladle on a spoonful of batter. You want enough batter so that it stretches to the end of the pan, and should be just thick enough so that it easily covers the pan. Turn the pan as needed to even the batter out.
    7. Cook for about 15-20 seconds, then flip when you can get your spatula around the edges, and when the pancake is cooked enough to be flipped.
    8. Cook for about 30 seconds on this side, then fold pancake over into quarters.
    9. Repeat with remaining batter, continuing to butter pan. Serve at once, or eat them later. They are good hot or cold!

  • Risgrøt (Norwegian Rice Pudding)

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    Risgrøt, or rice pudding, is a special dish that we like to eat on Christmas Eve. What makes it extra special is the hidden almond! When it’s time for risgrøt, the person dishing out the pudding will hide an almond in just one of the bowls, and then everyone will eat their pudding to see if they got the almond. Whoever is lucky to find the almond wins a prize! (A $20 bill!) I’ve also heard that you will get good luck in the new year if you find the almond.

    You can eat this all year round, warm or chilled. I think this is a good dessert or snack in the wintertime. Just be patient making this – it will take some time for it to cook, about 70-75 minutes.

    How to make risgrøt

    Here’s a short video where I demonstrate how to make rice pudding. The recipe follows!

    Risgrøt (Norwegian Rice Pudding)

    Print Recipe
    Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings: 2.5 cups
    Ingredients Method

    Ingredients
      

    • 1/2 cup Long grain white rice
    • 2 cups Milk
    • 1 cup Water
    • 2 tbsp Butter
    • 1 tsp Cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp Salt
    • Sugar (for sprinkling on top)

    Method
     

    1. Add rice to your pot on the stove, turn on heat to medium-high.
    2. Add water, just enough to cover your rice. Let it come to a simmer.
    3. Let boil until the water has disappeared. (This will take about 10 minutes.)
    4. Add 2 cups of milk.
    5. Add about 2 tablespoons of butter, and cinnamon (optional).
    6. Let it come to a simmer, then cover and turn the heat to low.
    7. Cook for about an hour, stirring a few times throughout.
    8. Stir in salt.
    9. Serve in a bowl with sugar and cinnamon on top.

  • Krumkake

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    Image of woman rolling krumkake

    Making krumkake is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. They’re so fun to make, especially when you have someone to help you make them.

    And they’re fun to eat!

    Krumkake are buttery, crumbly cookies shaped like a cone. Krumkake roughly translates to “curve-shaped cookies.” I always thought the word krumkake referred to all of the crumbs that eating them can make. When you eat them, you do have to be careful not to let it break all over! That’s another fun thing about krumkake.

    We also sometimes like to put whipped cream inside, which makes them extra delicious. I think they are also very good without whipped cream.

    You will need a krumkake iron to make these. Back in the olden days, Norwegian women would make these on a wood stove. I can’t even imagine it!

    My grandmother would make huge batches of krumkake every year at Christmastime, and she happily gave away so many large tins to her friends.

    Watch the video to see how to make them, or scroll past to read instructions!

    How to make krumkake

    It’s a very simple recipe, but make sure you follow it exactly. Using a kitchen scale, measure out your eggs. Each of your ingredients will need to weigh the same amount as your eggs. All you will need are: eggs, sugar, flour, butter, salt, and vanilla.

    In the video, I use three eggs, which will make around 20-25 cookies.

    Check out this video to see how I make them. Then, follow the recipe included here. Enjoy!

    Krumkake (Norwegian Christmas Cookies)

    Print Recipe
    Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Norwegian
    Ingredients Equipment Method

    Ingredients
      

    • Eggs Follow instructions to see how much of each ingredient you will need
    • Sugar
    • Unsalted Butter
    • Flour
    • Vanilla (Optional)
    • Salt

    Equipment

    • Krumkake iron
    • Kitchen scale

    Method
     

    1. First, weigh your eggs. (You can do this before breaking them.) Take note of the weight. 3 eggs will make about 20-25 cookies.
    2. Next, weigh your sugar so it is the same amount as your eggs.
    3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together.
    4. Weigh your butter so it is the same weight as your eggs. Melt it, and let it cool. Whisk it in and mix until smooth.
    5. Weigh your flour so it is the same weight as your eggs. Whisk it in and mix until smooth.
    6. Add in a pinch of salt and some vanilla. Stir together.
    7. Heat up your krumkake iron. When it is hot, grease with a small amount of butter, then add a spoonful of batter. This might be about 2 tablespoons, but you will need to adjust the amount of batter depending on the size of your iron.
    8. Once your krumkake cookie is golden brown, remove quickly from the iron and roll into a cone shape. Let cool.
    9. Serve with whipped cream, or enjoy plain!