Norwegian Kringler
It occurred to me that I won't be baking this until Christmas Eve (to have for Christmas morning brunch), but some people asked for the recipe and might want to make it sooner than that. The drawback is that you don't get a picture with this recipe. You'll be ok.
This is not a cookie, it's a pastry. Make sure you have plenty of butter and almond extract on hand. And coffee. My sisters-in-law and nieces are hilarious with this stuff. They'll make a batch and eat the WHOLE thing, then have to make more later that day or again the next day. Lather, rinse, repeat. I would love to know just how many batches they can make in a week together during the holidays. Maybe one of the younger girls will spy and report back. I promise I won't name names, really.
PLEASE READ ENTIRE RECIPE - it's broken into sections!
Norwegian Kringler
1 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/2 cup cold butter
1 T (or more) cold water
Cut butter into flour like you would for pie crust. Stir in the water, adding a bit more if necessary, to make a stiff dough. Roll it out less than 1/4 inch thick directly onto a large baking sheet, in a rectangle or oval shape. If you don't have a flat sheet, turn over a standard jelly-roll pan and roll it out on that. Works slick!
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
In a medium saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, add flour and stir well. Turn heat down and add eggs, one at a time, until each is completely incorporated. It'll seem like they will never absorb, but keep stirring, they will. Remove from heat and add almond extract. Spread this mixture onto the first layer of pastry you've rolled out, coming almost to the edges.
Bake this at 375 for 45 minutes until golden. Don't worry about it puffing, it will deflate as it cools.
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
sliced almonds (this means flat with skin on, slivered are the stick kind)
Cream sugar, butter, cream and almond together. Spread on cooled pastry, and sprinkle with almonds. Cut into diagonal, finger-length pieces to serve.
This is not a cookie, it's a pastry. Make sure you have plenty of butter and almond extract on hand. And coffee. My sisters-in-law and nieces are hilarious with this stuff. They'll make a batch and eat the WHOLE thing, then have to make more later that day or again the next day. Lather, rinse, repeat. I would love to know just how many batches they can make in a week together during the holidays. Maybe one of the younger girls will spy and report back. I promise I won't name names, really.
PLEASE READ ENTIRE RECIPE - it's broken into sections!
Norwegian Kringler
1 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/2 cup cold butter
1 T (or more) cold water
Cut butter into flour like you would for pie crust. Stir in the water, adding a bit more if necessary, to make a stiff dough. Roll it out less than 1/4 inch thick directly onto a large baking sheet, in a rectangle or oval shape. If you don't have a flat sheet, turn over a standard jelly-roll pan and roll it out on that. Works slick!
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
In a medium saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, add flour and stir well. Turn heat down and add eggs, one at a time, until each is completely incorporated. It'll seem like they will never absorb, but keep stirring, they will. Remove from heat and add almond extract. Spread this mixture onto the first layer of pastry you've rolled out, coming almost to the edges.
Bake this at 375 for 45 minutes until golden. Don't worry about it puffing, it will deflate as it cools.
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
sliced almonds (this means flat with skin on, slivered are the stick kind)
Cream sugar, butter, cream and almond together. Spread on cooled pastry, and sprinkle with almonds. Cut into diagonal, finger-length pieces to serve.