A recipe for Serinakaker (Norwegian Butter Cookies)! These buttery cookies are topped with a sprinkling of chopped almonds and sugar.
I first came across Serinakaker (Norwegian Butter Cookies) while reviewing Norwegian Baking Through the Seasons a couple of years ago and they are such a wonderful addition to the holiday cookie platter.
Dating back to the 1800s, these buttery cookies come together with only a handful of ingredients, minimal prep, and no resting time. Simply form the dough, roll into rounds, top with almonds and sugar, then bake until set.
Once cooled to room temperature, store the Serinakaker in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Forming the Serinakaker
Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.
Most of the flavor in these cookies comes from the butter. For best results, use a high-quality, salted butter. Soften at room temperature before mixing into the flour.
Mix by hand, not with a mixer, to avoid overworking the dough.
I topped the cookies with chopped almonds and sparkling sugar. I have also seen sliced almonds and granulated sugar or pearl sugar.
To keep that soft, buttery texture, bake the Serinakaker just until set and lightly golden on the bottom, 12-14 minutes. They shouldn’t darken on top.
I baked the cookies one baking sheet at a time. If baking both sheets at once, rotate halfway through to cooking time.
Vanilla Sugar
Vanilla sugar (Vaniljesukker) adds a wonderful light vanilla flavor to the Serinakaker. You can buy small packets of vanilla sugar in the European section of many larger supermarkets, but it is easy to make at home.
Scrape out the seeds of one vanilla bean and mix well with 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar. Store in an airtight container with the scraped out vanilla beans.
If unavailable, swap for 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
Looking for more Norwegian recipes?
Try:
- Arme Riddere (Norwegian Cinnamon Toast)
- Hveteboller (Norwegian Cardamom Buns)
- Gammeldags Tekake (Old Fashioned Tea Cake)
Serinakaker (Norwegian Butter Cookies) Recipe
Adapted from North Wild Kitchen
Serinakaker (Norwegian Butter Cookies)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 12 tablespoons (170 grams) salted butter softened at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (12 grams) vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 large egg
Topping:
- 1 egg white
- chopped almonds or sliced almonds
- sparkling sugar or pearl sugar or granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.
- Mix in the softened butter with your hands until the texture becomes sandy.
- Mix in the sugar, vanilla sugar, and whole egg just until a soft dough comes together.
- On a large work surface, roll the dough into a rope about 20 inches (51 centimeters) long.
- Cut the dough into slices about 3/4 inch (2 centimeters) thick.
- Roll each slice of dough into a smooth ball and place on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches (5 centimeters) apart.
- Use a fork to lightly press down on the top of each round. If the edges crack, gently press them back together.
- Brush each cookie with the egg white and sprinkle some chopped almonds and sparkling sugar or pearl sugar over the top.
- Bake in the center of the preheated oven just until set and lightly golden on the bottom, 12-14 minutes. If baking both sheets at once, rotate halfway through.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
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