KRUMKAKE SEASON! UFF-DA!

It is that time of year again, the annual baking of the Krumkake! Our little town sponsors an annual Norwegian Festival complete with baked samples of; krumkake, lefse, lutefisk, rommegrot, sandbakkels, kringle, and meatball sandwiches to name just a few. There's also Norwegian folk dancing, a huge parade, lutefisk* eating contest, canoe races, bunad shows, and tons of live music up and down the main street. (*Lutefisk tastes and looks like rancid wallpaper paste, not that I've ever tasted rancid wallpaper paste, but I did try lutefisk once and that is exactly how I imagine it would taste!)

Each year I bake many dozens of Krumkake for this festival, (pronounced kroom-kaka, not crumb cake!) This is a treasured cookie bake by only a handful of people anymore, (and some of those who bake them - shouldn't!) This cookie is supposed to be very light and crispy, rolled on a slightly tapered cone. Some "bakers" in these parts try to pass off a very heavy, soggy krumkake as the real deal. Shame on them. If you ever come around here and are served one of those soggy things, demand your money back and move on to the lefse or varmepolse booth! But if you are lucky enough to get a really well baked Krumkake, a light crispy one that crumbles upon the first bite, you've got the real thing! Savor it!

For those of you who feel adventurous enough to try them at home, here's how it's done! ENJOY!!

First, gather the ingredients (which, by the way, are basically the same ingredients for most all of the Norwegian treats, just baked differently!) You'll need flour, sugar, eggs, milk or half & half and/or cream, butter (REAL BUTTER, NO MARGARINE ALLOWED!!!), cardamon or vanilla extract or lemon extract.

And, most importantly, you'll need a krumkake iron, available online or in an import shop. The best brand I've found is the Nordicware brand, to be used over a burner on your stove top. Some people also use the double electric models, but I prefer to use the stove top method, not because it's any better, it's just what I've always done.

You'll also need a krumkake roller. These are a couple that my dad made for me 25 years ago or more on his lathe. Some irons come with a wooden roller, or you could have someone make you one. They taper from 1 1/2 inches down to about 3/4 of an inch.














Krumkake Recipe:
2 eggs, beaten until lemon yellow.
1 cup sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract, or lemon extract, or cardamon
1 stick melted and cooled butter

Beat together above until blended.

Add to egg mixture alternately:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 scant cup milk

Put batter in refrigerator overnight to let all air bubbles work their way out. This will prevent your cookie from having a very fragile lacy edge and instead have a strong solid edge.

To bake:
Put on your favorite CD or plug in your IPod, because you have to stand at your counter/stove top for the next hour without leaving! Heat the krumkake on stove top on medium high heat. Frequently turning from one side to the other to heat each side evenly. Brush a small amount of butter on your iron when heated then blot off excess.

Put about 1 rounded teaspoon of batter on the iron, immediately gently squeeze the iron shut, keep gently squeezing until you feel a very slight release of steam or the batter puff up just a hair. Let cook for a few seconds, maybe 10, then turn the iron over and bake another 20 seconds or so. Check the cookie, it should be very, very slightly tan, NOT DARK BROWN and NOT PURE WHITE. I usually burn my first cookie in each batch because the iron is too hot or because I don't turn the iron over soon enough. Just keep trying, you'll find the perfect timing on your own iron after a few burned cookies or a few undercooked cookies. Be patient, it takes practice!

When the cookie is baked to the right color, immediately remove it with a spatula to a nearby towel on the counter top and roll it IMMEDIATELY around your cone, be sure you tuck in the end so that while it cools it does not become unrolled. Let it cool on the cone while you start the next cookie. Take it off the roller when you turn the iron over for the next cookie. Let cooked/rolled krumkake cool completely and then place in an AIR TIGHT container or tin. You can separate each layer with waxed paper to protect cookies from breaking. Be sure to have your AC on when baking these or do it on a very cool, dry morning in Iowa. If it's too humid in the kitchen, they will get soggy very quickly.

They can be stored for months if they are in an AIR TIGHT container!!

ENJOY!