Sweden, our direct neighbor, also has some truly delicious recipes to offer.
Here's one for you: Uppåkrakakor
Behind this name hides an extremely crumbly, delicate butter cookie. What makes it special is its shape: dough circles that are folded over once (almost like a little taco or a crescent moon) and then sprinkled with a mixture of chopped nuts (usually hazelnuts or pistachios) and pearl sugar.
Here are the key details for you:
- The dough: It's very purist – butter, sugar, flour, and often a bit of potato starch. The latter ensures that the cookies virtually melt on your tongue, a texture that's very beloved in Sweden.
- The name: It derives from Uppåkra, a significant archaeological site in southern Swedish Scania (Skåne).
- The historical twist: Uppåkra was a massive power center during the Iron Age and Viking Age. Before Scania became Swedish in the 17th century, it belonged to the Danish heartland for centuries. You could almost say these cookies have Danish roots, even though today they're considered a Swedish classic.
And here's how to make them:
425 g butter 160 g sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar (see below) 1 pinch of salt 210 g potato starch 425 g wheat flour 30 g pistachios 30 g hazelnuts 1/2 coffee cup pearl sugar 2 eggs
Preparation of the Uppåkrakakor
First, beat the butter with the sugar and vanilla sugar until pale and creamy. This takes a little while. Now mix the potato starch with the wheat flour and pinch of salt, and add to the beaten butter. Then work everything into a smooth dough. (I use a dough mixer for this) Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for one to two hours.
While the dough chills, finely chop the pistachios and hazelnuts and mix with the pearl sugar. Set aside in a bowl. Now preheat the oven to 225 degrees Celsius (top and bottom heat) and line two to three baking sheets with a baking mat or parchment paper. Now roll out the dough on a floured work surface to about 2 millimeters thick.
Cut circles from the rolled-out dough with a diameter of 6-7 centimeters. I use a dough cutter for this. Fold the circles almost in the middle once, so that an edge forms. Then place the Uppåkrakakor on the baking sheet.
Beat the eggs in a cup. Brush every five cookies with the egg and sprinkle the pistachio-hazelnut-sugar mixture over them. Continue until all cookies on the sheet are brushed. Then push the baking sheet onto one of the middle racks in the oven and bake the Uppåkrakakor for 10 minutes until golden brown.
