Scandinavian Kringler

Posted on February 6, 2013 by

48 Comments

My Grandma was an amazing cook and baker.

Home cooking, comfort food, and loving you with food were her specialties.

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Now before we go any further and I upset my Scandinavian friends…I can’t swear that this is really Scandinavian. It’s my Grandmother’s recipe and that’s what she called it, so I’m sticking to it.

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My Grandma had the best lap to sit on in the world and I always fit, even well into my teens. Just being around her gave me a sense of comfort that I really can’t explain with words. I have pictures of her on our stairwell and every now and then I stop and look really hard trying to will myself back to a time when life certainly was simpler and sweeter with a grandma around.

Grandma’s, if they’re doing it right, are the best listeners in the world. They give the best advice because they have all those years of experience and learning under their belt. Not much is a big deal to them and that in itself surrounds them in an aura of peace. They have fantastic responses to things you tell them like, “Well! I’ve never heard such a thing in my life!” or “Stop rushing! Life goes by so fast!” or my favorite, “Pish posh, there’s no need to worry!”

They love you deeply and truly like only a grandma can, and there’s something to be said for that kind of true love.

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Time does somewhat help to heal that deep ache within when you lose someone who had such a significant place in your life. They are only as far away as your best memories and I have found that cooking and baking the foods she loved helps to heal that ache. I love to remember the times I sat with her in her kitchen and all of the great family gatherings we shared at her house. We had a crazy, eclectic, somewhat volatile family at times, but I tell you, there wasn’t anywhere else in the world that I wanted to be. Her house was the comfort zone, even my friends wanted to be there!

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Crisp and flaky crust with a pastry middle.

Grandma always used apricot preserves on her Kringler. That’s another thing we could always count on. Sameness. Isn’t that true of most grandmas from my mom’s generation and mine? The sticky old hard candy in bowls? The smell of their perfume? The traditional Thanksgiving dinners? Tinsel on the tree? The perfect potato salad? Pancakes with chocolate smiles? Cinnamon and sugared left over pie crust pieces?

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I guess that means that I’m kind of “next generation (make that two)” because I do switch things up a bit when I’m baking and cooking. I’m going to have to remember that when I have grand kids of my own. I’ll make traditions and sameness that I can share with them, that they can count on every time they visit me. They’ll have that same comfort zone that I had growing up.

The role of Grandma is a very important one. And someday, when I’m given the privilege of being called Grandma, I’m going to relish in it and soak up every sweet second.

Scandinavian Kringler – Grandma Style

For the bottom layer:

1 Cup Mama’s All Purpose Almond Flour

1/2 Cup Earth Balance Soy Free Butter

1/4 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

2 Tablespoons Cold Water

Measure the flour, xanthan gum, and butter into a medium bowl. Blend with fingers or pastry blender until mixture is combined and broken up into small pieces but not mixed into dough.

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Sprinkle with the water and stir with a fork until the mixture comes together.

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Divide the dough in half and pat out into 2 –  3×10 inch strips on a parchment covered baking sheet and set aside.

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For the middle layer:

1 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Earth Balance Soy Free Butter

1 Cup Mama’s All Purpose Almond Flour

1/8 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

3 Eggs, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract

Cherry Preserves or Preserves of Your Choice

Bring the water and butter to boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and immediately stir in flour and xanthan gum until smooth.

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Add the eggs one  at a time and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.

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But maybe not so vigorously that you end up with this on the front of you and on the floor.

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You will panic at first because when you add the eggs, each time it feels like it’s separating. Just keep stirring quickly, and eventually it will look like this.

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Stir in the almond extract and spoon it onto the bottom layer. It will be sticky.

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Smooth it with the back of a spoon.

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Bake it at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. It will puff up beautifully during the baking process.

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Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for just a few minutes. It will settle a bit, but no worries, you’ll still have plenty of fluff. Spread the preserves on with a spoon. Not too much, not too little.

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Allow to cool while you’re making the topping.

For the topping:

About 1 Cup Powdered Sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons Earth Balance Soy Free Butter

1 teaspoon Almond Extract

About 2 Tablespoons Almond Milk

Sliced Almonds

Melt the butter in a small bowl. Add the powdered sugar, almond extract, and almond milk. Stir until smooth and of a thicker drizzling consistency.

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Drizzle over the Kringler.

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Sprinkle with sliced almonds and allow to cool completely before serving.

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Category: Breakfast, SweetsTags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

48 Comments on “Scandinavian Kringler”

  5. Can you PLEASE move back to the PNW and make these for me? Seriously, my keyboard is wet thanks to all the drooling! I SOOO miss danishes and donuts and gluten filled stuff like that. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Since you’re probably not moving back, I guess I need to make them myself 😉
    P.S I haven’t heard of that flour blend. Can I get that here in Spokane? Or would another brand of Almond Flour work? I think I have Bob’s Red Mill in my fridge…

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    • I wouldn’t use Bob’s because it’s too “beany”. You can get the Mama’s at Huckleberry’s or at Yokes on Argonne. Yokes on Argonne has a great gluten free area. 🙂

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  7. Oh, I know all about family names for something that might upset the “purists.” Ya know what? Too bad. If Mom called this dish “Phil”, I’m calling it “Phil”, too. The expert calling it “Fred” makes little difference. Beside, I can delete the expert’s comment and no one will be the wiser. 🙂
    So happy that you were able to modify your Grandma’s recipe to make it GF. You can now enjoy it and the nostalgia that is sure to come with each piece. Your photos, by the way, were well-shot, too.

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    • Ha, you are funny! It is what it is, I had never thought about deleting the naysayers.. 😉 Luckily I haven’t had to deal with that (so far).

      Thanks for the photo compliment! I am loving my new camera and trying different things. Have a great day! ~ April

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  8. I really enjoyed learning about your Grandma, April, your stories reminded me a lot of my own Gran. I’ve missed her quite a bit recently, so this story and recipe really resonated for me tonight. I love my gran, love her recipes just like you. This one is so spectacular and pretty when all finished up.. your Grandma was an awesome baker.. just like her granddaughter! xx

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  9. Your grandmother sounds very special. You are so right, grandmothers are very important and they always are, good listeners. I love this recipe of hers, it looks so very yummy. It must be so nice with the ground almonds, sugar and jam – great combo xx

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  10. Thanks for sharing that recipe – looks like a perfect Saturday breakfast. But like all grandma stile delights with long preparation time..

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    • It actually doesn’t take long at all! It’s very, very, easy. I’ve whipped it up on several occasions for dessert after dinner. I would say it only takes about 20 minutes to actually prepare. The cooking time is the longest.

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  11. Looks to die for, but it might not do much for my diabetes! I’ll be making it anyway 🙂 Thanks! Linda

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  12. This looks like real food, and it is so beautiful!

    I really wanted to try it using the suggested flour. However, the shipping was as much as the product. Did you order yours or find it in a store somewhere? If in a store I hope it is one I can get to. 😉 In the meantime I thought of using Pamela’s baking mix, but it has salt and baking soda in it. Do you think that will ruin it?

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    • Well, it’s a pretty basic pastry recipe. I’m not sure what the salt and baking soda would do. Try it, you never know. Now that we live in NH I order it from her website. I don’t think I had to pay that much shipping though! They sold it in two places in the city I am from. I have yet to see it on the east coast. She’s from Montana. 🙂

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      • I just checked my label. I paid 27.98 for 8 pounds of flour and paid 9.98 for shipping. So basically you’re going to pay about $18.00 for 4 pounds of flour. Pricey I know. If you can find it locally or ask a health food store to order it in for you, that would be your best bet. But I promise, if you have to order it online, it’s worth every single penny. 🙂

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  14. This sort of reminds me of a danish.. but so much much better than it lol. I love this. And like so many others have said previously, My grandmother was my second mother and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of her 🙂

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    • I’m happy to hear that you had a wonderful grandma too! I just cringe when people tell me they aren’t close to their grandparents or their own children aren’t. So sad! What amazing things they’re missing out on by not having awesome grandparents in their lives.

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  15. this looks RIDICULOUS! i cannot wait to make it. the pastry middle especially. ill have to wait to unpack my bags in SF but this is seriously on the list of first must-do’s. so lovely!

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  16. Made this a few times and LOVE it, especially with raspberries instead of cherries, however wondering if you have any ideas or if it is even REMOTELY possible to make this egg-free…please shout out your thoughts!

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    • Hmmm…I think you would have to talk to someone who is egg free and very alternative savvy. That would not be me. I can’t even begin to wonder what you could use instead, since the eggs are such an integral part of the recipe. Good luck though, and be sure to let me know if you find something that works! 🙂

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  17. are you sure the second layer requires a full cup of water plus 1/2 c butter? When adding just one cup flour, it came out runny. I ended up adding 2 more cups flour just to get it to the thicker consistency like your pictures.

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