Danish Kringle
Danish Kringle, or “Kringla” (which what my family recipe collection calls this recipe), seems to be a midwestern variation of “kringle,” which is the actual name. This Danish kringle recipe has been around since at least the time my grandmother was a young housewife in Des Moines, Iowa, in the late 1940s. Where she got it before that, I don’t know!
Here is her kringle recipe passed down to my Mom then to me:
Danish Kringle Recipe (Kringla – Norwegian)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup of Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
- 3 cups of Flour
- 1/2 cup of Margarine (recipe says “oleo”) or Butter
- 1 cup of Buttermilk
- 2-1/2 teaspoons of Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla or a dash of Nutmeg
DIRECTIONS:
Cream together the sugar and margarine or butter (“oleo”), then add the egg and mix well. Sift together the baking soda, flour and baking powder and add to the sugar mixture, alternately, with the buttermilk. Add the vanilla or nutmeg and mix. Cover tightly and let rest overnight in the refrigerator.
Taking approximately 1 teaspoon at a time, roll the dough into a thin roll and make into a pretzel-like shape. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in a pre-heated 475° oven until they are brown on the bottom. Place under broiler for approximately 1 minute (just until brown on top).
I was THRILLED to find this recipe. My family has made these for generations as well, but my Aunt passed away, and my Mom lost her recipe. We always made these as a Christmas tradition, I can finaly pass it on to my children now. Thank you!
My Swedish grandfather brought his recipe over in the early 1900′s and settled in the Chicago area and we have been making kringles for years. Our recipe is like yours but it does not contain vanilla or nutmeg. It is more bread than cookie. Some spread butter on them to eat but I like them plain. I was looking on the internet to see the difference in Swedish & Norwegian kringles and only found recipes that were the Danish version but labeled Swedish Kringles I found yours when I searched for buttermilk kringle recipes. Family traditions are wonderful. Thank you for sharing your story..