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« Julekonfekt – Marzipan With Nougat Confections
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Vaniljekranse a la Blomsterberg

December 22, 2014 by mydanishkitchen

Vaniljekranse a la Blomsterberg

Vaniljekranse a la Blomsterberg

This year I wanted to try a different Vaniljekranse recipe for Christmas, although my Mom’s recipe still remains my favorite. When I saw Mette Blomsterberg’s recipe I wanted to try it because, #1 she is a very talented Danish pastry chef and #2 this recipe says you can use a pastry bag with a star shaped decorating tip to press out the cookies. This is of particular interest for those of you who don’t have the traditional star attachment for a KitchenAid machine (which I know is a great fustration to many Danes living outside Denmark). And so I tried it out and it is possible to press the cookies out using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, however, I didn’t have the muscle to continue on with it. So unless you have a very strong and preferably handsome mountain man handy to help you out, I think you might have a hard time.

Making Vaniljekranse using a pastry bag with a star decorating tip.

Making Vaniljekranse using a pastry bag with a star decorating tip.

Lets talk a little bit about butter. This year I was lucky enough to find real Danish Lurpak butter at a local high-end grocery store. It is expensive, but the result is a wonderful, very creamy buttery taste to your cookies. Is it worth the extra cost? To most people, probably not, but it sure is a fantastic creamy butter. Also, I want to point out that when you bake in Denmark it is a given that you use salted butter, whereas in the US you typically bake with unsalted butter, unless otherwise stated, and then a little salt is built into the recipe on the side. Just worth noting (it actually took me 28 years to realize this, ha).

Creamy Danish Lurpak butter

Creamy Danish Lurpak butter

Vaniljekranse (makes about 35 cookies)

Ingredients:

1 whole vanilla bean

180 grams sugar

200 grams salted butter, room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

75 grams almond meal/flour

250 grams all-purpose flour

Directions:

Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and press the seeds into a tablespoon of the sugar. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla seeds until smooth and creamy (4-5 minutes). Add the egg and continue mixing until fully incorporated. In small increments, add almond meal and flour, mix until dough comes together.

If you plan on using a piping bag with a star tip to press out dough and form into circles, roll up your sleeves and use dough immediately.

If you plan on using a star attachment for you KitchenAid mixer, wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in refrigeator for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 390 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut dough into small segments and load the dough into the meat grinder attachment on your KitchenAid machine. Run the dough through the star attachment into long strips, place dough onto baking sheet and cut dough into 4 inch long pieces and form into circle. Bake in the middle of oven for 10-14 minutes or until just turning golden. Cool on baking sheets for a couple of minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Once cookies are completely cooled, store in an airtight cookie tin.

Merry Christmas and Enjoy.

Star attachment on KitchenAid meat grinder.

Star attachment on KitchenAid meat grinder.

Source: adapted from Mette Blomsterberg

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Posted in Christmas, Cookies, Danish | Tagged christmas, cookies, Danish, dansk, jul, Mette Blomsterberg, småkager, vaniljekranse, vanilla, vanilla wreaths | 20 Comments

20 Responses

  1. on November 16, 2016 at 08:54 Sid

    I finally made Vaniljekranse last year. And they were so good. I pulled out my mom’s meat grinder, used the star plate my dad made, and felt close to both of them as I made my cookies. And they were so good.


    • on November 16, 2016 at 09:09 mydanishkitchen

      Vaniljekranse are always on my Christmas cookies-to-bake list ☺


  2. on February 27, 2016 at 11:08 Sofie

    Can you use vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean?


    • on February 27, 2016 at 18:28 mydanishkitchen

      Sure you can 🙂


  3. on February 20, 2016 at 11:27 Sarah

    If you can’t get slated butter how much salt would you use? 😀


    • on February 20, 2016 at 19:04 mydanishkitchen

      Sarah, well I would start with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Better too little than too much.


  4. on January 27, 2015 at 22:33 ryan

    I live in Indonesia, this is the famous cake originating from Denmark given by Mother to her son every morning along with the milk, and I still remember it …


    • on January 28, 2015 at 05:32 mydanishkitchen

      I did not know that Vaniljekranse was popular in India 🙂


  5. on January 16, 2015 at 08:07 London Eats

    Hi Gitte – they look great! I made some this year and they were a big hit. Some others were dipped in dark chocolate, and as I had used salted butter, the flavour was fantastic.

    It’s funny that Lurpak is a luxury for you guys…I use it in all my baking over here. Guess we’re just lucky!


    • on January 20, 2015 at 06:07 mydanishkitchen

      Yes you are lucky over there, here Lurpak butter can be real difficult to find, not to mention expensive. I saw your Vaniljekranse and they looked super delicious 😛


  6. on December 29, 2014 at 07:42 Hanne

    Piping them out of a bag like this was actually the way my mother would make these when I was growing up! Yes, works the arm muscles… but oh so good! Will have to print out this recipe since I no longer have hers. Thanks for this!


  7. on December 28, 2014 at 17:55 Sherri Seifert

    It’s fun for me to read your blog….am glad I found it. You have lived in the US for twenty some years and my sister has lived in Denmark for almost 40. She cooks very traditional Danish food. When Mom goes to visit is when the American favorite requests start coming…..apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls…..oh, we love all our foods!


    • on December 28, 2014 at 20:10 mydanishkitchen

      Sherri, yes indeed we do 🙂


  8. on December 27, 2014 at 19:39 Phyllis@Oracibo

    My grandmother, Anna Knudsen used to make and send us a big box of cookies every Christmas and this was one of them! Who knew that Kitchen Aid makes certain attachments for certain countries? Maybe when I go to Denmark I should find a kitchen store and get one of these?


  9. on December 26, 2014 at 15:23 Sid's cooking again...

    Glædelig Jul, a little late. I had every intention of making Vanille Kranser this year, but ran short on time. But, my brother told me he tried using a cookie press one year to make the cookies, but broke one before he gave up. I’m just heading down to make some Gule Aerter soup.


    • on December 26, 2014 at 17:28 mydanishkitchen

      Glædelig Jul Sid
      Your brother broke his cookie press trying to make Vaniljekranse….yikes. I’ve heard of many people using a cookie-press successfully to make the cookies, maybe not chilling the dough would make it easier. Happy New Year!


  10. on December 24, 2014 at 17:56 GRDANEBJ902@aol.com

    Hallo: lige en lille Jule Hilsen for at sige at jeg er saa glad for a t modtage dine opskrifter via email. Tak for dem, og tak for dig. Jeg er I grand Rapids Michigan, ahr varet i landet i over 50 aar, alt some smager og lugter af Danmark gor mig glad. Glaedelig Jul, kh, Birthe


    • on December 25, 2014 at 06:43 mydanishkitchen

      Kære Birthe, det er jeg glad for at høre. Glædelig Jul 🎅


  11. on December 23, 2014 at 01:25 ramblingtart

    Ohhh, you brought back such good memories with this recipe. 🙂 My Danish Grandmother would make them every year. 🙂


    • on December 23, 2014 at 04:31 mydanishkitchen

      Krista, they are so good and I just have to make them every year 😛 it’s a stable.



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