Vaniljekranse
Traditional Danish Christmas cookies. This version is formed by hand, which means they do not have the typical shape. They are however easier to make if you don’t have a meat grinder.
Jewish Christmas Cookies
Jødekager
These cookies were developed by Jewish bakers in Copenhagen in the early 1800’s at some point. They are part of the Danish Christmas cookie pantheon. If you ask most of my family they are the best part. There are many versions of this recipe, I have found a few for you. My family’s recipe as well as two from 1890 – they are quite different.
Jewish Christmas Cookies anno 1890 – 2
Jødekager 1890
Here is Madam Mangor’s recipe in Danish – I have translated it below and converted the amounts to modern measurements.
1½ pund mel, 3/4 pund udvasket smør, ½ pund puddersukker, 2 æg, 2 teskefulde hjortetakssalt, opløst i lidt rosenvand, æltes godt, udrulles og stikkes med en kop. De overstryges med æggeblomme eller æggehvide, strøes med puddersukker og belægges med skårne mandler. Noget af melet tilbageholdes til at mele brættet og rullen med. Dette bliver en stor portion.
I have not tested this recipe in a modern oven yet. So use common sense. The recipe says that this a large portion.
Jewish Christmas Cookies anno 1890 – 1
Jødekager 1890
Here is Madam Mangor’s recipe in Danish – I have translated it below and converted the amounts to modern measurements.
3/4 pund smør udvaskes, og deri kommes 1 pund mel, ½ pund puddersukker, revet skal af 1 citron, en halv snes hylstre kardemomme, som er stødt, 1 lod stødt kanel, samt 2 lod bitre og 6 lod søde stødte mandler. Når dette er godt æltet sammen, udrulles det, ikke for tyndt, på brættet med mel uden for vægten, stikkes af med en kop eller et glas, smøres med æggeblomme og bages ved god ild. Heraf bliver omkring 70 kager.
I have not tested this recipe in a modern oven yet. So use common sense. The recipe does not have any raising agent, so I am assuming they are quite hard. Most of this kind of cookies are 3-4 mm thick.
Jewish Christmas Cookies
Jødekager
These cookies were developed by Jewish bakers in Copenhagen in the 1800’s at some point. They are part of the Danish Christmas cookie pantheon. If you ask most of my family they are the best part. This version is my family’s recipe but I have also found two old ones. I am not sure where my mom got it, but it is her recipe.
Brown Christmas Cookies
Brunkager
“Brunkager” is a old danish type of cookies from the wood stove era, like most of the other Danish cookies. They are one of my favourite cookies for two reasons, they are extremely crisp and they are fast to bake. I always make the dough in advance, freeze it and bake it when I want to have something on hand for guests and want the house to smell of Christmas. It doesn’t hurt that they are really tasty. I think this year’s recipe is the most tasty I have had yet. The early recipes for “brunkager” show up in danish recipe books around 1835 and they are related to gingerbread cookies.
Lutendranck
Lutendranck was the first historic spiced wine I tasted. Lutendranck is a medieval sweetened and spiced white wine that was typically enjoyed cold. While Kasper thinks the name means lute drink – or he puts it “gitar wine”. It sadly isn’t the meaning, rather it means something like clarified wine – which makes sense since it has been put though a sive to remove the spices. But it is less of a good story. It is sweet and spiced and totally yummy. The batch I made last week started tasting kind of like good mead and now tastes very spiced but still totally delicious. The wine could be drunk for fun or as a medicinal drink that could cure mental problems such as: longing, cantankerous, misery and melancholy. It could also be used to clean the chest and against coughs.
