Brunkager

Brunkager are traditional Danish Christmas cookies, and the word translates to “little brown cookies”. They’re much more delicious than that makes them sound. I love them with my morning coffee, afternoon tea, before bed – you get my drift. They’re yummy and easy to keep on hand – dangerous combination!

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, I use demerara
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 – 3/4 tsp of each: nutmeg, ginger, cloves
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 – 1 cup sliced almonds, untoasted

Shape the dough into two logs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill or freeze.  For perfectly shaped cookies, I’ve taken the foil out of the box and shaped the dough in the box to make perfect squares (very pretty on a plate or for a gift).

Before baking, preheat the oven to 350 F. If the logs are frozen, thaw them in the fridge overnight or for a day or two. Take the log from the fridge and slice 1/8 – ¼” thick (closer to 1/4″) and arrange on a cookie pan. Bake for 11 minutes (less if they’re thinner) and let them rest before moving to a cooling rack.