Swedish dreams – or things I have learned since moving to Sweden

Yesterday morning, in a desperate attempt to get Little Swede to be happy and excited about going to day care, I vaguely promised that we would bake cookies when he came home again. And then I went and forgot. Until he busted through the door screaming ‘COOKIES!!!’ and I went ‘oh crap’ – but not out loud. I don’t think.

A quick check of the fridge showed we were out of eggs. Really oh ‘crap’.

But what did this all-American girl, raised by a women who saw resistance to baking as a feminist action point, master of any Betty Crocker cake mix do?

Pick up my copy of Swedish baking bible Sju Sorters Kakor and find a recipe for the ingredients we have in the house. Then Little Swede and I whip up the perfect patch of Swedish sugar cookies, or Swedish ‘dreams’ you ever did taste. They were almost Pinterest perfect looking as well, but I was too busy eating them to take photos.

How much more Swedish can you get?

If you want to try these Swedish delicacies that are, I confess, rather easy to make – and somewhat less offensive than other Swedish desserts – here is the recipe. They do include one random ingredient that can be hard to find in the US, but you can always substitute with baking soda. And they aren’t half bad and smell less funky while baking.

Swedish Dreams

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon crushed ammonium carbonate (also called baker’s ammonium)

(1 teaspoon vanilla – optional)

Preheat oven to 300°F.

In a small bowl mix flour and salt (and baking soda if using alternate ingredient)

Beat together butter and sugar until light and airy. Beat in ammonium carbonate.  Add flour mixture slowly until well blended.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls and arrange 1 inch apart on baking paper.

Bake cookies in batches for about 18 to 22 minutes.