We had some teenagers over for a Swedish themed dinner last night. They were participating in a "missionary for a day" activity. They were paired up into companionships, like the official missionaries for our church and were assigned to a family for dinner. They ate with us and then taught us a lesson about Heavenly Father's plan for us.
My husband served a mission in Sweden. He lived there for two years and loved it. Swedish meatballs are a staple at our house. (They're super easy to make and my pickiest eater's favorite!). When we visit IKEA we usually stock up on the cream gravy packets and jars of Lingonberries. We were out of lingonberry, but after a few phone calls, I found some at one of our local grocery stores.
We ate meatballs, gravy, lingonberry, mashed potatoes (I ran out of time, other wise I would have steamed little red potatoes from our garden) and green beans (though my husband doesn't remember eating them in Sweden). We tried some tasteless crispbread (KNÄCKEBRÖD) and cheese. And of course, Swedish fish!
For dessert, I found this recipe for Swedish Oat Crisp Cookies. After doing lots of google searches to see if these are really common in Sweden (I know they sell them at IKEA), I found that they are pretty common. They are really yummy without the chocolate dipped bottom. Or you can sandwich two of them together after the bottoms are dipped in chocolate. Or be daring and make them into ice-cream sandwiches.
The recipe is super easy. Just melt butter on the stove. Add the dry ingredients. Add sugar and wet ingredients. Bake until bubbly and crispy. Dip in chocolate. And eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. :) Super yummy!
I didn't have any parchment paper, so I tried baking them on a non-stick spray coated cookie sheet. Teh cookies were really hard to get off and made a crumbly mess, which I had to eat. Yum. So, I used aluminum foil that I lightly sprayed with cooking spray. These were easier to get off. After they cooled, the foil peeled pretty easily off.
These are a new family favorite! I'm sure they'll make an appearance very soon!
Havreflarn (Swedish Oat Crisp Cookie)
Printable Recipe
Makes about 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 0.5 cup butter
- 1.5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 4 Tablespoon ground almonds
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1.5 cups milk, dark, or semi-sweet chocolate chips (or a combination of all three)
- 1.5 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/4 cup Heath toffee bits
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or you can use aluminum foil in a pinch, but grease it well).
- Grind a small amount of almonds (I used a handful, but didn't measure) in food processor until very finely chopped, but not turned into almond butter. I ground too many so I put the extra in the freezer for later.
- Melt butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat.
- In separate bowl mix together oats, ground almonds, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add to butter in saucepan.
- In another small bowl, mix together vanilla, egg and sugar. Add to oat mixture in saucepan.
- Scoop small amounts of dough (I used a small cookie scoop) onto lined baking sheet. Only put six cookies per sheet, since you want them to spread and be flat and crispy.
- Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are starting to brown and bubbly and the middle is no longer doughy. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes. Remove from parchment and let cool on rack completely.
- Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in a double boiler or in the microwave on reduced power for a minute or two (stopping to stir often). Add toffee bits.
- Dip the bottom of the cookies into the chocolate. Sandwich two cookie bottoms together or leave them single. The chocolate will set better if you refrigerate or freeze them.(These would be super yummy as ice cream cookie sandwiches.)
Recipe source: Not Quite Nigella (adapted slightly)
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