Earlier this month, we launched a colorful virtual julekalender (Advent calendar) to highlight various aspects of the Norwegian holiday season. If you missed it- you can catch up, here.
One of the important facets of norsk jul is food—both sweet and savory. The rule of thumb for julebakst (Christmas baked goods) is that you should have a good variety of cookies, in fact, seven kinds or sju slag /syv sorter kaker.
Depending on who you ask, this list varies quite a bit. The Norwegian Dairy Council, melk.no, names their top seven cookies but adds nine other types, for good measure. Recipe site matprat.no (“food talk”) can’t narrow things down, either, listing 11 kinds. YouGov conducted a 2022 survey on behalf of the Opplysningskontoret for brød og korn (the Norwegian Bread and Grain Council) to figure out the top seven cookies. They determined that people generally continue making the familiar cookies they grew up with.
CEO Torunn Nordbø of the Norwegian Bread and Grain Council says that your top sju/syv largely depend on where you live, adding that about 43 percent of the respondents had the recipe passed down from one’s mother. (click on CC button for English subtitles)
Here are the 2022 survey results:
1. Kransekake – 11% named it a top favorite – kransekake is a cake, but people include it in their sju slag
2. Krumkaker – took back 2nd place
3. Pepperkaker – down from 2nd
4. Brune pinner – cinnamon strips with almond-topped crunch
5. Sarah Bernhardt kaker – (almond macaron base topped with ganache and dark chocolate)
6. Smultringer (fluffy spiced doughnuts)
7. Delfiakake (called “a classic that undoubtedly belongs at Christmas.” This no-bake recipe layers biscuits and marzipan between a chocolatey mix)
According to the 2022 YouGov survey, fattigmann and berlinerkranser are falling from the ranks of the sju slag favorites. “One of the reasons may be that they are a little difficult to make,” according to Nordbø. But the overwhelming consensus is that homemade cookies are the best, as people still tend to bake their own, or receive tins of assorted cookies from family and friends.
Here is a breakdown based on the cookies mentioned by Norwegian recipe sites covering the Sju Slag or Syv Sorter, with the top seven highlighted:
tine.no +
melk.no *
meny.no #
matprat.no %
brodogkorn.no @ 2022 survey results
brodogkorn.no ^ traditional list
+*#%^Sandkaker / Sandbakkelser
+*#%^Fattigmann
+*#%^Goro
+#%^Sirupsnipper
*#%^Berlinerkranser
*#%^@Krumkaker
#%^@Smultringer (this recipe is a vegan version– for the traditional version, see link above)
*%^Serinakaker
%^@Kransekake / Almond ring cake
*%@Pepperkaker / Gingerbread cookies
%^Kokosmakroner / Coconut macaroons
@Sarah Bernhardt
@delfiakaker
@brune pinner
+Hjortetakk
+Rosetter
+Bordstabel
Honorable mentions:
Sjakkruter / Checkerboard cookies
Havrekaker / Oatmeal lace cookies
Tyske skiver / German shortbread slices
Stjernekaker / Star cookies
Smørkranser / Butter rings
Syltetøyhjerter / Raspberry jam hearts
Riflekjeks (på norsk)
Kanelpinner Crunchy cinnamon sticks
Strull / Roll-ups
Napoleonshatter /Napoleon hats (note: Norwegian recipes do not use chocolate)
Gaffelkaker / Fork cookies (på norsk)
What are your sju slag, or seven kinds of Norwegian Christmas cookies?
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Watch how to make Sjakkruter / Heart Baskets and get the recipe: