Norwegian Coffee Cake Kringlas

Norwegian kringla are those tender, softly-puffy pretzel-shaped cookies you’ll find on every Scandinavian holiday cookie tray, pale golden on top and barely sweet, perfect for dunking in coffee. They look like tiny pretzels or figure-eights, and the traditional twisted shape isn’t for decoration. The looped form helps them bake evenly on top and bottom at the high oven heat without burning.

The overnight refrigerator rest is the non-negotiable step. Even the original cook emphasizes this twice. The chill develops subtle fermented buttermilk flavor and firms the dough enough to roll into the signature long strips. Skip it and you get a decent biscuit. Include it and you get actual kringla. Rolling and then chilling the formed shapes again for an hour before baking is the second secret, helping them hold their pretzel shape and rise to that characteristic plump profile.

Pro Tips

• Do not skip the overnight chill. The cook says it twice and means it. Flavor and texture both depend on this slow cold rest.
• Roll strips to uniform thickness. Thin spots burn at 450F (230C) before thick spots set. Aim for consistent pencil-width strips.
• Watch them like a hawk in the oven. Six to eight minutes can mean golden perfection or sad charcoal. Weather and humidity affect timing.
• Pull when light brown on top, not dark. They continue carryover cooking for a minute on the hot pan.

Variations

• Add a half teaspoon of freshly grated cardamom to the dough for a deeper Scandinavian spice profile.
• Brush warm kringla with a thin powdered sugar glaze for a sweeter, more dessert-like cookie.
• Replace buttermilk with sour cream for a richer, more tender crumb that stays soft for days.