Sandbakelse

Sandbakelse are traditional Scandinavian butter cookies that show up on holiday tables across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and anywhere Scandinavian grandmothers settled. The name means “sand tarts” and that sandy, crumbly texture is exactly what you’re after.

The dough is simple: butter, sugar, egg, flour, and cardamom. That cardamom is the signature Scandinavian touch, giving these cookies a warm, floral aroma you can smell the moment they come out of the oven. The dough needs a long chill in the fridge so it firms up enough to press into the tiny tart tins.

Press the dough into the mini muffin cups with your thumb, creating a thin, even shell. Too thick and they lose their delicate snap. Fill each little cup with currant jelly or raspberry jam after baking and finish with a snowfall of powdered sugar.

Pro Tips

• Chill the dough for at least 2 hours. Warm dough sticks to your fingers and the tins and you’ll lose your mind.
• Press thin and even. These should be fragile and delicate, not thick like a shortbread cup.
• Butter the tins lightly even if they’re nonstick. Sandbakelse are notorious for sticking.
• Let them cool completely in the tins before removing. They shatter if you try to pop them out warm.

Variations

• Use almond extract in place of cardamom for a more traditional Swedish variation.
• Fill with lemon curd instead of jam for a tart, citrusy version.
• Skip the filling entirely and serve them plain as crisp butter cookies alongside coffee.