Anna Rubingh - Noords December Bakken

Photography & words: © Anna Rubingh

Published in SEASONS magazine (NL) 12-2021

December in the far north has something magical. Dark days when it barely gets light, the sagas and legends and the little lights sparkling in the dark. December is the month of Christmas. These easy festive recipes will bring a bit of Nordic in to your home, and make your kitchen smell fantastic. Get into December with Nordic cookies, cakes and sweet buns, all spicy, warm and sweet.

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Thin, crispy ginger cookies from the far north, the spirit of Nordic Christmas and home made they are best! (and great to do with kids) Make lots of dough and freeze it. so you have fresh pepparkakor all through December. And they are also fantastic combined with blue cheese too! (photos of that combination can be found below)

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Sweet rolls with cinnamon and cranberries for a special december breakfast. Or just have one with your coffee as a special December Fika-moment. (Fika being the Swedish word for a coffee break)

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An old Nordic treat and a beautiful December decoration pinned to a branch (and still a good December treat)

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A spicy soft cake, beautifully baked in a bundt cake tin. Add a festive touch by stirring cranberry jam and some fresh or dried cranberries into the batter.

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A super festive (and easy to make) December cake! A baked cheese cake with a pepparkakor base, topped with cranberry jam, all homemade, of course. Perfect for dessert but also great with a coffee or tea.

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Glögg is a warm spiced wine from Scandinavia, often with a splash of aquavit, strong Scandinavian booze, added. But you don't need to do that. Great with pepparkakor topped with blue cheese!

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Lussekatter are sweet saffron rolls served in Sweden at Santa Lucia day, a celebration on December 13th when girls with candles carry light into the dark Scandinavian winter. One of them, Saint Lucia, wears a crown with candles. Saffron spiced rolls are served together with pepperkakor and glögg to celebrate the occasion.

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A fine December dessert, or just eat the spiced cake with cardamom on its own as a cake with coffee or tea. The pears are simmered in cranberry juice and match the cake perfectly, with the vanilla sauce bringing it together into a fantastic and easy to make festive dessert.