This is one of Aubrey's favorite phrases: "I like-uh the ____________!" I like-uh the song! I like-uh the baby! And lately, I hear a lot of this: "I like-uh the bakkels!"
Bakkels. A Norwegian Christmas "cookie" that is tradition in the Moore family. I got to see them made first-hand for the first time over Thanksgiving. It was an education, for sure! They are like a thin, fried flatbread that has a very distinct taste, thanks to the cardamom seed that flavors the dough.
As I was writing this post and looking for a version of the recipe to include, I learned all kinds of interesting things about bakkels (including how to spell cardamom). The full name is apparently Fattigman Bakkelser, or "poor man's pastry." Some jokingly "translate" it as the "fat man's cookie," no doubt because the original recipe calls for it to be fried in lard! One family even posted how their dad's "literal" translation is "fat man's buckle," because of the unique shape.
I also learned how the recipe changes based on who's making it...some use only cinammon instead of the traditional cardamom, some use both, some add orange or lemon zest, some sprinkle them with powdered sugar after frying, everyone cuts and and "tucks" them in different ways, and it seems that most everyone but the Mormon Moores use cognac or brandy in the recipe.
Making them is a pretty labor-intensive process. Lots of people in the kitchen for this event.
One or two (or three!) people to roll out the very stiff dough, cut, and fold them.
Then someone on the frying.
And one little girl in the middle of it all, making her own mess.
Regardless of the effort, though, I think most all of the Moores would agree that it's worth it. We like-uh the bakkels!
1 comment:
Fun post! I see we spell them wrong in this family. (got the spelling from Grandma Moore) We made some last night, and the dough was much softer and easier to roll out...I rolled it so thin they are really crunchy. Randy says that's the way his Grandmother used to make them, so he's okay with it.
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