Serinakaker
Crumbly vanilla butter cookies brushed with egg and pearl sugar, pressed with a fork before baking.
Cultural Context & History
Perhaps the most beloved of the Christmas cookies, serinakaker are simple butter rounds marked with a fork and crowned with pearl sugar — short, tender and endlessly moreish.
Ingredients
- 150 g butter, cold
- 250 g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 100 g sugar
- 1 egg
- For the topping: 1 beaten egg, chopped almonds, pearl sugar
Recommended Tools
- Pastry cutterRubs the cold butter into the flour without warming the dough.
- Pastry brushLays down the even egg wash that holds the topping.
- Wire cooling rackCools the cookies crisp rather than steaming them soft.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Rub the cold butter into the flour and baking powder until the mixture looks like fine crumbs.
- 2
Stir in the sugar and beaten egg, then knead to a smooth dough and chill for 30 minutes.
- 3
Roll the dough into a log and slice into 30 pieces, rolling each into a ball. Set on a lined tray and flatten slightly with a fork.
- 4
Brush with beaten egg and scatter over the chopped almonds and pearl sugar.
- 5
Bake at 175°C (345°F) for 10-12 minutes, until light golden.
Chef's Tip
Work the cold butter in quickly with cool hands — the less the fat softens, the shorter and more crumbly the finished cookies.
Chef's Tip
These are a make-ahead Christmas cookie: freeze the shaped balls on the tray, then bake straight from frozen, adding a minute to the time.
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