Seven different kinds of cookies (Sju sorters kakor)

A traditional “fika” in Sweden includes many different options when it comes to pastry treats and cookies. The traditional way to serve coffee with sweets was to serve many different options so everyone could find at least something they liked. The magic number was seven, seven different cookies.

That is also the title of one of the most famous baking books in Sweden – “Seven different kinds of cookies”. This is a book that cake out 1945 and which today still can be find in almost each and every home.

I have made baked seven different cookies. These are all based on the same dough that I have flavored and bake in different ways. You can decided if you want to do all seven cookies or if you find some favourites out of the seven that you prefer to bake. My favorites are the Chess squares and the Finish sticks.

Ingredients (one big dough for seven different cookies, in total appr. 150 cookies):

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 4/5 cup granulated sugar
• 16 oz butter (room temperature)
• 3 egg yolks (save the egg white for brushing the cookies)
• (1-3 tbsp water)

Use a stand mixer. Add the flour, sugar, soft butter and egg yolks into the mixer bowl. Mix it together until it is a smooth and light dough that is easy to work with. If the dough does not get together smoothly, add some water and continue to mix. Keep the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Take out the dough and split into seven parts. Use one part for each cookie:

Finish sticks 

• egg white, pearl sugar, chopped hazelnut

Pre heat the oven to 350ºF. Take 1/7 of the dough and roll it out as a roller, with the thickness of you index finger. Brush it with egg white and sprinkle pearl sugar and chopped hazelnut around the roller. Cut approximately 30 sticks and place them on an oven tray covered with parchment paper. Bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 10 minutes.

Chess squares

• 1 tbsp cocoa powder

Pre heat the oven to 350ºF. Take 1/7 of the dough and split it into two parts. Take one of the dough parts and add the cocoa powder. Work with your hands to get the cocoa powder into the dough. Roll out both dough parts to rollers, approximately the thickness of a pinky. Split the two rollers on the middle. Lift up and place one brown and one white roller on top of the other two to make it into one roller. Cut the roller in 1/3” wide slices. Place them on an oven tray covered with parchment paper and bake for approximately 10 minutes.

Cardamom cookies

• egg white, whole cardamom seeds

Pre heat the oven to 350ºF. Take 1/7 of the dough and roll to a roller, approximately 1” thick. Cut the dough in 1/2” slices. Place them on an oven tray, press gently with your fingers on the upper side. Brush the cookies with egg white. Grind the cardamom by taking out the seeds from the shell and grind with a pestle. This will give more taste than using ground cardamon. Sprinkle some ground cardamom on each cookie. Bake in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.

Brussels cookies 

• egg white, red colored sugar

Pre heat the oven to 350ºF. Take 1/7 of the dough and roll out to a roll with a thickness of 1”. Brush the roller with egg white. Sprinkle the colored sugar around the roller and then cut into approximately 2/3” slices. Place the cookies on an oven tray covered with parchment paper and bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 10 minutes.

Cinnamon slices 

• egg white, ground cinnamon, granulated sugar

Pre heat the oven to 350ºF. Take 1/7 of the dough and roll it out to a roller. Press gently on the roller with your fingers. Brush the dough with egg white and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Cut the roller into diagonal slices and place the cookies on an oven tray covered with parchment paper. Bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 10 minutes.

Caramel almond cookie

• 3 1/2 tbs butter, 3 tbsp granulated sugar, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp all purpose flour, 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Pre heat the oven to 350ºF. Take 1/7 of the dough and roll out to a 8×6” rectangle and place it on an oven tray covered with parchment paper.

Add the butter into a saucepan and melt on medium heat. Add the sugar, honey and flour and stir it all together. The batter will thicken while stir. Add the almonds. Spread the caramel almond batter on top of the dough rectangle. Bake in the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes. Let it cool down before cutting in slices. Cut first the rectangle in half lengthwise and then in diagonal slices.

Peanut butter cookies

• 1 tbsp peanut butter, egg white and pearl sugar

Here I have made an American/Swedish cookie. Pre heat the oven to 350ºF. Take 1/7 of the dough and add 1 tbsp peanut butter. Use your hands to get the peanut butter into the dough. Roll to a roller, approximately 1” thick. Cut the dough in 1/2” slices. Place them on an oven tray, press gently with your fingers on the upper side. Brush the cookies with egg white. Sprinkle pearl sugar on each cookie. Bake in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.

Which one would you try first? 🙂