Swedish Cardamom cookies that are ultra buttery and crispy-crunchy, yet still light and airy. There is cinnamon in the recipe but cardamom is the star flavor. These are a family classic that we make every year. Perfect with milk, hot chocolate, or coffee!

Crispy Swedish Cardamom Cookies from The Food Charlatan

I have a confession guys. I’ve been listening to Christmas music since like August. I know, I’m a freak. It’s such a relief to finally come clean about my holly jolly addiction.  But now that it’s December none of you can judge me.

Crispy Swedish Cardamom Cookies from The Food Charlatan

Christmas music puts me in a good mood any time of year, but it’s even better with tree decorating, hot chocolate, and a cozy fire, which is what’s been going on around here nonstop lately. Oh and don’t even get me started on the cookies. SO MANY COOKIES.

Crispy Swedish Cardamom Cookies from The Food Charlatan But before we get to the cookies I have to tell you about this awesome advent calendar my sister made. Have you guys heard of #LightTheWorld yet? I’m LDS, and this Christmas our church is doing 25 ways over 25 days to follow the Savior. Every day until Christmas you’re supposed to do some of the things Christ did, like show compassion, help others see, show love for your mother, honor the sabbath, etc. There are ideas of things you can do that are on theme for each day.

My sister Laura decided to make her own calendar for her kids, with the same themes each day, but with simple stuff they can do. Here is the kid calendar she made:christmas-advent-calendar-behaviors-of-christ, and here is the regular one that you can do if you like.

It’s an awesome way to remember the Savior this season. Our kids are super excited about it. Stuff like this is what makes Christmas so awesome!

Crispy Swedish Cardamom Cookies from The Food Charlatan

And also cookies make Christmas awesome. This is yet another recipe from Eric’s famous great-grandmother Prudy, who was Swedish. She is an absolute legend, especially in the kitchen. Her granddaughter (Eric’s mom) made a family cookbook with all of Prudy’s Christmas cookies. I’m slowly trying to document them all here on the blog; see below the recipe for links to other Swedish cookies from Prudy.

Cardamom is definitely the star in these cookies. Cardamom is such a strong spice that most recipes call for just a little smidge, but not these cookies. Go big or go home. In fact, I would say that if you don’t like cardamom don’t bother making these cookies. In Eric’s family they are simply called “Cardamoms.” They are not overly sweet; there’s only a half cup sugar in the whole recipe. It’s almost like cinnamon-cardamom flavored pie crust. Which means I can throw down a dozen of these in one sitting, no problem. I used to be a crispy-cookie-hater, but I think I’ve officially pulled a 180.

Crispy Swedish Cardamom Cookies from The Food Charlatan

There is a special ingredient needed for these cookies: baking ammonia. Never heard of it? Neither had I, before marrying into the family. And I don’t have any other recipes that call for it, but I still buy it just to make Cardamoms; it’s totally worth it. I asked Eric’s mom if there was any substitute and she said no, they won’t get as light and crispy without it. I looked it up and read on King Arthur Flour that sometimes people substitute an increased amount of baking powder; but the cookies won’t have that “ultra-tender, extra-crunchy” texture that is what Cardamoms are all about.

Crispy Swedish Cardamom Cookies from The Food Charlatan
Make sure you keep the lid on really tight; baking ammonia will evaporate if exposed to air.

Crispy Swedish Cardamom Cookies from The Food Charlatan

Crispy Swedish Cardamom Cookies from The Food Charlatan

The yellow stuff on top is an egg. This is the perfect cookie to eat with hot chocolate, or coffee, though I’ve never tried that (LDS, remember?). Kris told me that’s how her parents and her grandma always used to eat these crispy Swedish cookies: after dinner with a mug of coffee. This makes a big batch of cookies (Prudy’s original recipe made 100! I halved it because I’m not crazy).

Crispy Swedish Cardamom Cookies from The Food Charlatan

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Crispy Swedish Cardamom Cookies

5 from 6 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 50 Cookies
Swedish Cardamom cookies that are ultra buttery and crispy-crunchy, yet still light and airy. There is cinnamon in the recipe but cardamom is the star flavor. These are a family classic that we make every year. Perfect with milk, hot chocolate, or coffee!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking ammonia, baker's ammonia
  • 2 & 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons cardamom
  • 1 egg, to brush the cookies with

Instructions

  • In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Make sure you scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  • In a small bowl, beat 1 egg. Add the baking ammonia and stir to dissolve. Add the mixture to the butter and beat.
  • Add the flour to the bowl but don't mix it in. Use a small spoon to stir the salt, cinnamon, and cardamom into the flour. Beat the flour into the dough. Don't over mix.
  • Chill the dough for 2-3 hours (or you can leave it in the fridge for 2-3 days).
  • When you are ready to bake the cookies, let the dough sit on the counter for a few minutes until it is workable.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats .
  • Split the dough in half. Sprinkle flour onto a work surface.
  • Use your hands to flatten the dough, then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out very thin, about 1/8 inch.
  • Use a 2-inch biscuit cutter to shape the cookies. Use a spatula to transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheets. They do not rise much at all, so you can fit them pretty close together.
  • Keep re-rolling the scraps until it's gone. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
  • In a small bowl, lightly beat 1 egg. Use a pastry brush to brush the top of each cookie. Don't be shy; use a lot. See photos.
  • Bake the cookies at 350 for 8-10 minutes. They should be lightly browned on the edges.

Notes

You can see in the photo above that the original recipe was twice this amount, which would make about 100 cookies. Perfect for Christmas cookie plates!
Recipe from Eric's great-grandmother Prudy

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 60mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 123IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Swedish
Calories: 66
Keyword: Cardamom, Cookies, crispy, swedish
Did you make this? I'd love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!

Swedish Spritz Cookies << we just made a huge double batch of these today, like we do every December. The kids had so much fun using the cookie press!

Spritz from The Food Charlatan

 

Butter Pecans << we made these ones last week before Thanksgiving even. This is ALWAYS the first Christmas cookie made at our house.

Butter Pecans from TheFoodCharlatan.com

 

Gramma Prudy’s Classic Gingersnaps << I can literally eat my weight in these gingersnaps.

Gramma Prudy's Classic Gingersnaps by The Food Charlatan

 

Other Swedish cookies you will love!

Crisp Swedish Butter Cookies from Goodies By Anna
Swedish Almond Cookies from The Pickled Herring
Havreflarn from Five Euro Food

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Comments

  1. I am not able to find in my country ammonium carbonate. Can you please let me know with what is the best substitute. Thanks

    1. Hi Mirjana! You can just omit it from the recipe. The cookies will not be as crisp but they will still be tasty!

  2. My grandparents were Swedes born in Finland. Grandma and my mother frequently made Swedish Sweet Rolls with cardamom. I’m anxious to try this recipe.

    1. That’s awesome Sandee! I hope you enjoy the cookies. Do you have the Sweet Roll recipe? I love cardamom :)

  3. Got some ammonium carbonate and made cookies. They are definitely not crisp. They are tasty, but not what i expected from the description. I even baked them slightly longer as they weren’t looking brown. Anything else you think of that would make them crispier?

    1. That is so strange Burna! We’ve been making these for years and years. Did you roll them out pretty thin? I’m sorry they weren’t what you expected!

  4. I LOVE cardamom, and trying new recipes that come from around the world, so made these to along with my usual Christmas cookies. They’re wonderful! Adored the light, crisp texture you get from the baking ammonia, and I think I’d even up the cardamom a bit next time (and there will definitely be a next time!) Thanks to you and Great Grandma Prudy for sharing this great recipe!

    1. Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed them Moni! I’ve been looking for some other recipes to try out with baking ammonia because I’m officially in love with it. Hopefully I will blog some of them soon! Merry Christmas to you!

      1. Just found your site and looking forward to trying this new recipe. Meanwhile, another cookie that uses Baker’s Ammonia (Hartshorn) is Springerle. I recommend the recipe at House on the Hill, owned by the very talented Connie Meisinger. Her recipe has been handed down through her family. The traditional cookie uses Anise flavor but I’ve made it with Lemon, Orange, Royal Raspberry and Cream Cheese flavors.

        1. Hi M, thank you so much for sharing! I had a lot of fun watching Connie’s video on how to make Springerle! I’ve never tried that cookie before but I’m so intrigued by the method of drying out the cookies before baking, and aging them (4 weeks!) I bet they are so fun to make, I’d love to try it sometime. Thank you for sharing! For anyone else interested, here is Connie’s Springerle recipe.

  5. So glad you finally blogged these Karen! Eventually my Prudy cookbook will totally disintegrate but the recipes will all be in cyberspace!

    1. Me too, now I won’t have to bug you for picture every time I want to make it! Thanks for all your help with these posts Kris!

  6. Cardamom is so under-utilized. It’s one of my all time favorite spices! And I say we start a movement for Christmas music all year round, whaddya say?

    1. I’m so glad you like it Melissa! It’s nice to have concrete ideas for how to serve every day. Thanks for sharing!

    1. So true right? It’s like a forgotten spice in America. I had never even heard of it til I was an adult, crazy right?

  7. Looks great, but here in UK we do not know what a “cup” of butter is, nor do we have “sticks”. We do use pounds and ounces though, as well as grams like the Swedes so please can you give me some weights? Many thanks

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