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Jam Thumbprint Cookies (Syltgrottor)

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Hej everyone! I hope everyone is staying safe and sane during your quarantine! Being furloughed, I have a lot of free time on my hands and have been baking up a STORM. Last week I made Queen’s Jam (see blog for post and recipe) and today’s recipe uses that jam. Swedish jam thumbprint cookies are a buttery cookie filled with jam and are a great pairing for fika. Different from American jam cookies, the Swedish version are a little lighter and softer as well as more buttery. This recipe has crushed anise which isn’t overpowering for those who dislike black licorice, and the taste pairs nicely with the blueberry and raspberry in the queen’s jam. These cookies can last a week in an airtight container before starting to dry out, and no need to refrigerate. Have one or two in the morning for breakfast alongside your coffee, or a late night snack. Njut av! Jam Thumbprint Cookies Total Time  - 1 hour 15 minutes; 45min. Prep / 30min. Cook;  Yields  - 30 meatballs Ing
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Queen’s Jam (Drottningsylt)

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Hej everyone! Today's post is small and contains a SUPER easy recipe, and the only reason I'm giving it it's own post is because of the robust tradition preserving has in Swedish culture. Drottningsylt (pronounced "drott-ning-seat"), or "Queen's jam", is a blueberry and raspberry preserve and is probably one of the only Swedish preserves that we can make here in the United States. Lingonberry (featured in our Swedish Meatballs post) and cloudberry jam are two of the other popular Swedish preserves. Lingonberry jam can be purchased at most of your local grocery stores, but cloudberry is much harder to find unless you're shopping at a specialty grocery store. Queen's Jam is a classic preserve and popular cookie filling (which we will be using in an upcoming recipe). Since both these berries are low in pectin, it is a soft set jam and will not be as thick as most jams. Being such a soft jam, it pairs well with bagels, muffins and even a
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Nutmeg Cuts (Muskotsnittar)

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Hej everyone! To start this week off I wanted to dabble in some Swedish baking. Prior to this, the only Swedish baked good I have experience with is Pepparkakor (pepper-cock-er), which is a popular Swedish ginger snap. Knowing how much our family loves them, I began searching for some other gems in the Swedish baking category. After looking into some Swedish baking recipes, I stumbled upon a coffee break cookbook titled “Fika.” It is full of traditional and contemporary recipes as well as the history and culture behind them. Swede’s have fika (pronounced “fee-ka”)  once a day, whether it’s alone or with a group of people. Fika is the act of taking a break and having a baked good alongside their cup of coffee (similar to the British tea time). This act of taking a break during the day to relax and rejuvenate, as well as spending time with one another, dates back to the early 1900’s. As I cook through this book, I will be tagging them with the label “fika”. In no time, we’ll have
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Swedish Meatballs (Svenska Kottbullar)

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Hej everyone! I wanted to kick off our exploration into Swedish cuisine with a dish that we are all familiar with. One that is a favorite and often had in our household growing up. Swedish meatballs! As I’m sure you already know these little things are ADDICTING and really easy to make. There is a variation between old and new when it comes to sides and what they’re served on top of. Swedish American’s have adopted serving them over egg-yolk noodles (which is how I usually have them), but traditionally they’re served on top of mashed potatoes with a side of lingonberry preserves. Lingonberry is a staple in Swedish cuisine. Lingonberries are equivalent to how we find wild blackberries here in northern North America. They grow abundantly on short bushes through Scandinavia and northern North American forests. In it’s raw state, it is bitter (very similar to a cranberry which it is distantly related to), only when transformed by sugar to a jam or syrup is it delicious and wort
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Hej! (Hello)

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Hello everyone! I’m sure you already know me, but by the chance you don’t and stumble upon this, my name is Sean. I recently moved back to my hometown in central PA after living in Pittsburgh for the last year. Pursuing a career in retail management caused me to work long days with many hours and which took a toll on my personal life and overall happiness. I recently decided to take a step back from all that and spend time with the people I love and pursue things that mean the most to me. Swedish culture is something that has always interested me. Growing up, my grandfather was a proud blonde hair, blue-eyed Swede who was always trying to teach us sayings in Swedish and introduced our family to a lot of Swedish culture. With the help of my grandmother, father and aunts, our family introduced a lot of those cultural dishes into our holiday gatherings and have drawn excitement and closeness with the making of these dishes every year. A low quality family photo taken at m
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