Grandma Ruths Kringla Food

KRINGLA COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, egg, and sour cream.
• In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Add the flour mixture to the cream mixture and combine completely. Dough will be a little sticky.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Divide dough in half and return 1/2 to refrigerator.
• On a floured surface, form dough into a 18" long roll with your hands.
• Cut off a narrow (1/2" more or less) slice of dough. Roll lightly with hands on lightly floured board into a pencil width strip about 7-8" long.
• Create a figure 8 and pinch the ends together to fasten securely.
• Place on lightly greased baking sheet or one topped with a silicone baking mat. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake 8-9 minutes or until just barely lightly golden.

GRANDMA'S NORWEGIAN KRINGLA

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Put the soda in the sour milk and sour cream. Add to the egg mixture. Add the sifted dry ingredients.
• Chill well. Roll in long rolls and form into bows or pretzel shapes.
• Bake in a hot oven, 450 degrees, until light brown or paler if you like.

KRINGLA

Steps:

• Start the night before by mixing together the heavy cream and sour cream in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth, then cover with cling film and refrigerate.
• When ready to start, set the cream mixture out to room temperature. Next, preheat your oven to 475°F (246°C) and line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• In a large bowl cream together the sugar, shortening, and egg yolk.
• Stir in the vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the cream mixture then transfer the wet ingredients into the creamed sugar. Mix until well combined. Add the flour until completely incorporated into the dough, which should be sticky when done. *You can chill the dough for an hour before handling it to make the next step easier if desired.
• Since the dough is sticky, use a well-floured surface to roll the dough out onto. Pull off roughly 1 1/2-inch ball-shaped portions of the dough and roll them in the flour to coat all sides. Then move them to the side of your working surface where there is less flour and roll them out to a rope shape (approximately 8-9 inches long). Shape the rope into an '8' or 'infinity sign' or fold over like a pretzel shape, or you can also shape them into round coils - but these take longer to bake.
• Place each shaped dough piece onto your prepared baking sheets then bake for 5-6 minutes, or until the bottom just begins to turn a light golden color. *Depending on the thickness of the 'ropes', the cooking time can be longer.
• Remove from the oven when done and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

GRANDMA RUTH'S KRINGLA

Steps:

• Mix sour cream, buttermilk, heavy cream, and sugar well. Add the vanilla. (May substitute 2 teaspoons vanilla and 3/4 tsp nutmeg; or 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 teaspoons almond flavoring.).
• Sift flour with baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix into the cream mixture, blend well.
• Chill overnight, covered, or until easy to handle. Roll into the size of a pencil, then shape into a pretzel shape or figure-8's.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes or until golden.

NORWEGIAN FIGURE-8 CAKES KRINGLA

Steps:

• In large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of the sugar and let stand until yeast foams, about 5 minutes.
• Add the remaining sugar, butter, cream, anise seed, and eggs.
• Beat well.
• Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well to keep mixture smooth and satiny.
• All of the flour should be moistened.
• Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
• Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease lightly.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
• Cut it into pieces the size of large walnut.
• Roll out to strands about 8 inches long.
• Twist into figure-8s.
• Place on baking sheets.
• Let rise 1 hour until puffy.
• Preheat oven to 400 F.
• Bake for 15 minutes until golden.
• Brush baked kringla with melted butter.
• These are best served just out of the oven.
• The Great Scandinavian Baking Book.