Today, I want to share a recipe that comes from my grandma on the Norwegian side of the family. Sandbakkels (or sun buckle cookies) are a shortbread-type cookie generally made around holiday time, but my grandma has a habit of making these whenever one of us grandkids requests them. I love sandbakkels plain, but they can also be enjoyed as a bowl for puddings, fruit and cream, ice cream… really, anything goes. Over the course of my life, my grandma has experimented with making these with both brown and white sugar. I’m personally partial to the white sugar version, but my cousin Matt prefers brown sugar. (I hear his other grandma makes them that way.) Honestly, though, you can’t really go wrong with butter, sugar and almond extract in the delicious department.
Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar (white or brown)
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp almond extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cream butter, sugar. (Having the butter at room temperature to begin with helps a lot.)
Add egg, then flour, & then flavoring.
Press the dough into sandbakkel tins, making the dough thin, but even throughout. If it gets too thin near the top edges, they’ll brown a little. I’m partial to toasty edges myself.
Bake at 350 in sandbakkel tins placed on a cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
What my completely cooked sandbakkels looked like.
Turn molds upside down and tap gently until cookies are released from tins. Makes about 35-40.
That’s all for today, but I’ll be sharing ideas for amazing sandbakkel fillings tomorrow, so stay tuned!
DPB
November 25, 2013 at 6:34 amOh, MY!!!!!! I have been looking for these for many years. My grandmother made these by the dozens for us at Christmas. Our family cherished them. I have ot been able to locate a recipe nor find tins prior to your site. Thanks a million for sharing a part of our heritage as well. I love my grandma’s Norwegein family…after all I am one as well. Thanks for an answered prayer. DPB
Heidi
November 25, 2013 at 12:12 pmYou’re most welcome!! God Jul :)
Judith Backes
December 24, 2013 at 9:03 amDo you have any suggestions for how to get the cookies to get the cookies out of the tins without breaking them? I loose almost half of each batch because they don’t just “tap” out of the tins.
Heidi
December 24, 2013 at 10:23 amI talked to my Norwegian grandmother about this, and she said that she broke less over time as she got more experience. She also said that the sandbakkel tins she inherited from her mother break less cookies than new tins. The way you wash your tins makes a difference too! You should only rinse them (kind of like caring for cast iron), so more oil is retained, leading to less broken cookies.
Melissa H
July 5, 2016 at 9:16 pmMy Norwegian grandma put them in snow as soon as they came out of the oven. The cold makes them pop right out. Now I make them with my kids, as long as we have snow!
Janeen Devine
January 1, 2014 at 7:44 pmI roll the dough into small balls, and then roll the balls lightly in flour prior to pressing it into the tins. They come out much easier that way. Also be very careful not to get dough over the edge of the tins! (Just like when maki g rosettes)
Heidi
January 2, 2014 at 10:10 amThanks for the tips, Janeen! Sandbakkels are so delicious, but can be so hard!
Jan
December 17, 2014 at 8:23 pmA lady at one of the Senior apartments taught me to put clean towel on the counter and throw the tin upside down they come right out ,sometimes a second drop is necessary, but they hardly ever break!
Jan
December 17, 2014 at 8:25 pmHope this works for you!
Jan
December 18, 2014 at 12:15 pmDropping the tins upside down on a clean towel works well too!
rp
December 16, 2015 at 1:17 pmmy Norwegian grandmother and mother made these, and I inherited my mother’s tins. I’ve been making them for many years. Very easy. Another way to help the cookies out of the tins is turn them upside down and slightly squeeze the sides of the tin. They freeze well, too, so can always be put away for a surprise when you have guests, or just need a special treat! Another prized Norwegian Christmas recipe is that for “Berliner Kranser”. Amazing!
Heidi
December 16, 2015 at 4:15 pmOoh! Adding Berliner Kranser to my baking bucket list now! Thank you. :)
Melissa H
July 5, 2016 at 9:11 pmMy grandma always made these at Christmas time. It was always a family activity. We put them in snow to make them pop out of the tins. As grandma took them out of the oven my uncle would go outside to fill the roasting pan with snow. Then we would all get to drop a couple in the snow. I make them now with my kids. It’s always disappointing to have a green Christmas because we can’t make them!
Cousin Judy
December 12, 2016 at 9:34 pmThank you for posting this. I couldn’t find my moms’ recipie, so went on to Google looking for a good Norwegian post. Your site came up in the search and I knew it would be a winner and hoped it would be your Grandma Charlene’s recipe. I ate many good sweets at your Grandma’s (and my aunt) home growing up. She is an excellent baker. Thanks again.
Janet Frith
December 18, 2016 at 3:23 pmThank you! I lost my Norwegian cook book and was despairing not having Sandbakkels until I googled you, Heidi. Munga tuk.
PS – the Berliner kranser are another must have for Yule in our family – I prefer almond extract and the mashed hard boiled egg adds that bit of extra – yum! (fortunately, I wrote out my mother’s (and grandmother’s) recipe so that treasure is preserved.)
Sharron
December 26, 2016 at 8:24 pmI fill my sandbakkels with a pecan filling.
Jackie Buchholz
January 20, 2017 at 2:22 pmI always thought my grandmother’s recipe had cardamon in it. None of the recipes I have found on line have that as an ingredient.
Debra Holmen
October 29, 2017 at 12:50 amMy dear friend that just passed away made wonderful sandbakkels. Her recipe has LOTS of cardamom in it!!
Mary M Long
September 25, 2017 at 9:51 pmHeidi, these were delish! I hope I can post a picture of my son & myself with a part of our batch.
Heidi
September 26, 2017 at 3:21 pmI can’t wait to see! I’m crossing my fingers to find the time to make a bunch of sandbakkels for gifts this Christmas! :)
Karen Letchworth
October 13, 2017 at 2:38 pmI make these every year. I use Grandma’s recipe and I have her tins. The older tins are the best, and can often be found at antique stores (in Minnesota and Wisconsin). Most buttery, delicious cookies ever!
YUM!
Blessings,
Karen
http://www.karen-mycuprunnethover.blogspot.com
Marilyn Meissner
December 2, 2017 at 5:06 amHello Heidi, it’s very early in the morning and I’m so excited to make the sandbabakles , I just bought a box box of tin at an inline auction that runs weekly sale my aunt Phyllis Johnson always made these at Christmas, now with the tins I’m going to do the wonderful little cookies , on Sunday I’ll make my grandmothers rossettes I was given he rosette iron from my mother , can’t wait, love the traditions and nearing 70 would love to let my grandchildren learn these. First thing this morning making pretty cold press soaps for friends for gifts . Thanks for this recipe.💕
Heidi
December 2, 2017 at 10:59 amOoh! I just bought rosette supplies for this year! Do you have any good tips?
Debra R. Rowlands
December 2, 2017 at 3:56 pmI just bought the Sandbakkelse tins at an auction last night and eager to use, since I had to loo online and saw what the heck I had!!!! How interesting!! Question: Do you use plain flour in the recipe? Thanks!
Heidi
December 3, 2017 at 6:21 pmI do – just your standard white flour from the store. It’s what my grandma used. She’s third generation, so I imagine she just used what was readily available. :)
Sandra K.
December 24, 2017 at 10:50 pmVery happy.to.have found this recipe as I finally was able to.get my mother’s cast iron sandbakkel.tins out of storage. I made.mine with.dark brown sugar. They came out of the pan no problem.simply when I turned the pan over…one or two needed a wack. My mother filled them with whipped cream.and jam, and for Thanksgiving instead of jam.I used whole berry cranberry sauce and black.cherries marinated in alcohol. Guests said it was the most fabulous dessert ever. Thank you! I am not sure it is the exact recipe my mother used but I think.it is close. I checked other recipes online and many called for ingredients like lard that did not seem.right at all. Good ingredients only.and simple always gets my vote. I recommend rolling the dough before putting it in the mold.
Heidi
December 25, 2017 at 11:25 pmThank you for all the tips! Every year I make these I learn something new! Happy new year. :)
Kylie
March 14, 2019 at 3:46 pmcan we bake them any other way than the tins? i don’t have any tins
Heidi
March 21, 2019 at 9:28 amThe tins are required for the cookies to properly bake. You can often find vintage tins at antique shops, or you can get pastry tins from a variety of online suppliers.