Winter & Christmas

Vaniljekranse

Vaniljekranse are the best-known Danish Christmas biscuits: small, crisp rings of butter, sugar, almonds and vanilla, piped through a star nozzle. In many families they are one of the "syv slags småkager" – the seven kinds of Christmas biscuits.

Ring-shaped Danish butter cookies with a ridged surface
Photo: sdnet01 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0
Preparation
30 min
Cooking/baking time
10 min
Servings
approx. 60 biscuits
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

Dough

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (conventional) and line two baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Grind the almonds very finely. Knead all the ingredients into a smooth dough by hand or with a dough hook. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
  3. Fill a mincer fitted with a star attachment or a sturdy piping bag with a large star nozzle with the dough, a little at a time, and pipe long strands.
  4. Cut the strands into pieces of about 10 cm and shape them into small rings, pressing the ends lightly together. Place them on the trays with a little space between them.
  5. Bake the vaniljekranse for 8–10 minutes until the edges are golden. Let them cool briefly on the tray, then completely on a wire rack.
  6. Store in an airtight biscuit tin – they will stay crisp for several weeks.

The story behind the dish

Vaniljekranse are a classic Danish Christmas biscuit. They are ring-shaped and, because the dough is piped, have a star-shaped cross-section.

Vanilla rings appeared in Denmark around 1840.

Enjoy it at Dansk Cottage

On a grey December afternoon, baking biscuits is the nicest thing to do at the cottage – and a tin of vaniljekranse makes a good present for the neighbours.

The cottage kitchen · Discover Søby · Experience Ærø

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In the mood for Denmark?

Dansk Cottage near Søby can be booked from spring 2027 – with a spacious kitchen for exactly this kind of dish.

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