Swedish Almond Cardamom Cookies are a shortbread/sugar cookie hybrid ~ perfect for a fika style coffee break or your holiday cookie collection.
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Some of the best recipes involve small tweaks. These simple Swedish cookies are familiar yet different at the same time. The almond cardamom combination is a wonderful new discovery for me.
âž¡ These are a shortbread/sugar cookie hybrid, with a delicate outer crunch surrounding a soft crumbly center.
âž¡ The almond-cardamom flavor is warm, fragrant, and just unexpected enough to make these memorable.
âž¡ They’re big and satisfying ~ I keep a sharp knife handy to carve them up!
Swedish almond cardamom cookies, step by step
- I use electric beaters and one bowl, creaming the sugar and butter as usual.
- Then add flavorings and dry ingredients. The dough is a little more butter-forward than my traditional shortbread, so it comes together quickly.
- I measure out a hefty 1/4-cup amounts and roll them into smooth balls.
- I then coat in sugar before placing on a parchment lined baking sheet. (See my tip below about baking sheets.)
- I bake these large cookies in batches, in a low 325F oven.
- I like them soft, but others may like them with a bit of a crunch, so your time may vary according to your preference.
Swedish cookie rules and tips
Cookies can be surprisingly tricky ~ because of their small size, any little variation in the recipe or process can have an outsized effect on them. Here are my best tips for these Swedish almond caramom cookies:
Never measure your extract over the bowl. It’s too easy to overfill and splash extra into your dough. Almond extract is particularly strong and can taste bitter if you add too much.
Take time to blend the butter/sugar mixture with the dry ingredients. Shortbread type doughs don’t include any extra moisture (such as egg or milk) and so it takes time to get everything ~ especially the butter ~ evenly combined. An undermixed dough will result in wonky cookies.
Use your palms to roll each ball of dough nice and round, with no cracks. This will bake into a smooth, rounded cookie.
Gently flatten each ball just a bit before baking if you want a flatter cookie. I use the bottom of a glass.
Use a standard stainless steel uninsualted cookie sheet for best results. Cookie sheets vary greatly, and your cookies will bake and spread differently on all of them.
Don’t use color as a guide to doneness. It’s a little tricky to know when these are done ~ you want to take them out of the oven before they get any color on them ~ they should be pale and just set.
Bake longer for a crispier cookie. I love these almond cardamom cookies when they are soft, but you can bake them a little longer if you prefer a crisper cookie.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving them. This will allow for a little carryover cooking and give the large cookies time to firm up.
Give the cookies a second dip in sugar after they have cooled a bit and firmed up.
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Swedish Cardamom Almond Cookies
Equipment
- electric beaters
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar, plus more for rolling.
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3/4 tsp cardamom
- 2 cups +3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line baking trays with parchment paper.
- Cream the soft butter and sugar until light and fluffy, this will take a few minutes, and you'll want to scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times to get everything well incorporated.
- Beat in the almond extract and cardamom.
- Toss the flour and baking powder together to combine and then blend into the butter mixture. Keep at it until there is no flour left and you've got a thick cookie dough. I start the process using my electric beaters but switch to a silicone spoon to finish combining the dough.
- Portion out 1/4 cup amounts of dough and roll round with your hands. Then roll each ball of dough in sugar untill well coated, and place on your parchment lined baking sheet. Note: I don't crowd the pan, I like to give my cookies room when they bake, so no more than 4 per pan.
- Place your tray on the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until slightly puffed but still pale. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes to firm up before moving to a rack.*
- Once the cookies have firmed up, but are still warm, I give the tops another dunk in the sugar. This second coating really gives these cookies a nice look and gives them a little extra crunch on the outside.
- Your cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days, and they will freeze beautifully for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
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Can these be made smaller? The recipe sounds great but I would like to make the cookies smaller – 1 to 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie.
Yes, I meant to mention that. It’s how I would do it for the holidays. Just watch the baking time and be aware that they may not spread in the same way. I’d roll them into a ball and gently flatten just a bit before baking.