Swedish Cardamom Buns (kardemummabullar)

Swedish Cardamom Buns are soft, plush sweet rolls with a fragrant cardamom sugar filling. This easy knotted pastry is beyond delicious and so easy to make, I’ll hold your hand through it, step by step!

cardamom buns are a sweet tradition in the Nordic countries

But for some reason they have never really caught on here in the States. Maybe it’s because our love of cinnamon rolls runs so deep, but I so encourage you to give these cardamom rolls a try. They are no more difficult to make, and the unique flavor of the cardamom filling paired with the vanilla glaze is just indescribably delicious.

If you read this blog regularly you may know that I adore cardamom. From the moment I tasted my first cardamom muffins I was hooked. I’ll often switch out cinnamon for cardamom in recipes, just for a new and exciting flavor profile.

what is cardamom?

Cardamom is an Indian spice from the ginger and turmeric family that grows little seed pods filled with tiny black seeds. It’s used in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Scandinavian cuisines predominantly.

Green cardamom is used in both sweet and savory dishes: I’ve used it to make everything from ice cream to meatballs. It’s essential for making Turkish coffee.

The flavor? It’s described as piney, floral, and aromatic, with a touch of menthol or resin. It’s unique and hard to describe, but trust me, it’s lovely.

You can use pre-ground spice or grind your own from the pods. The correct way is to remove the little black seeds from the pods and grind them in a spice grinder. You can also grind the entire pods, but the flavor will be a little milder (although still stronger than the pre-ground spice.)

You can also use the pods whole in savory dishes like chicken with cardamom rice and biryani. Crack them first by rolling over them firmly with a rolling pin. Use both the pod and the little black seeds.

what you’ll need to make cardamom buns

These divine rolls are made with pantry staples…

• all purpose flour
• sugar ~ granulated
• yeast ~ make sure your yeast is fresh for the best results
• milk ~ I used whole milk, but you can experiment with low fat milk, too, or even dairy-free milks
• butter ~ I always unsalted butter for baking
• cardamom ~ we made these buns with commercially ground cardamom and freshly ground pods, and I actually preferred the subtle flavor of pre-ground cardamom in this recipe.
• vanilla extract ~ complements and enhances the cardamom flavor just perfectly!

how to shape twisted cardamom rolls

Although they look complicated, once you see the steps laid out, it’s actually not very difficult to make these pretty dough twists. I found that this particular dough recipe is super easy to work with, too. It rolls fluidly, and doesn’t stick.

1. First, roll out half of the dough into a rectangle. Spread half the filling over one half of the rectangle
2. Fold the other half over, give it a little bit of a roll with the rolling pin to even everything out, and slice the rectangle into 8 equal narrow strips.
3. Take each strip and use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut it lengthwise ALMOST all the way through, leaving a little bit still connected at the top.
4. Take each “leg” and twist it gently, both in the same direction.
5. Then twist the two “legs” around each other.
6. Coil the twisted dough into a round shape, tucking the end underneath and pinching it slightly to keep it from unravelling. Each one will be a little different, don’t worry about perfection.

the secret to a soft, shiny surface on your cardamom rolls

I’ve made a lot of different bread and sweet pastry recipes over the years that have called for all kinds of toppings – you can brush your dough with cream or milk, an egg wash, or butter, before baking to help maintain a soft exterior and give them a bit of shine. But this recipe uses a different technique, and I love it!

After the buns have baked, when they are hot from the oven, I brush it with a sweet simple syrup enhanced with a bit of vanilla extract. It makes the buns shiny and the crust soft without making it at all sticky. The bit of extra sweetness plus the vanilla is wonderful.

how to reheat homemade cardamom buns

We found, to our delight, that these rolls reheat beautifully in the microwave, in just 30 seconds, depending on your wattage. They become softer and more fragrant, and just amazing.

why you need to give these sweet cardamom rolls a try

These rolls blew me away, I’ll definitely be making them again and again. The texture was soft and plush, not crusty and ‘bready’ like some pastry rolls can be. These rolls kept that plush texture even after a couple of days on the counter.

The flavor is wonderfully complex, I think that’s due to the combination of cardamom and vanilla. It lingers on the palate nicely.

Whether you’re an experienced baker or a novice, I highly suggest giving these sweet rolls a try.

more Scandinavian inspired recipes ~

• Swedish Meatball Meatloaf
• Finnish Salmon Soup
• Traditional Swedish Pepparkakor
• Scandinavian Rice Pudding with Cranberries
• Norwegian Rhubarb and Almond Cake
• Nordic Open Faced Smoked Salmon Sandwiches