Home › Christmas Dinners › Norwegian Cuts
Norwegian Cuts
1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup sugar 3 egg yolks, beaten slightly 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 cup pastry flour 3 egg whites, beaten very stiff 1/2 cup almonds, chopped Cream shortening and sugar, add yolks of eggs and flavoring. Beat in flour and fold in egg whites; spread about 1/3-in. thick on well greased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar and almonds. Bake in a moderately hot oven (375 degrees F.) until light yellow. Cut with sharp knife into diamonds or use diamond-shaped cutter. Reduce heat of oven and return to dry for 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 18 cookies.
A sheet cookie baked in one slab, cut hot into diamonds, then dried in a cooling oven — the two-stage bake is what gives it its crisp edge.
- Cut while it is still hotCut while it is still warm -- the slab firms as it cools and slices more cleanly before it sets. The recipe says only to cut with a sharp knife once the sheet is a light yellow; it does not say how soon, nor whether the pieces are separated before going back in.
- The drying stageAfter cutting, the recipe says only to reduce the heat and return the pieces for 10 to 15 minutes; no second temperature is given. The point is to drive off moisture and set the crumb; skipping it leaves a soft, cakey bar rather than a cut cookie.
- Pastry flourLower in protein than all-purpose, around 8-9 percent. In place of the 1 cup called for, all-purpose with two of its tablespoons replaced by cornstarch is the usual stand-in; keep the total at a full cup, and mix no more than needed once the flour goes in.
- ShorteningIn this period that means vegetable shortening or lard. Butter works and tastes better, but browns faster — watch the edges, since the sheet is done when it is only light yellow.
- Thickness matters more than pan size1/3 inch is the target across the whole sheet. An offset spatula helps; an uneven spread means the thin corners are dry before the middle is set.
- Folding the whitesThe whites are the only lift here — there is no baking powder. Beat them stiff but not dry, and fold in three additions so the batter stays spreadable without deflating.
- Lemon extractA teaspoon is assertive by modern standards. The zest of one lemon, or half the extract, is milder; almond extract is sometimes substituted.
- YieldEighteen cookies implies fairly large diamonds, roughly 2 by 3 inches. Cut smaller and you will get 30 or more, which suits a Christmas cookie plate better.