Cookie Quest - Icelandic Sykar Kaka

We didn't eat too many cookies on our honeymoon - I was too obsessed with the chocolate covered licorice to eat much of anything else. And, to be completely honest, most of the cookies we saw in bakeries and stores didn't seem to be particularly Icelandic. There were a lot of standard American type cookies, like chocolate chip and sugar cookies, which is fine but not necessarily what I want to eat if my goal is to try new things. We did stop at a bakery in the Westmann Islands and Matt had a chocolate chip cookie that was very good. I had an almond and chocolate pastry that was also delicious and, according to the girl behind the counter, very traditionally Icelandic. Which is all to say that we didn't encounter these cookies while we were in Iceland.

Lots of Little Sugar Cakes!

I found this recipe in Nancy Baggett's The International Cookie Cookbook, which I got at a used book store in Seattle ages ago. I haven't made too many of the recipes - mostly I like to read about the cookie traditions in different places - and I was looking through the book for a shortbread recipe. But the book opened up to the section on Scandinavian cookies and I figured it wouldn't hurt to see if there were any Icelandic recipes. There was just this one, for Sykar Kaka, or Little Sugar Cakes. They're almond flavored sugar cookies that can be rolled out or made using cookie molds and are sprinkled with colored sugar before they bake. You can also tint the dough if you want. I decided to roll them out and sprinkle them with red and green sugar to get us in the Christmas spirit.

Dough all mixed and ready to roll.

We learned more about Christmas in Iceland on our honeymoon than we did cookies in Iceland. Our favorite Icelandic Christmas tradition is the story of the 13 Yuletide Lads. The lads were not originally associated with Christmas, and were used to scare children to get them to behave. They are descended from trolls - Iceland has a very strong folktale tradition with stories of trolls, elves, and other hidden people, often used to scare children - although in recent years they've been successful in re-branding themselves not as scary troll monsters out to get the wee ones but as mischievous lads who leave treats for good children for the thirteen nights leading up to Christmas. Children put their shoes on the windowsill, and if they are good, the Yuletide lads leave a small treat in them. If they are bad, the Yuletide lads leave them with a rotting potato. This cracks me up.

All of my Christmas-y cookie cutters - Thanks, Grandma!

Anyway, the Yuletide lads each have names and distinct personalities and come on certain nights. They each stay for 13 nights, so the first one leaves on Christmas night and the last one leaves after the Epiphany. Normally, they live in the mountains with their parents Gryla and Leppaludi (also trolls) and their pet, the Christmas Cat. The Christmas Cat is said to eat children who do not receive new clothes for Christmas (though the cat has also become friendlier and less child-hungry as the Lads have become less scary). The lads are, in order (according to this site):

• Stekkajastaur (Sheepfold Stick) - the first Lad, he comes Dec. 12 and tries to drink a farmer's sheep milk.
• Giljagaur (Gully Oaf) - skims the froth off pails of cow milk.
• Stufur (Shorty) - comes Dec. 14, he's little! And he is also known as Pan-scraper (Ponnuskefill) because he scrapes food off of pans. (This seems more helpful to me than mischievous, but maybe that's just because I don't like doing the dishes.)
• Thvorusleikir (Spoon-licker) - comes Dec. 15, steals wooden spoons.
• Pottasleikir (Pot-licker) - snatches unwashed pots and licks them.
• Askasleikir (Bowl-licker) - Hides under beds and steals wooden food bowls that are left on the floor. He also licks them clean.  Again, seems helpful.
• Hurdaskellir (Door-slammer) - slams doors all throughout the night so that no one gets any sleep.
• Skyrgamur (Curd Glutton) - loves skyr (me too!!) and eats all of it that he can find.
• Bjugnakraekir (Sausage Pilferer) - steals all the sausage he can find.
• Gluggagaegir (Peeper) - Noisy, peeps through windows, and steals toys.
• Gattathefur (Sniffer) - Has a big nose, loves cookies and tries to snatch all the fresh baked ones he can find.
• Ketkrokur (Meat Hook) - Loves all meat, and steals meat, especially lamb.
• Kertasnikir (Candle Beggar) - comes on Christmas Eve. Since candles used to be harder to come by, Icelandic children were given candles as treats on Christmas Eve. This lad used to steal the candles.

For more on the Yuletide Lads, visit the National Museum of Iceland (which we did!), or check out this site with pictures of the Lads.

My own Yule Lad.

I'm pretty sure that Gattathefur would like these cookies. They're sweet and slightly almond-y and kind of addictive, with the colored sugar on top adding a nice little crunch. They're also pretty easy to put together. Yum!

Little Sugar Cakes (Sykar Kaka)
From The International Cookie Book

2 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 tsp almond extract
food coloring (optional)
colored decorating sugar

Stir together dry ingredients and set aside. In large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until very light. Add the sugar and beat til well-blended and smooth. Beat in the egg and extract. Tint the dough if desired with food coloring. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until thoroughly incorporated but not over-mixed.

Divide dough in half, and place each half between sheets of waxed paper. Roll to 1/8-inch thick, being sure to smooth out any creases from the waxed paper. Stack dough on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes (or freeze about 10).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheets.  Peel waxed paper off both sides of one piece of dough, and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place on baking sheets and sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake 6-8 minutes, or until they are barely beginning to brown on the edges. Remove from oven, and let rest on the hot cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing them to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Makes about 4 dozen.