Similar to an oatmeal lace cookie, Havreflarn is a Swedish classic. They are crispy with buttery oat flavor that’s irresistible.
This post is sponsored on behalf of #ChristmasCookiesWeek. The generous sponsors, YumGoggle, Sprinkle Pop, Silpat and Adams Extracts have provided us with products for recipe creation and a giveaway for our readers. As always, all opinions are my own.
I’m not a cookie baker. Well, I can bake cookies, but create cookies is something I lack the creativity to do. I just haven’t figured out the formula that I can use time and time again. I know one exists, but I just haven’t figure it out yet. Then again, there’s really NOT one formula to ALL cookies. As you will see this month.
Macaron are a different ball game. That’s a formula I’ve used repeatedly with just a few alterations. Swap out some powdered sugar for some dried fruits. Change out the almond meal for some peanut, walnut, or pecan meal. Mix up the extracts for different flavors in the shell and filling.
But regular cookies? Those I just can’t create so easily.
So, this year I decided to go back to my roots on #ChristmasCookiesWeek. All of these cookies are from some part of the heritage. I had a few that I shared last year. The peppermint macaroons and the Norwegian pecan cookies are two that we used to make all the time for the holidays.
But this year, I did some searching for traditional cookies my ancestors might have served up for the holidays. If you haven’t done this, you really should. It was so much fun! Because there’s usually a story to go with the cookies; like this one I’m writing right now. Reading those stories or histories of the cookies themselves made me appreciate them even more.
Take these Havreflarn, for instance. For the holidays, ladies having coffee were served platters with seven cookies on them. Exactly seven types of cookies. If you served any more than 7 you were showing off. However, if you made less than 7 you were stingy. There’re theories on why the number 7 was so important, but I won’t go into that.
Havreflarn were typically one of the seven cookies in the tray.
Other popular cookies are Drömmar which is a light and crispy vanilla sugar cookie. Dammsugare, also known as vacuum cleaners because of the way they look, are leftover cake wrapped in marzipan and dipped in chocolate. Hallongrottor is a are a raspberry thumbprint cookie. Kryddkakor which is a spice cookie, Kryddkakor which is a shortbread cookie that has a caramel flavor, and Finska pinnar which is a lemony thick cut sugar cookie. However, there were other cookies on the tray. These are just some of the most popular.
It’s also a list of some recipes I might try in future #ChristmasCookiesWeek events. They all sound delicious! And since they’re all cookies my ancestors might have made, I’m even more interested in trying them out.
I, like most other US citizens, am a motley mix of genes. None of them are from countries that typically have dark or tan looking skin. Hence the Casper appearance in all the photos. And sometimes, I do have a tan in those photos. I just do not tan at all.
On my mother’s side I have Swedish, Norwegian, Scottish, and German roots. On Dad’s side it’s German, Irish, and English. All whiter than white people. I was THAT kid at the pool with the t-shirt on and that nose coat stuff that looked like I had poop on my nose. I cannot even find an image of what the looked like. Open a jar of beef broth base and imagine putting that on your nose. Except it’s even more paste like with petroleum to stay on your nose while you swim. And your hair ALWAYS sticks to it.
Because, yeah, that’s attractive when you’re a kid at the pool.
Maybe that’s why I have an affinity towards winter weather, too. I cannot stand being hot and hate sweating unless it’s for a reason like I’m hiking or something. I love sweaters and sweatshirts, cuddling in blankets, and sleeping better than I do in the summer. For me to sleep well I MUST have cool air on my face at all times. I’d open the window in the dead of winter if I could.
They need to invent something that you can set a timer on that opens the window at a certain time and closes like an hour before you wake up so it’s not freezing cold in the bedroom. Because being freezing cold when I wake up just makes me want to stay under the covers that much longer.
My Norwegian roots are way up there in the country, too. Like at the top that’s on the border with Russia. There’s a story in the family that one of my ancestors knew THE Anastasia and had petit point needlework from them. There’s no way to prove that. But it is a fun story and pretty petit point.
On Dad’s side, we’re Irish. Except we can’t trace the actual surname in Ireland. We can trace a maternal name to Ireland. That’s so weird because it was the husband’s name that carried all the weight. However, we are thinking the last name was modified at some point and it’s something completely different when you get to Ireland.
I should probably talk about these cookies at some point, right?
Havreflarn are very much like oatmeal lace cookies. They might have a little more butter and maybe a little more flour. Other than that, they’re very much like an oatmeal lace cookie. They have that crispy texture with the buttery oat flavor that’s delicious.
I fell in love with oatmeal lace cookies many years ago. However, I’ve never made them. So, when I saw these Havreflarn cookies pop up on a Norwegian cookie recipe search I knew these were going on the list. They’re super easy and simple to make. And, a little goes a long way!
Seriously. I thought the batch of dough was really small. However, when you realize that you shouldn’t spoon more than a teaspoon onto the baking sheet you’ll see that the dough goes farther than you thought. Trust me on this one. Less is definitely more. If you haven’t made oatmeal lace cookies before, you will be surprised at how far these Havreflarn will spread. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Which is a good thing, actually. You can double up the batch of these Havreflarn easily. And you will need to double up the batch. These cookies are addictive! Truly addictive with their butter, caramel-y, oat-y flavor that just taste amazing. It was difficult for me to keep from eating the whole batch.
Again, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Scroll down to see what the other bloggers baked up today.
Yield: 22
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes
Similar to an oatmeal lace cookie, Havreflarn is a Swedish classic. They are crispy with buttery oat flavor that's irresistible.
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in a microwave safe bowl.Stir in the oats and set aside.
- Cream the brown sugar with the egg, vanilla, and salt (if using salted butter omit the salt).
- Stir the oatmeal mixture into the brown sugar mixture.Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
- Drop teaspoons of batter onto a baking sheet lined with buttered parchment or a silpat mat.This will not look like much, but these cookies will spread.Less is more in this case.
- Bake at 375 for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.Allow to cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week, if they last that long.
Did you make this recipe?
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#ChristmasCookiesWeek Tuesday Recipes
- Chocolate Cherry Totos by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Christmas Tree Whoopie Pies by The Freshman Cook
- Cranberry Kit-Kat Cookies by Palatable Pastime
- Delicious Cookies by Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
- Havreflarn Norwegian Oatmeal Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Honey Sugar Cookies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- White Christmas Kiss Cookies by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- White Christmas Peppermint Holiday Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Disclaimer:
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Four (4) winners will be selected at random from entries received. The prize packages will be fulfilled by and sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. #ChristmasCookiesWeek bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household are not eligible to enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #ChristmasCookiesWeek posts or entry.
