What is "sandbakelse"

Sandbakelse or 'Sandbakkels' (meaning sand tarts) or 'Sandkaker' are a Norwegian sugar cookie. They are a Christmas tradition in many families.

Sandbakelse are made of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and almond extract—possibly with vanilla or cardamom. After the dough is mixed and cooled, it is pressed into fluted tins. Children as young as two or three can help with this phase, so it is a first baking experience for many. After ten minutes in the oven, popping the cookies out of the hot tins is best left to adults.

In 1845 a recipe for sandbakelse appeared in a Norwegian cookbook, but they were not widespread until later in the 19th century. They became popular later than the similar krumkake because sandbakelse required fine flour, which was not yet widely available. Emigrants took their tins and recipes west across the sea, where sandbakelse remain an "old-country" Christmas tradition for many Norwegian-Americans.