Most popular Swedish Fika Pastries
Fika is a deep rooted ritual a bit similar to British afternoon tea tradition, when people sit down and socialise over a cup of hot drink and some small snacks. The difference is that Swedes can have fika a few times a day. In fact, they are even officially entitled to have regular fika breaks at work.
Swedes generally prefer coffee over tea and on contrary to three-tiered serving tray loaded with a few different types of morsels that is common in Britain, they only have a small bite – a bun, a slice of cake or a cookie. However, when it comes to the selection of traditional fika treats, the variety to choose from seems endless.
Punsch rolls (Punchrulle)
Small logs, filled with cookie crumb, arak, butter and cocoa mix, covered in a layer of green or pink marzipan and both ends dipped in chocolate. Sometimes the filling may contain raspberry jam or oats. Swedes call them vacuum cleaners, since the shape looks like an old fashioned cleaning device.
Vanilla hearts (Vaniljhjärta)
Love heart shaped shortbread pastries dusted with icing sugar are filled with aromatic vanilla custard. The pastry shell is very thin and fragile, so they break apart very easily and are not the best for take aways, so sit down and enjoy one right there in a bakery. Vanilla hearts simply melt in your mouth and are perfect companions to coffee.
Cinnamon or cardamom buns (Kanelbulle or Kardemummabulle)
Traditional Swedish buns can come in a variety of shapes. The most simple shape is a scroll, but sometimes the buns remind of a rosetta or an intricate knot. Butter and sugar mixture that is used to spread on the dough before shaping them into buns is a secret of their taste. Cinnamon or ground cardamom is used for adding the aroma that you simply can’t resist when you step into a bakery. They are the best while still warm.
Raspberry caves (Hallongrotta)
If you are a fan of shortbread cookies, these are for you. Not only you get a buttery cookie, but also a dent (or a cave) filled with with fragrant raspberry jam. If the jam was home made and the pastries were not baked in the oven for too long to the point where the jam turns into a hard lump, hallongrottas are mouth watering treats.
Chocolate or Arak balls (Chokladboll or Araksboll)
Golf ball sized unbaked sweets are close relatives of world-reknowned rum balls. They are made of oatmeal, sugar, butter, cocoa and sometimes small amount of coffee or Arak. Chocolate balls are traditionally covered in desiccated coconut and Arak balls – in chocolate sprinkles. They can also be called Kokosboll (coconut ball) or Havreboll (oatmeal ball).
Semla buns (Semla or Fastlagsbulle)
Semla are traditional lent buns, but Swedes like them so much that they make them starting from New Years and finishing around Easter time. The top of soft cardamom spiced bun is cut off, the bun is filled with marzipan paste and whipped cream and then the lid of the bun is placed back. You can get the variations of Semla where almond paste and whipped cream are blended together.
https://www.onfoodietrail.com/most-popular-swedish-fika-pastries/
Kanelbullar – Cinnamon Buns
Visually, kanelbullar might be the most iconic of the fika recipes. They are found in essentially every single cafe in Sweden, and most people have memories of them from an early age. The dough is spiced with a little cinnamon, which is what makes for the distinct Swedish cinnamon bun taste. They aren’t topped with frosting like American cinnamon rolls; instead they are sprinkled with pearl sugar, a hard sugar, that almost looks like chunks of salt, but is very sweet
Chokladbollar – Chocolate Balls
Chokladbollar are perhaps one of my favorite recipes, mostly because they are so simple to make. Since they don’t have to be baked, they are perfect for making with kids, and it’s the first recipe that many Swedish children learn. Chances are, you already have a lot of the essential ingredients on hand: butter, sugar, cocoa powder, oats. You then mix it all with your hands and roll them in shredded coconut.
Kladdkaka – Sticky Chocolate Cake
It’s hard to turn down a good sticky chocolate cake served with a dollop of whipped cream. The secret: plenty of butter. In Fika: The Art of the Swedish Break we take the classic gooey recipe and switch it up a little by using ground almonds instead of flour, which is perfect for serving to gluten-free friends.
Småkakor – Small Cookies
There are so many types of cookies in Sweden that they all fall into one category: småkakor. Literally translated, “small cookies.” There is usually a lot of butter and sugar involved. There are many types of småkakor out there, but for some good starter recipes, try mandel kakor (almond cookies), chokladsnittar (chocolate slices), and muskotsnittar (nutmeg slices, which are perfect if you like a spicy cookie).
Kardemummakaka – Cardamom Cake
Sponge cakes are common in Sweden, and they are tweaked in a variety of ways. A very common variation is the cardamom cake. This beloved spice in the Swedish kitchen makes for an exotic-tasting cake that pairs perfectly with a strong cup of coffee.
https://www.thekitchn.com/take-your-coffee-break-like-a-swede-10-tasty-fika-recipes-the-art-of-fika-219623
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