Norwegian waffles

Ingredients

The batter

• 250 gplain flour
• 2 tablespoonssugar
• 1 teaspoonbaking powder
• 1 teaspoonground cardamom
• freshly ground if you can
• a pinch of salt
• 3eggs
• about 400 ml milk
• or 300 ml milk and 100 ml buttermilk
• 100 gbutter, melted and cooled
• or 200 g soured cream
• in place of some milk

For the iron

• butter, or oil
• for greasing

To serve

• rømme, Norwegian soured cream
• or thick soured cream
• strawberry or raspberry jam
• brunost, the brown cheese
• sliced thinly
• butter and sugar
• coffee

Directions

1. Grind those seeds in a mortar. It is five minutes of work. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Whisk them in. Whisk until completely smooth. Whisk it in last.
2. Let it cool before adding it. Hot butter cooks the eggs into threads. Cover it and rest it thirty minutes. An hour is better.
3. Heat it thoroughly before the first waffle. A cold iron gives a pale limp waffle. Brush both plates with butter or oil. Modern non-stick irons need it less. Pour batter into the centre of the iron.
4. Use enough to nearly fill it. Too much overflows down the sides. Cook for two to three minutes.
5. Steam pours out at first. When the steam slows noticeably, it is nearly done. Use a fork or a wooden spatula. Never a metal knife on a non-stick plate.
6. Lay them on a rack, not a plate. They are meant to be soft. Serve them warm. Rømme is thick Norwegian soured cream.
7. Butter and sugar on a hot waffle. They keep two days in an airtight container. Layer them with greaseproof paper. The batter keeps two days refrigerated. Whisk it before using it.

Technique

• These are thin, soft and pliable, not thick and crisp. A Belgian waffle iron has plates too deep and gives the wrong thing entirely — a Nordic heart iron is what makes them, and the atlas says so rather than pretending a substitute exists.
• Rest the batter thirty minutes, and an hour or overnight is better. It lets the flour hydrate and relaxes the gluten; unrested batter gives tougher waffles with a faintly raw floury taste.
• Keep the batter thin, like single cream. It spreads to fill the iron and gives a thin soft waffle; a thick batter gives a heavy one.
• Cook to pale golden, not deep brown. Dark waffles are crisp and dry, which is a Belgian waffle rather than this.
• Watch the steam. It pours out at first and slows noticeably when the waffle is nearly done — a genuinely reliable signal.
• Close the lid gently and do not press. Pressing squeezes the batter out of the sides and makes a dense waffle.
• Heat the iron a full five minutes before the first waffle. A cold iron gives a pale limp waffle that sticks.
• The first waffle is usually a failure while the iron finds its temperature. That is normal, and the cook eats it.
• Let the melted butter cool before it goes in. Hot butter cooks the eggs into threads.
• Grind cardamom fresh from green pods. Ground cardamom loses its aroma within months and the difference in a waffle is obvious for five minutes’ work. A full teaspoon is not a mistake — these are distinctly cardamom-scented and some households use more.
• Replacing some of the milk with soured cream gives a richer, more tender waffle with a faint tang, and is what many Norwegian recipes do.
• Cool them on a rack rather than a plate, where they steam underneath and go soggy — though since these are meant to be soft, it matters less than with a crisp waffle.
• Brunost, the brown cheese, is not a cheese in the usual sense but caramelised whey — sweet, dense and sliced thinly onto a hot waffle where it melts. It is genuinely beloved in Norway and surprises visitors considerably.

Substitutions

• Soured cream in place of some of the milk gives a richer, more tender waffle.
• Buttermilk replaces some of the milk for a slight tang.
• Crème fraîche or thick soured cream replaces rømme for serving.
• Any jam serves, though strawberry and raspberry are the usual choices.
• Butter and sugar alone is what many people actually eat.
• The same batter makes pancakes if you have no heart iron.

Variations

• Swedish and Danish waffles use the same heart iron and a similar batter.
• A savoury version served with cured salmon and soured cream is made.
• Waffles with brunost and jam together is a common Norwegian combination.
• Krumkake uses a related batter pressed in a patterned iron and rolled into cones.
• Lefse, the soft potato flatbread, is eaten with butter and sugar in the same way.
• A version with grated apple in the batter is made in some households.

Frequently asked questions

What is Norwegian waffles?

Norwegian waffles is a snack from Norway: heart-shaped cardamom waffles with sour cream and jam.

How long does Norwegian waffles take to make?

Norwegian waffles takes 15 minutes plus 30 minutes resting of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 6 heart waffles. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Norwegian waffles?

Yes, within limits. Soured cream in place of some of the milk gives a richer, more tender waffle. Buttermilk replaces some of the milk for a slight tang. Crème fraîche or thick soured cream replaces rømme for serving. Any jam serves, though strawberry and raspberry are the usual choices. Butter and sugar alone is what many people actually eat. The same batter makes pancakes if you have no heart iron.

What is the most important thing to get right in Norwegian waffles?

Steam pours out at first. When the steam slows noticeably, it is nearly done. Use a fork or a wooden spatula. Never a metal knife on a non-stick plate.