Kringlor are the K cookie…but the word reminded me of Klingons, so I had to open with a famous Klingon proverb. Anyway, Kringlor (Twists) are Scandinavian cookies. Per Wikipedia, kringlor is the plural of kringle which refers to the pretzel-like knot rather than the pastry itself. Sprinkled on top of the cookie is pearl or course decorating sugar (can be found in food specialty stores) which also lends to the pretzel look, making you wonder if the first bite will be sweet or savory.
I found the recipe in Sunset Magazine’s Best-Ever Cookies special issue (Dec 2009). The recipe can also be found on their website. They give credit for the recipe to Mary Johnson and Anna Erickson, early Scandinavian immigrants.
Makes about 60 cookies
1 cup (1/2 lb) butter, room tempeture
1 cup granulated sugar
2 hard-cooked large egg yolks
1 large egg, separated (yolk will go into the batter, white will be reserved to brush top of cookies)
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon salt (I used sea salt)
3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup pearl or course decorating sugar (I used used Sugar in the Raw)
1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on high, beat butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Add hard cooked egg yolks, uncooked egg yolk, uncooked whole egg, and salt. Beat on medium speed until blended. Stir in flour.
2. Shape into 1 inch balls; cover with plastic wrap. on a lightly floured board (I used a marble pasty board), roll each ball under your plam into a 6 inch long rope. On baking sheet, twist each rope into a figure eight and press ends lightly together. Space each twist about 1 inch apart (I was able to get 12 cookies on each sheet). Beat remaining egg white to blend; lightly brush over twists. Sprinkle with pearl sugar.
3. Bake in 350 degree oven until twists are golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Switch pan positions halfway through baking. With a wide spatula, tranfer twists to racks to cool.