Brune Pinner
Brune pinner, or brown pins, are another classic and popular Norwegian cookie recipe. This cookie recipe is not necessarily a traditional recipe per se, but it is popular and widely enjoyed at most holiday gatherings. I like brune pinner because they have a baked in and delicate cinnamon flavor as well as a nutty texture due to the chopped almonds on top. I’ve taken a bit of liberty with this recipe in order to adapt it to my taste and give my spin on this classic cookie. This recipe calls for inverted sugar syrup and pearl sugar , both of which are common in many European countries but quite new to most American bakers.
While most bakers cut their cookies into diagonal strips after they have come out of the oven golden brown, I’ve cut mine into straight pins using a pizza cutter before they are baked. I’ve also added a bit more color to my cookies by baking them 2-3 minutes longer. Feel free to shorten the baking time by a few minutes if you like yours less brown and more golden. Also, bake your dough first and cut it after baking if you fancy.
- 200 g ( ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) butter
- 200 g (1 cup) sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon inverted sugar syrup (lys sirup på norsk)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 300 g (2½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 lightly beaten egg
- pearl or dematra sugar
- chopped almonds
- Cream butter and sugar together well using a hand-mixer or standing mixer.
- After the butter and sugar have been creamed together, mix in the remaining ingredients.
- Remove cookie dough from the bowl on to a lightly floured surface and knead slightly for about 1 minute.
- Once the dough is slightly kneaded, section into 4 parts, and allow dough to rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- While the dough is in the refrigerator, preheat oven to 175C/345F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and flatten one section using a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.
- Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut each section into strips, place on the baking sheet.
- Brush each cookie slightly with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with the copped almonds and sugar.
- Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes in oven, or until the reach the desired color.
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