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Danish klejner are crisp, twisted Christmas cookies flavored with cardamom and fried golden in hot fat. Each diamond of dough is pulled through a slit in its own middle to make the twist, and they’re made for dunking in a cup of coffee.
Table of Contents
- Notes from My Kitchen
- The History of Klejner
- Ingredients for Danish Klejner
- Yield Notes
- Special Equipment for Klejner
- How to Make Danish Klejner
- Tips for the Best Danish Klejner
- Variations
- Serving and Storing Klejner
- Danish Klejner FAQs
- More Danish Christmas Cookies
- Danish Klejner Recipe
- More Scandinavian Christmas Baking
Klejner are one of the oldest Danish Christmas cookies. A Latin-Swedish dictionary from the 1400s already mentions a little fried cake called kleneth, and the Danish name klejne turns up in a cookbook from 1766.
Most of the Nordic countries have a version. In Norway they’re fattigmann, in Sweden they’re klenäter, and in Iceland the twisted fried dough is called kleinur.
Klejner are crunchy and only lightly sweet, with plenty of cardamom. For more Danish cookies, try my Danish pebernødder or browse these 9 Danish Christmas cookies.
Notes from My Kitchen
I had a Scandinavian grandmother, and these days I’m making more Nordic recipes for my kids.
The comments on this recipe are full of family stories, like a Danish great-grandmother who brought klejner over by memory, and a grandfather from Copenhagen who made them every Christmas. If you’re trying to recreate a family recipe, the cups and grams in the recipe card should make it easier.
The History of Klejner
On Danish farms, klejner were fried over the open hearth, since heating the big bread oven just for cookies cost too much. That 1400s Latin-Swedish dictionary translates the Latin laganum, a small piece of fried dough, as kleneth.
The name klejne first shows up in a Danish cookbook in 1766. In the 1700s, they were made by a special baker known as a kleinbager, who baked small breads called kleinbrot.
The name probably comes from the Low German kleinet, meaning a small thing or a little gift, though nobody’s completely sure. The Danish article Klejnens historie lists old names like vridpibe, fugleunge, fedtfugl, and skrædderlår, which translate roughly to twist pipe, fledgling, fat bird, and tailor’s thigh.
Ingredients for Danish Klejner
Readers have made these with gluten free flour, extra butter, and baking powder in place of the hartshorn salt. Here’s what each ingredient does.
- Flour: All-purpose flour, not self-rising. Danish recipes are written in grams, so weigh it if you have a scale.
- Butter: Cold butter gets crumbled into the dough. Use real butter, not margarine.
- Sugar: Plain white granulated sugar.
- Eggs: Large eggs bind the dough.
- Cream or whole milk: Most Danish recipes use cream, which makes a richer, more tender klejne. Whole milk works too.
- Hartshorn salt: Also called baker’s ammonia (ammonium bicarbonate, sometimes sold as ammonium carbonate), it’s the traditional leavening in Danish Christmas cookies, and it gives klejner a light, crisp crunch. Look for it as baker’s ammonia. In a pinch, baking powder works, though the klejner won’t be quite as crisp. It smells of ammonia as it heats, which is normal, but don’t add extra, or the klejner can taste of it.
- Cardamom: Freshly ground cardamom is more fragrant than a jar that’s been open for a year.
- Frying fat: Danes usually fry klejner in Palmin, a refined coconut fat, or in neutral frying oil. Traditionally they were fried in pork fat, and lard still makes a rich, crisp klejne.
Yield Notes
This batch makes about 70 klejner from about 4 cups (500 grams) of flour, enough for a holiday cookie tray and a few tins to give away.
You’ll need about 2 pounds (1 kilogram) of fat for frying, or about 4 1/2 cups if you’re using oil. Use a heavy pot that holds at least 4 quarts, and never fill it more than halfway.
Special Equipment for Klejner
Danes cut klejner with a klejnespore, a little pastry wheel with a fluted edge. Some are a single wheel, often called a kagespore, and others roll out the whole diamond pattern in one pass.
If you don’t have one, a sharp knife works fine. The klejner won’t have the zigzag edge, but they’ll taste just the same.
For frying, you’ll want a heavy pot or Dutch oven, a deep-fry thermometer, and a slotted spoon or skimmer to lift them out. A rolling pin gets the dough to an even thickness.
How to Make Danish Klejner
Making klejner is part baking project, part frying project. Mixing and twisting the dough is fun to do with older kids, but keep them well away from the stove while the klejner fry.
The frying goes a few klejner at a time, so it takes a while to work through a full batch. Cut and twist a whole sheet of dough before the first ones go in the pot.
Mix the Dough
Rub the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs. Then mix in the sugar, hartshorn salt, and cardamom.
Add the eggs and cream, and knead everything together until the dough is fully combined.
Chill the Dough
Cover the dough and chill it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Cold dough is easier to roll and cut cleanly.
Making the dough the night before splits the job into two easier days.
Roll and Cut the Dough
On a floured counter, roll the dough out a scant 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick.
Use a klejnespore or a knife to cut it into diamonds about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide (8 by 2.5 cm). Leave the diamonds in place for now.
Cut the Slits
Cut a 1-inch (2.5 cm) slit lengthwise down the middle of each diamond. This is the hole you’ll pull one end through to make the twist.
Keep the slit in the center, and don’t cut all the way to either end.
Twist the Klejner
Twisting klejner takes a little practice, and the first few might not be pretty. Don’t worry about it, since it doesn’t change the taste.
Start by gently opening the slit in the middle of a diamond.
Next, fold one end over, push it through the slit, and pull it out the other side. The klejne should have a twist in the middle, like the one below.
There’s a short Danish video on twisting klejner that’s worth watching once before you start.
Fry the Klejner
Melt the fat in a heavy pot, filling it no more than halfway, and heat it to 350°F (175°C). Use a deep-fry thermometer to keep it there.
Fry a few klejner at a time, so the fat stays hot. Turn them once they’re light brown at the edges, and fry until they’re golden all over, about 1 to 3 minutes per batch.
Let the fat come back up to temperature before the next batch goes in.
Never leave the pot alone while the fat is hot, and keep a lid nearby. If the fat ever catches fire, put the lid on and turn off the heat, and never use water.
Drain and Cool
Lift the klejner out with a slotted spoon and set them on paper towels to drain. Keep going until all the dough is fried.
Let them cool to room temperature before you pack them away.
Tips for the Best Danish Klejner
Watch the fat temperature. If the fat is too cool, the klejner soak it up and turn greasy. If it’s too hot, they brown before the middle cooks through.
Roll the dough evenly. Klejner that are all the same thickness fry in the same time, so a whole batch comes out done together.
Twist before you fry. Cut and twist a full sheet of dough before the first ones go in the pot, so you’re not twisting with one eye on the stove.
Variations
Danish families have their own versions of klejner.
- Cinnamon: Some families use cinnamon in place of the cardamom.
- Lemon: Grated lemon zest is a common addition to the dough.
- Cognac: Some recipes add a splash of cognac along with the cream.
- Gluten free: One reader used a gluten free baking flour. The dough was more brittle to roll, but the whole family loved the results.
Serving and Storing Klejner
Klejner are a Christmas cookie in Denmark, served with coffee or tea. Some people dip them right in their coffee, since they soak it up nicely.
Store cooled klejner in an airtight tin or container, where they keep for about a week. They also freeze well, so you can fry them ahead of the holidays.
My great-grandmother brought the recipe with her by memory from Denmark in the late 1800s… Here we are over 125 years later having kleiner with coffee just as my ancestors did.
Danish Klejner FAQs
Readers ask about the spelling, the hartshorn salt, and how hot to fry them, so the answers are here.
Klejner is the Danish spelling, and klejne is the singular. Some Danish-American families, including several readers here, spell it kleiner. The Norwegian version is called fattigmann.
Baking powder works in a pinch, in the same amount. America’s Test Kitchen found the two can be used interchangeably, though baker’s ammonia gives a lighter, crunchier result.
Heat the fat to about 350°F (175°C). Danish recipes use 170 to 190°C (about 340 to 375°F), and a deep-fry thermometer helps you keep it steady between batches.
Klejner keep for about a week in an airtight tin at room temperature. For longer storage, freeze them.
Yes. A sharp knife cuts the diamonds and slits just fine. You’ll miss the fluted edge, but the taste is the same.
More Danish Christmas Cookies
More Danish cookies for the Christmas tin.
If you tried this Danish Klejner recipe, or any other recipe on Adamant Kitchen, leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know what you think in the 📝 comments below!
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Danish Klejner
Equipment
- slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, see notes
- 2/3 cup cold butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon hartshorn salt, baker’s ammonia, see notes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 2 pounds lard, Palmin or neutral frying oil, for frying, see notes
Instructions
- Rub the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs.
- Mix in the sugar, hartshorn salt and cardamom.
- Add the eggs and cream, and knead everything together until the dough is fully combined.
- Cover the dough and chill it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- On a floured counter, roll the dough out a scant 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick.
- Cut the dough into diamonds about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide (8 by 2.5 cm) with a klejnespore or a knife.
- Cut a 1-inch (2.5 cm) slit lengthwise down the middle of each diamond, keeping it away from the ends. Fold one end through the slit and pull it out the other side to make the twist.
- Melt the fat in a heavy pot, filling it no more than halfway, and heat it to 350°F (175°C).
- Fry a few klejner at a time. Turn them once they’re light brown at the edges, and fry until golden all over, about 1 to 3 minutes per batch. Let the fat come back up to temperature before the next batch, and never leave the hot fat alone.
- Drain the klejner on paper towels and let them cool completely.
- Store them in an airtight tin at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Scandinavian Christmas Baking
More cookies and holiday baking from all over Scandinavia.
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My grandmother immigrated from Copenhagen and she made this recipe all the time and it was so good and always made with love and now that she has passed away I want to make this again but I don’t know how so if there’s anyone who can give me some tips for making this recipe please let me know 🙏
My grandmother immigrated from Copenhagen and she made this recipe all the time and it was so good and always made with love and now that she has passed away I want to make this again but I don’t know how so if there’s anyone who can give me some tips for making this recipe please let me know 🙏
I love these! So many fond memories. My great grandfather brought his family’s “Kleiner” recipe with him from Denmark when he emigrated to the USA, and I grew up eating Kleiner every Christmas at my grandma’s house. I was talking with my wife about it and began trying to find a recipe for it so we can make some this year. I’m definitely going to try to rekindle the tradition. Thank you!
Wonderful, so glad you’re bringing the tradition back!
My great aunt Hilda made these every Christmas, always one of my favorites. Sadly I never learned how to make them & my only recipe is in Dane. I’m so excited to find this!
So glad you found it! I hope they taste just like Aunt Hilda’s. Enjoy!
My great aunt Hilda made these every Christmas always one of my favorites at Christmas. Sadly I never learned how to make them & my only recipe is in Dane. I’m so excited to find this!
I grew up making these and eating them with my Danish Mom (50%) and her grandparents (they immigrated here). I have since taught my own offspring to make these and each year which ever one is around at Christmas time (both are now single adults) wants to make them with me. It is a real treat to enjoy them AND the tradition of making them with my 30-somethings. My recipe is very similar to yours and cardamom is a requirement (Penzeys please!).
Kleiner is how my family spells this delectable treat. My great-grandmother brought the recipe with her by memory from Denmark in the late 1800’s and my grandmother wrote down the measurement as best she could so the tradition of making kleiner would carry on. Here were are over 125 years later having kleiner with coffee just as my ancestors did. Our recipe is very similar to yours-thank you so much for sharing! I truly thought our family was one of the only kleiner makers and lovers in the US. So happy to know we aren’t alone.
You’re not alone! Thank you Mindy =)
I loved your comment. My grandfather brought Kleiners to Staten Island NY from Copenhagen. We make them every Christmas without fail. – TJ
What a lovely tradition! So glad your family still makes them every Christmas.
My mother and son-in-law are gluten free so I tried using this flour
https://www.amazon.ca/Bobs-Red-Mill-Gluten-Free-Baking/dp/B07J3JGY74/ref=sr_1_1?crid=7OHJ74WBX9R9&keywords=bob%27s+red+mill+flour&qid=1640214512&sprefix=bob%27s+red+mill+flour%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-1
With your recipe, not really knowing what to expect.
I had to let the dough rest over night and when I took it out the next day it was one hard lump but surprisingly I was able to knead it back into a dough I could work with.
It rolled out fine but was a little brittle to work with so I wasn’t able to get the perfect shape but they fried up just about as I would expect and the whole family loved them celiac and non-celiac alike.
Next year I will maybe play with it a little bit to see if I can get a more workable dough but for this year my mom got a taste of her childhood that she hasn’t been able to for many years.
Thanks
I have made klejner for many years and tried this recipe. In Canada our flour is different than Denmark.
I found I had to use 50 gms more of butter for these, and I didn’t put any baking soda in. Without your salt I just used baking powder.
My favorite cookie from my Danish Grandmother. I lost her recipe and thought I was never to taste Klejner again as there don’t seem to be many Danes in Texas.. What an awesome all around great site you have.
Thank you so much. I hope you enjoy them!