What is baker's ammonia, and can I use something else?

Baker's ammonia (hartshorn) is an old leavening agent (ammonium carbonate) that makes cookies crisp. It is still sold in stores. In the recipe 1 teaspoon is dissolved in a little liquid/egg before being mixed into the dough. Baking powder gives a different, less crisp result.

Why should the butter be "washed"?

In 1914 butter was often salted and contained buttermilk. Washing it in cold water removed the salt and milk residue so the cookies kept better. With today's unsalted butter you can skip this.

How should the cookies be baked?

Roll the dough thin, cut out with a round cutter or glass, place on a greased sheet, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar and finely slivered, blanched sweet almonds. Bake them pale yellow in a not-too-hot oven – keep an eye on them, thin cookies brown quickly.

How many cookies does the recipe make?

With 1 kg of wheat flour the dough gives about 60 cookies, depending on how thin you roll and how large a cutter you use. The dough can be halved.

Jewish Cookies II

Name: Jewish Cookies II
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 60 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 1,000 g wheat flour; 250 g butter (unsalted, room temperature); 125 g sugar; 2 pcs eggs (small); 1 tsp baker's ammonia (hartshorn) (can be replaced with 1 tsp baking powder); 1 tbsp water (to dissolve the baker's ammonia); 1 pcs egg (for brushing); 2 tbsp sugar (for sprinkling); 50 g sweet almonds (blanched and cut into fine slivers)

Jewish Cookies II (jødekaker) from Erken's Stor kokebok 1914: a crisp cut-out cookie of 1 kg flour, 250 g butter, 125 g sugar, 2 eggs and baker's ammonia (hartshorn), brushed with egg and sprinkled with sugar and slivered almonds, baked pale yellow.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 561 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Jewish cookies (jødekaker) are among the most traditional of Norwegian cookies, recognized by their topping of cinnamon sugar or – as in Erken's variant II here – sugar and finely slivered almonds. The recipe appears in the "Baking" chapter of Stor kokebok from 1914.

How to make it

1
Mix the dough
Dissolve the baker's ammonia in a spoonful of water. Mix the sugar, flour, eggs and the dissolved baker's ammonia.
2
Knead in the butter
Work the soft butter into the flour mixture and knead the dough smooth and pliable. Let it rest in the cold for half an hour if you like.
3
Roll and cut out
Roll the dough out thin and cut out round cookies with a cutter or a glass. Place them on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
4
Brush and sprinkle
Brush the cookies with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar and the finely slivered almonds.
5
Bake
Bake the cookies pale yellow in a not-too-hot oven, about 170 °C (340 °F), for 8–10 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Changes from the original

Measurements converted to modern units (dl/grams/tsp). Baker's ammonia is kept (still available) with baking powder as an alternative. "Washed butter" is replaced by ordinary unsalted butter. Oven temperature is given in degrees.

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Tidsmaskin – hva endret seg?

Velg to utgaver og se hva Henriette Schønberg Erken la til, fjernet eller endret mellom dem.

Fra1914 1949 Modernisert

Til1914 1949 Modernisert

1914 (korrekturlest, s. 561) → 1949 (korrekturlest, s. 653)~84% av teksten endretfjernetlagt til

1 Jødekaker II. 1/2 kg. hvetemel 1/4 kg. smør 125 gr. sukker 2 ~~smaa~~ små egg 1 ~~teske hjortetaksalt. Sukker, mel, egg~~ 1/2 teskje bakepulver. Sukker og ~~det utrørte hjortetaksalt blandes,~~ egg vispes 20 minutter; det ~~utvaskede smør eltes i; arbeides til en jevn deig, som kjevles tyndt ut, utstikkes~~ øvrige tilsettes, bakepulveret utrørt i melet. Settes med ~~rundt jern eller glas, lægges paa~~ teskje på smurt ~~plate, smøres med vispet egg, strøes med sukker~~ plate og ~~søte, skoldede mandler, som er skaaret i langagtige, fine strimler. Stekes lysegule i ikke for varm ovn.~~ stekes lyse gulbrune.

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Frequently asked questions

What is baker's ammonia, and can I use something else?: Baker's ammonia (hartshorn) is an old leavening agent (ammonium carbonate) that makes cookies crisp. It is still sold in stores. In the recipe 1 teaspoon is dissolved in a little liquid/egg before being mixed into the dough. Baking powder gives a different, less crisp result.
Why should the butter be "washed"?: In 1914 butter was often salted and contained buttermilk. Washing it in cold water removed the salt and milk residue so the cookies kept better. With today's unsalted butter you can skip this.
How should the cookies be baked?: Roll the dough thin, cut out with a round cutter or glass, place on a greased sheet, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar and finely slivered, blanched sweet almonds. Bake them pale yellow in a not-too-hot oven – keep an eye on them, thin cookies brown quickly.
How many cookies does the recipe make?: With 1 kg of wheat flour the dough gives about 60 cookies, depending on how thin you roll and how large a cutter you use. The dough can be halved.

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