Yes, these cookies are called dreams (drömmar in Swedish). Traditionally they are made without cardamom, so they taste vanilla, sugar and butter. Perfect with tea or coffee. This version includes grinded cardamom, but you can just skip it if you want the classic ones. I like the cardamom taste in it, and the lovely smell of newly baked cardamom dreams fill the kitchen for hours.
I am personally more a cakes person than a cookie person. Have always been. But dreams and raspberry caves are irresistible. Both are classic Swedish cookies, but the consistency is totally different. Raspberry caves are buttery and soft while dreams are crispy and sugary. Try and see which one you like best. You will approx. 20 of these ready within half an hour!
Recipe for cardamom dreams (Swedish kardemummadrömmar)
- 50 g salted butter, chilled
- 1.5 dl sugar
- 1 tsp cardamom seeds, grinded
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 0.5 dl oil (I use canola oil)
- 2 dl flour
- 0.5 tsp ammonium carbonate (Can substitute with 1 tsp baking powder)
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C.
With a spoon, mix the butter, sugar, vanilla sugar and grinded cardamom seeds (I grind in a mortar). Add the oil a little at a time while stirring. Separately, mix the flour and the ammonium carbonate and stir it into the butter mix. Mix until you get a crumbly dough.
Form the dough into round balls (15g-20g each) and place on the parchment paper.
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes. Enjoy with your favourite tea or coffee!
Skip the cardamom for classic dreams. Add any other spice or flavour you like. Chocolate is of course very popular! Add 2-3 tbsp of cacao powder to get chocolate dreams. Even the name is fabolous!
