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Krumkake cones stacked upright in a bowl, showing the rosemaling pattern pressed into each Norwegian waffle cookie

Krumkake — Norwegian Waffle Cookies

Crisp, patterned krumkake rolled into cones — a traditional Norwegian waffle cookie made on a decorative iron.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 16 krumkaker
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Norwegian, Scandinavian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large eggs
  • 125 g granulated sugar ⅔ cup
  • 125 g butter ½ cup + 1 tbsp, melted and cooled slightly — still liquid
  • 90 g all-purpose flour ¾ cup
  • 100 g potato starch ½ cup + 1 tbsp — not potato flour
  • 60 ml water ¼ cup

Equipment

  • Electric krumkake iron The decorative plates are the whole point — most carry a rosemaling-style pattern that presses into the cookie.
  • Wooden cone roller For shaping the cookie while it's still hot.
  • Digital kitchen scale This batter is a ratio, and grams matter more than cups here.
  • Small offset spatula For lifting the hot cookie off the iron in one piece.
  • Wire cooling rack The cones crisp as they cool, and only with air around them.

Method
 

  1. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until smooth and pale.
  2. Add the butter and water. Whisk in the melted butter — it should still be liquid but no longer hot — then the water.
  3. Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour and potato starch and whisk until completely smooth. The batter will be thin at this stage, and that's correct.
  4. Chill. Cover and chill for 1 hour. It thickens as the butter firms up, into a batter you spoon rather than pour.
  5. Heat and fill the iron. Heat the krumkake iron. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of batter onto the center of the lower plate and close the iron with light, even pressure — press just enough to spread the batter to the edge, no more.
  6. Bake. Bake for 1–1½ minutes, until pale gold with light browning at the edges. Lift the cookie off with an offset spatula.
  7. Roll it hot. Working fast while it's still hot and pliable, roll it around the wooden cone. Hold for a few seconds until it sets, then slide it off. It crisps as it cools.
  8. Repeat with the remaining batter. Cool completely on a wire rack before storing.

Notes

 
Chef's tip — sacrifice the first two. Like pancakes, the first couple of krumkaker are calibration, not cookies. You're finding two things at once: how much batter your iron wants, and how hard to press. Too thin and they tear on the roller; too thick and you lose the crisp and the pattern goes soft. Even after twenty years we recalibrate every December, because it's been a year since the last batch.
  • Potato starch, not potato flour. In Norway this is potetmel; the US equivalent is potato starch, sold beside cornstarch. American "potato flour" is made from whole dried potatoes and won't work. Can't find potato starch? Use the all-wheat version in the post rather than substituting.
  • Have the roller in your hand before you open the iron. You have about five seconds of pliability.
  • Storage. Airtight, at room temperature. They stay crisp for about a week and go soft in humidity — never refrigerate them.