Klejner — Danish twisted Christmas crullers

i. Origin & history

Klejner belong to a family of twisted, fried pastries that spread across northern Europe in the early modern period. The name and the shape are shared with Swedish klenäter and Icelandic kleinur, and the word is generally thought to come from Low German, related to klein, 'small' — small fried pieces of dough. Danish recipe books have included klejner for centuries, and they became a fixture of Danish Christmas baking.

In Denmark, klejner are counted among the classic Christmas småkager that households traditionally baked in several varieties each December, alongside vaniljekranse, pebernødder, brunkager and others. Making them is often a family afternoon: one person rolls, another cuts and twists, another fries. They are stored in tins and offered to visitors through December, with coffee or gløgg, the Scandinavian mulled wine.

Danish klejner are traditionally fried in coconut fat or lard rather than oil, which gives a crisp, dry finish and a clean taste. Many Danes still use solid coconut fat, sold in blocks, for exactly this purpose. Unlike many fried sweets, klejner are not usually dusted with sugar: the sweetness is in the dough, and they are eaten plain.

Klejner are often confused with Norway's fattigmann, which share the diamond shape and the slit-and-twist. The difference is in the dough: Danish klejner are made with butter and whole eggs and rolled thicker, giving a sturdier, slightly cake-like biscuit, while fattigmann are made mostly from egg yolks and cream and rolled paper-thin, frying up light and shatteringly crisp.

ii. Why the dough rests and the fat stays hot

Klejner dough is a rich, short dough: the butter coats the flour and limits gluten development, which keeps the finished biscuits tender. That richness also makes the dough soft and sticky when freshly mixed. Resting it in the fridge, ideally overnight, firms the butter and lets the flour hydrate fully, so it rolls thinly and cleanly and the twisted shapes hold.

The twist is more than decoration. Cutting a slit and pulling one end through creates a knot with more surface area and thinner sections, which crisp quickly in the hot fat while the thicker parts stay a little soft. It also stops the flat diamonds from puffing up into pillows.

Frying temperature is critical. At about 175 °C, the outside sets and browns in 1–2 minutes while the inside cooks through. Cooler fat soaks into the dough and makes greasy, heavy klejner; hotter fat browns them before the inside is cooked. Frying a few at a time keeps the temperature steady, and solid fats such as coconut fat or lard set again as the biscuits cool, leaving them crisp and non-greasy.

Cardamom and lemon zest are the classic Danish flavourings: cardamom for warmth, lemon for freshness. Grinding cardamom fresh from the pods gives the strongest, cleanest flavour.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 40 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 125 g unsalted butter, soft
• 125 g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 60 ml double cream
• 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest
• 1½ tsp freshly ground cardamom
• 450 g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1000 g solid coconut fat or lard, for frying (or neutral oil)

Solid coconut fat (sold in Denmark as Palmin and elsewhere as 'coconut fat' or refined coconut oil) is the traditional Danish frying fat; lard is the older choice, and neutral oil works but gives a slightly greasier finish. Some recipes use hartshorn salt (baker's ammonia) instead of baking powder for extra crispness. Unwaxed lemon is important since the zest goes into the dough. Use freshly ground cardamom; it is much more aromatic than pre-ground. You will need a fluted pastry wheel (klejnespore) if you want the traditional crinkled edges, though a knife works.

iv. Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar until pale. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the cream, lemon zest and cardamom.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and work them in to make a soft, smooth dough. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight.
3. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, a quarter at a time, to about 4 mm thick. Cut into strips about 3 cm wide, then cut across on the diagonal every 8–10 cm to make long diamonds.
4. Cut a 3 cm slit lengthways in the centre of each diamond. Pull one pointed end through the slit and gently pull it straight again to form a twist.
5. Heat the coconut fat or lard in a deep, heavy pan to 175 °C (350 °F).
6. Fry 5–6 klejner at a time for 1–2 minutes, turning once, until golden brown on both sides.
7. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Cool completely before storing in airtight tins.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Rest the dough overnight. Freshly made klejner dough is too soft to roll and twist cleanly. A night in the fridge transforms it.
• Roll a small amount at a time. Keep the rest of the dough cold; warm dough sticks and tears when twisted.
• Keep the fat at 175 °C. A thermometer is worth having. Too cool, and the klejner absorb fat; too hot, and they burn outside.
• Fry a few at a time. Overcrowding drops the temperature. Five or six per batch keeps the fat hot.
• Twist gently. Pull the end through the slit carefully to avoid tearing; irregular twists are part of the charm.
• Cool before storing. Warm klejner sweat in a tin and soften. Spread them out on paper until completely cold.

vi. Variations

Family recipes vary in richness: some use only egg yolks and more cream, bringing them close to fattigmann, while others add a splash of brandy or rum. Orange zest sometimes replaces lemon. Swedish klenäter are similar, often flavoured with brandy. Icelandic kleinur are made with buttermilk and are softer and more doughnut-like.

On DessertCat, compare Norway's paper-thin fattigmann and cardamom smultring doughnuts, Poland's carnival faworki, Germany's Schneeballen and the Dutch oliebollen. For a Danish Christmas dessert, see risalamande.

vii. Serving & storage

Klejner are served plain, piled on a plate, with coffee, tea or gløgg through December and at Christmas gatherings. They are part of the classic Danish Christmas biscuit tin, alongside vanilla rings and spiced pebernødder, and make a good homemade gift.

Stored in an airtight tin, klejner keep crisp for 2–3 weeks. They can be frozen for up to 2 months; refresh briefly in a 160 °C oven if they soften. The dough itself can be made a day or two ahead and kept wrapped in the fridge.

ix. More from Scandinavian

• Fattigmann — Norwegian paper-thin fried twists
• Æbleskiver — Danish pancake balls
• Risalamande — Danish Christmas rice pudding
• Smultring — Norwegian cardamom doughnuts
• Faworki — Polish carnival ribbons
• Schneeballen — German fried snowballs