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A Danish summer classic
Growing up, we used to spend most of our summer breaks back in Denmark. And in our minds, nothing quite compares to a summer spent by the water up in the northwestern part of Sjælland, where we grew up. If there are any other Danes reading this, they may heartily disagree with that, because summer isn’t always nice in Denmark. It’s often raining, and most people are trying to escape to Spain or Italy, where nice weather is more of a guarantee. But personally, we love it, because when the weather is nice, we Danes really know how to make the most of it! And we’re also used to swimming in freezing cold water and having a great time anyway. Today’s recipe is one that’s best enjoyed on a warm summer day, though: our recipe for the classic Danish summer dessert of koldskål and kammerjunkere.
Our koldskål recipe
While koldskål is definitely a classic Danish dessert, if you haven’t heard of it before, you may find it a bit strange. Basically, it’s a lightly sweetened cold buttermilk soup, served with twice-baked, crushed-up, crispy cookies called kammerjunkere. You can eat it for dessert or even as a light dinner, especially on a particularly hot day. Perhaps it should actually be relabeled as a summer cereal, because that’s a bit more appetizing!
Many people in Denmark buy koldskål in cartons at the store, which we do too when we’re back there. In fact, it’s so popular in Denmark that when there’s a summer heatwave, koldskål sales shoot up. But since living outside of Denmark, we have had to start making it from scratch! There’s no substitute available, and regular cereal just doesn’t do the trick. Luckily, it’s not too difficult, and the refreshing lemon and vanilla flavors are so delicious that any small effort is completely worth it.
Ingredients for our koldskål recipe
To make the koldskål, it’s very straightforward. You’ll need egg yolks, sugar, buttermilk, sour cream or yoghurt, vanilla extract, and a lemon. You should buy pasteurized egg yolks if you can, especially if you’re serving this to anyone pregnant, a child, or an elderly person, as they could be at a higher risk of getting very sick from salmonella. You can also pasteurize them at home or omit them from the recipe. We don’t typically use pasteurized eggs, as the risk of contracting salmonella from raw eggs is extremely low.
How to make koldskål – it’s easy!
To make the koldskål, simply whisk together the egg yolks and sugar to start, which helps to dissolve the sugar. Then, add the rest of the ingredients slowly while whisking so that nothing curdles or gets lumpy. Taste and feel free to add a bit more sugar, vanilla, or lemon if you feel it needs more. Let the koldskål sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving, so that all the flavors come together and it gets nice and thick.
Bake crispy and delicious kammerjunkere
To make the kammerjunkere, mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl: flour, sugar, cardamom, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Next, crumble the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like sand, then add the wet ingredients: milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix until you have a dough, and refrigerate for a bit. Then shape into balls and bake for a short 12 minutes. You will then cut the cookies in half and bake again for about an hour until they are super crispy. This is one of our absolute favorite summer dishes, and we hope you try it!
Other summer dessert recipes for you
If you love a light and refreshing summer dessert, we have a few more that might pique your interest. There’s nothing like fresh fruit and meringue on a warm day, for example, so give our pavlova a try! It always looks impressive and tastes unbelievable. When it’s strawberry season, you should try to make our strawberry meringue roulade, which truly highlights the sweet and juicy fresh strawberries. Finally, for any rhubarb lovers out there, give our rhubarb and almond buns a try – fluffy, sweet, and so fresh!
Watch Our Video
Koldskål & Kammerjunkere (Buttermilk Dessert)
This cold and refreshing summer dessert may sound and look weird at first, but we promise it is absolutely delicious! There is nothing better on a hot summer day than a bowl of koldskål and kammerjunkere.
Ingredients
KOLDSKÅL
- 3 pasteurized egg yolks (you can omit these if needed)
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 140 grams sour cream or yoghurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 liter buttermilk
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
KAMMERJUNKERE
- 50 grams whole wheat flour (can just be replaced with all-purpose if you don't have it!)
- 200 grams all-purpose flour
- 70 grams sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cardamom (optional)
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 113 grams cold butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 50 ml milk
Instructions
KOLDSKÅL
- Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until light in color and a bit fluffy. They don't need to really increase too much in size or anything but you want most of the sugar to dissolve.
- Add the vanilla and sour cream and whisk together.
- Next, slowly add the buttermilk, making sure to continuously whisk so there are no lumps.
- Finally, add the lemon zest and slowly pour in the lemon juice while whisking so the mixture doesn’t curdle.
- Place this in the fridge for an hour or two so that the koldskål flavors really come together.
KAMMERJUNKERE
- Combine the dry ingredients – flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, cardamom, and lemon zest – in a large bowl.
- Then, cut the cold butter into small pieces and add to the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the dry mixture until it breaks up into smaller pieces and the mixture resembles sand.
- Next mix together the egg, vanilla, and milk in a separate small bowl. Add this to the dry mixture and combine until it forms a dough. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C). Shape the dough into balls (about 1 tbsp of dough per ball) and put on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a light golden color (but still a bit soft!).
- Remove them from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 200 F (95 C).
- Cut the cookies in half while they are soft and place back on the baking sheet with the cut sides facing up. Bake for 60 more minutes or until the cookies are completely crispy.
- To serve, simply ladle some koldskål into a bowl and top with fresh fruit (if you like) and kammerjunkere (either whole or crushed up). Enjoy!
