Flaky and buttery with a crunchy bite of pearl sugar, these Norwegian Pastry Cookies, terteringer, are a great addition to holiday baking. Terteringer ‘tart rings’, also known as fløteringer ‘cream rings’ and prestegårdsringer ‘parsonage rings’ are old-fashioned cookies that will pop up here and again in various cookie tins.

I first came across these in a local cookbook from Eksingedalen and was quite intrigued. Recipes can be found in various cookbooks, the earliest I could find from the 1950s…though it’s possible even earlier. As to when these pastry cookies became a julekaker tradition is unclear, but they certainly have a fondness and nostalgia to them that is shared so lovingly by those baking them.

The dough contains only flour, butter, and cream (or sour cream depending up on the recipe). The sweetness comes from the topping of pearl sugar and nothing else. With the ratio of butter to flour being almost equal, these lean more toward a pie crust type of baked good. So, when making these envision a pie crust texture when rolling out the dough and cutting the shapes. They puff up ever so slightly when baked, giving them layers of flaky bits that melt in the mouth. Be generous with the peal sugar, so you get a nice touch of sweetness in every bite.

Norwegian Pastry Cookies (Terteringer)

Makes about 40

• 1 ¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (224 g) lightly salted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 5 tablespoons (75 ml) heavy cream
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• Pearl sugar, for finishing

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Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, add the flour and butter, and use a pastry cutter or the tips of your fingers to quickly cut it into the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the heavy cream and blend together with a fork until a dough forms. Shape the dough into a ball, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand a few minutes at room temperature. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to a ½ cm thickness. Cut out ring shapes with a doughnut cutter or pastry rings. Here I used a 2 ½ inch (7cm) pastry ring and an apple corer for the center to make about 40 rings.

Divide the rings on the baking sheets, with any leftover rings ready for baking after the first batches. Brush each ring with the egg white and generously sprinkle with pearl sugar (or dip the rings into a bowl filled with the pearl sugar for full coverage). Bake, 1 baking sheet at a time, for 10 minutes or until light golden. Set on a wire rack to cool completely before serving. Store in a cookie tin for up to 1 month.