How to Arrange Your Own

ried women were seated when she attended a kafferep.

As the standards and expectations for carrying out a kafferep became increasingly regulated, so did the type, quantity and order of the items to be consumed with the coffee.

Traditionally, the hostess would first offer a sweet bread (vetebröd), such as cinnamon rolls (kanelbullar), or a sponge cake (sockerkaka). If different types of sockerkaka were offered, the light kind would be consumed before the dark kind. After the soft goods, a selection of seven types of cookies would be offered. Seven was considered a lucky number. Any fewer and the hostess would be considered stingy; any more a show-off. The cookies also had to be eaten in order, starting with light, dry cookies, followed by dark, dry cookies, and ending with cookies containing filling. Tradition dictated that guests try at least one of each kind. The grand finale would be a fancy cake or torte, for example a prinsesstårta or jordgubbstårta.

Photo: Jacob Fridholm/imagebanksweden.se Kafferep in the garden with cinnamon rolls and prinsesstårta.

Those who couldn’t finish were given a bag to bring home the leftovers, a kind of precursor to the American doggy bag.

The most important (and irreplaceable) part of the kafferep was the selection of seven types of cookies.

In 1945, the magazine Ica Kuriren announced a cookie competition. Receiving more than 8,000 entries, they published their favorites in the book Sju sorters kakor (Seven kinds of cookies). Selling 3.7 million copies in Sweden, it was second only to the Bible.

The popularity of the kafferep peaked in the 1930s and was often associated with special occasions such as christenings and birthday celebrations. Though the tradition faded, it has seen a revival as of late. In its more modern iteration, it is no longer exclusively for women and the hierarchical aspects have of course vanished.

Adapted to modern times, a kafferep is the perfect way to mark a special occasion.

How to Arrange Your Own Kafferep

There is no time like summer to try hosting your own kafferep. Baking seven different kinds of cookies might seem overwhelming, but it’s easier than it sounds as many are made from the same basic dough, the so-called ‘mördeg’ consisting of flour, butter, sugar, and sometimes egg.

Here are the recipes of an assortment of seven classical småkakor: Drömmar (dreams), Chokladsnittar (chocolate slices) Sirapskakor (caramel slices), Hallongrottor (raspberry caves) Schackrutor (chessboards), Bondkakor (farmer’s cookie), and Havrekakor (oatmeal cookies).

Drömmar

Ingredients:

• 100 g butter (room temprature) • 260 g sugar • 2 tsp vanilla sugar • 115 ml vegetable oil • 220 g plain allpurpose flour • 1tsp hjorthornssalt*

(*Hartshorn – it is also called bakers’ ammonia (ammonium carbonate). It is an ammonia compound and not harmful after baking. However, don’t eat the raw dough.)

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 300° F (150° C). Line two baking trays with grease-proof paper. Beat the butter and sugar until it is smooth and fluffy. Preferably by hand with a spoon. Add the oil a little at a time, until incorporated. Mix vanilla sugar, hjorthornssalt, and flour and add it. Roll the dough into 15-20 balls (approx. 1 tbsp/cookie). Flatten them lightly and place them on the prepared tray with space in between. Put the tray in the fridge for 15 minutes. Bake in the middle of the oven for around 20 minutes, just until the edges are starting to brown.

Hemma hos

Sirapskakor

Ingredients:

• 200 g butter at room temprature • 175 ml (160 g) sugar • 1,5 tbsp vanilla sugar (or 1tsp vanilla extract) • 2 tsp baking powder • 2 tbsp golden syrup • 500 ml (310 g) flour

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until well combined then whisk in the vanilla, baking powder and syrup. Add the flour and mix for about 1-2 minutes until the mixture forms large clumps then press the dough into a ball with your fingers. Lay the dough on the work surface and knead it a little until it is smooth and lump-free. Divide into four pieces. Roll each piece into a long snake about 40 cm long and lay them on your baking tray. Make sure they are spaced out as the dough will spread. Bake in the middle of the oven for 18-20 minutes until golden.Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about two minutes then cut into slices.

Ingredients:

• 100 g butter • 100 g sugar • 140 g all-purpose flour • 1/2 tbsp vanilla sugar • 1/2 tsp baking powder • 2 tbsp cocoa powder • 1 small egg

Decorations:

1 small egg pearl sugar

Chokladsnittar

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a large flat baking tray with parchment paper. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and work together until a smooth dough is achieved. Divide the dough into three fairly equal parts and taking each one, press it out with your hands until it is a long and fairly flat roll. Make sure there is space in between them as the dough does spread a little when baking. Beat the second egg and paste over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle with the pearl sugar. Pop in the oven and bake for around 15 minutes, just until the edges have hardened but the middles are still relatively soft. Remove from the oven and cut the cookies into slices (about 7 or 8 on each one) while they are still warm (don't wait until they are cold as they will just break).

Schackrutor

Ingredients:

• 400 ml (4 dl or 1,7 cup) plain flour • 100 ml (or 0,42 cup) potato starch • 1 pinch of salt • 200 g (7 ounces) cold butter • 100 ml (or 0,42 cup) sugar • 1tsp vanilla extract or 2 tbsp vanilla sugar • 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Chop the chilled butter and blend it with flour and sugar using your fingers. Work the mixture into a dough and knead the dough a little until it has a smooth texture. Divide the dough in half and knead vanilla extract into one part and cocoa into the other. Flatten both parts a little and let them rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Using a rolling pin, shape the vanilla dough into a 1 cm (or just above) thick rectangle. Repeat the procedure with the cocoa dough and place one part on top of the other. Press lightly. Cut the double-dough into bars measuring just over 1 cm and place these two by two – with the cocoa parts facing the vanilla ones. Cut the dough into 4 mm thick slices and place the cookies on baking trays lined with greaseproof paper. Bake in the middle of the oven for 7-10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 200 g butter at room temprature • 1 1/4 cups sugar • 2 1/4 cups allpurpose flour • 1 tbsp golden syrup • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda • 1 tbsp water • 75 g almonds

Bondkakor

Preparation:

Set the oven to 400°F (200°C). Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper. Chop the almonds roughly. In a large bowl, add the flour. Mix the water with the bicarbonate of soda. Add the bicarbonate mixture, sugar, syrup, almonds, and butter to the flour. Knead until the mixture forms a dough. Form the dough into two rounded logs, about 5 centimeters (2 inches) in diameter. Sometimes you’ll need to press rather than roll, and then shape the logs to make them come together nicely. Wrap in cling film and chill for two hours or longer. Remove the cling film and slice the logs into large coins, about 5 mm (1/5 inch) thick. Bake the cookies on the baking sheets placed in the middle rack of the oven, for 10-12 minutes. You want them to be slightly golden.

Havrekakor

Ingredients:

• 300 g butter at room temprature • 1 1/4 cups sugar • 1 1/4 cups allpurpose flour • 21/2 cups oatmeal • 1 cup raisins • 11/2 tsp baking soda

Preparation:

Set the oven to 350° F (175° C). Mix all the ingredients and work into a dough. Roll dough into balls and place them apart (they will spread out while baking) on a sheet of parchment paper. Flatten them out a little. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes.

You may want to dip a section of the cookie in melted chocolate or drizzle across the surface.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of butter • 2/3 cup of white sugar • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder • 1 tbsp vanilla sugar

Raspberry jam

Hallongrottor

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C). Line a 16-cup muffin tin with muffin liners.

Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer until creamy. Add flour, baking powder, and vanilla sugar; beat to combine.

Divide dough in 1/2 and divide each 1/2 into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place a ball of dough into each prepared muffin cup; make a small indentation in the center of each dough ball with a flour-coated thumb. Fill each indentation with a teaspoon of raspberry jam. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes.