KOLDSKÅL – a Danish summer dessert

Today I wanted to share one of the most loved summer desserts from Denmark. It is called Koldskål, and translated it means ‘Cold bowl’.

I would call it a chilled vanilla milky cold dessert (some people call it soup, but it isn’t cooked so I don’t 🙂 Koldskål is served chilled,  and with small vanilla biscuits. Some people love to smash up their biscuits, whilst others prefer theirs whole.

The concoction is usually a dessert, but on a hot summers day, it is bliss and some Danes even eat this during the hot months instead of dinner. I still remember the evenings where my Mother would get the mixer out and make Koldksål. I loved it, it tasted like summer. It’s very easy to make yourself, and we love ours with raspberries as well as Kammerjunker.

INGREDIENTS – KOLDSKÅL

4 Egg yolks

100 g sugar

Buttermilk – 1 l

Vanilla sugar

Organic lemon to taste

METHOD

• Get the egg yolks in a bowl and mix it together with the sugar until fluffy and pale yellow. Add vanilla sugar and whisk again.
• Slowly pour in the buttermilk into the bowl, and with a spoon, gently stir until the egg mix has dissolved.
• If you prefer your Koldskål slightly less sweet, add a  bit of organic lemon juice to taste, or even better a bit of the lemon zest
• Leave in the fridge and keep cold – it will last for 2 days in the refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS – Twice baked Vanilla biscuits

250 g all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

100 g sugar

100 g butter – diced

1/2 cup of milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla sugar

1 egg

METHOD

• In a large bowl, mix with flour, vanilla sugar, baking powder, and sugar. Crumble the butter into the mix and stir to connect. Add the egg and the milk and knead until smooth.
• Place the dough in the fridge to chill for 30 mins.
• Roll into sausages, and cut into 2 cm balls, leave on the baking tray and flatten slightly with a finger.
• Bake on baking paper for 10 minutes at 175 degrees celsius.
• Remove from the oven, and leave to cool for a few minutes, and with a serrated knife – cut through the cookie to get 2 halves. Place onto the baking sheet with the cut-side down.
• Lower the heat in the oven til 125 degrees and bake for 45 minutes – or until golden brown.
• Leave to cool, and store in an airtight container.
• Add your vanilla biscuits to your dish of Koldskål, and ENJOY.

Styling, recipe, and photography – Anya Jensen

NB! If you are pregnant or elderly, the Danish health authorities advise using pasteurized eggs instead of raw eggs.