Semlor are the best part of Swedish winters; a combination of cardamom, almond paste and whipped cream. They’re traditionally served for Fat Tuesday – one last indulgence before Lent kicks off – but thankfully we live in modern times, which means you can get away with eating them a little longer. They just happen to be the perfect accompaniment to a freshly brewed French Press.

Here is a personal rendition of a classic recipe – not gluten free, or vegan, but ever so worth it. Semla time only comes once a year after all.

Classic Swedish Semlor

Ingredients

• 100 grams butter (7 tablespoons)
• 1 ¼ cups milk
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 4 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup sugar (if you want a sweeter version, you can use up to a ½ cup)
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 3 teaspoons powdered cardamom (I prefer to start with whole cardamom seeds and then grind them as you then get larger, crunchier bits of cardamom)

Filling

• 2 cups blanched almonds + ¼ cup sugar blended in food processor
• Inside of buns
• ½ – 1 cup milk

Topping

• Whipped cream
• Powdered sugar

Directions
1. Melt butter in a saucepan and add the milk. Heat until the liquid is warm to the touch.

2. In a bowl beat the egg and add in yeast, salt, sugar and milk mixture. Combine baking powder and flour and mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl and let rise for 30 minutes.

3. Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Form into round balls and place on greased pan. Cover with tea towel and let rise until double the size.

4. Brush the balls with a beaten egg. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 450F. Let cool.

5. Cut a circular “lid” off of each bun and set aside. Scoop out inside of bun and mix in a bowl with almond paste. Add in enough milk to make a smooth mixture. Fill buns with mixture and top with whipping cream. Place lid on top of whipping cream and garnish with powdered sugar.

Serve with hot coffee of course.