Gooey Swedish Brownies

The Scandinavians are superheroes when it comes to snowy weather, tall people, and education. In particular, the Swedes are excellent at desserts.

They have a cultural practice called Fika, which is similar to the Brit’s afternoon tea. You meet with a friend or two, have a warm drink, and enjoy a dessert. I visited Sweden for 2 weeks in February 2016 and participated in Fika more times than I can count…sometimes twice per day! Needless to say, warm drinks and sweet treats are ingrained in the Swedish lifestyle. 

One memorable dessert I had was kladdkaka, a gooey brownie. I didn’t discover until later that it’s made with almond flour instead of all-purpose flour. If you don’t have access to almond flour, you can grind fresh almonds in your high-powered blender or food processor. 

It errs on the rich and gooey side. And it pairs perfectly with a hot cup of coffee or a steaming mug of strong tea.

The trick is to remove the kladdkaka when the top is fully cooked but the inside is no longer runny, yet not fully cooked. It’s an art, just like removing chocolate chips from the oven while they are still soft and haven’t fully hardened yet. I’ve found 19 minutes to be the sweet spot in my oven, so check yours every minute after they’ve been in the oven for 18 minutes.