Kringles (Not Kris…)

In Bentonsport, A Christmas Story, the lead character, Sarah, is a baker. One of her specialties is kringles.

I have always loved kringles!

First, they are large, offering plenty of pastry for a group of friends or to freeze for a treat down the road.

Second, they offer a lot of “crust” and a bit of filling. That makes them “pleasantly sweet.”

Kringles have an interesting history. The word means “ring” or “circle.” Originally from Northern Europe, kringles are a type of pretzel. Pretzels were introduced by Roman Catholic monks in the 13th Century in Denmark. Soon, interest in the pastry spread throughout Scandinavia. As interest spread, the pretzels evolved into several kinds of sweet, salty, or filled pastries—all in the shape of a kringle.

In the United States, kringles are made using a type of Danish pastry dough that “rests” overnight before shaping, filling, and baking. Many sheets of the flaky dough are layered, then shaped into an oval. Fillings consist of fruit, nuts, or custards. The pastry is filled, baked, and iced.

In America, Racine, Wisconsin has historically been a center of Danish-American culture and kringle making. A typical Racine-made kringle is a large, flat oval measuring approximately 14 x 10 inches and weighing a pound and a half.

The kringle became the official state pastry of Wisconsin in 2013.

In other parts of the United States, the word kringle may refer to a slightly sweet buttermilk cookie, shaped like a pretzel or figure eight.

Wow—this is making me hungry. Time to go find a pecan kringle—with some coffee?

Care to join me?

(Source: Wikipedia)