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Cinnamon cardamom waffles with Norwegian caramel cheese and vanilla ice cream – an irresistible combination! We got to know and love Brunost, the caramel brown cheese, in Norway. With this recipe you can bring a touch of Norway home.
When we lasted two weeks last year traveling in Norway were, met us Brunost for the first time and became THE new culinary discovery of the trip for us. We had already read about the Norwegian cheese specialty several times beforehand, but caramel cheese sounded a bit unusual. On the other hand, we love cheese. And caramel. So what could possibly go wrong? A few days and a waffle with Brunost later, we were hooked. Yes, Brunost really tastes good, and yes, you eat the cheese, especially in sweet combinations. And no, that’s not strange at all! Of course a big block moved Brown cheese in the suitcase at the end of the trip. Since then, Norwegian cheese has been a welcome guest in our kitchen, and when the wanderlust for Scandinavia is particularly strong, there is Brunost wafflesfor example in this combination: Cinnamon cardamom waffles with Brunost and vanilla ice cream.
What is Brunost and what does Norwegian brown cheese taste like?
Already in Bergen, the first stop on our trip to Norway, we discovered and marveled at the thick blocks of brown cheese in the supermarket. During a boat trip on the Aurlandsfjord we were also given a detailed explanation of how brown cheese is made. The basis for Brunost forms whey. The milky-yellow liquid is a byproduct of cheese making. For Brunost, the whey – from cow’s, sheep’s or goat’s milk, or sometimes a mixture of all – is boiled down until the lactose it contains caramelizes and the mixture acquires the typical light brown color. This is how the sweet, caramel-like taste of the cheese comes about. Cream and milk are added to the thickened mass, then it is pressed into molds and finally a firm but soft one is created whey cheesewhich can be eaten, for example, sliced or grated on crispbread or burgers as well as in sweet combinations with pancakes or waffles.
The brown cheese can be found in different intensities and shades of brown, which depend on which milk is used and how long the whey mass is boiled down. The longer the mixture is cooked, the darker the Brunost becomes. The cheese has a melty consistency and the taste is actually reminiscent of caramel – it is sweet and caramel-like, at the same time a little sour and a little cheesy. We love!
Norwegian Brunost waffles to make at home
But Brunost tastes even better on, in and over a fresh waffle than on crispbread. The spicy sweetness of the cheese harmonizes perfectly with the afternoon pastries. We were able to see this for ourselves several times in Norway, including in Oslo, where we sat in the garden of the café Hønse Lovisas Housewere able to sit idyllically at Vøyenfallene – a waterfall in the middle of the city. In addition to delicious cake, as in so many Norwegian cafes, Brunost waffles were on the menu and tasted at least as good as expected.
Of course, we repeated this Norwegian afternoon with the large block of Brunost that we took home as a holiday souvenir and grated it over thick cinnamon cardamom wafers. Since then, the combination of spiced waffles, delicately melting brown cheese and a scoop of ice cream has often made its way onto our coffee table.
You can’t get Brunost in every supermarket in Germany, but we’ve come across it here several times in well-stocked cheese counters or specialty shops. So keep your eyes open and grab it when you come across it. You won’t regret it!
Culinary holiday souvenirs from Scandinavia
You can find even more recipes for Scandinavian pastries here:
Cinnamon cardamom waffles with Norwegian Brunost and vanilla ice cream (recipe for 6-7 waffles)
Ingredients for the dough
- 300g flour
- 75g sugar
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 225 ml milk
- 75 ml buttermilk
- 40 g butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- some butter or neutral cooking oil for greasing
Ingredients for the topping
- 100 g Brunost; about 15 g per wafer (we used Tine Fløtemysost, a mild light brown variety made from cow’s milk)
- vanilla ice cream; About 1 small ball per waffle
preparation
- Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom and cinnamon in a large bowl. Separate the eggs and thoroughly mix the egg yolks with milk, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract in a second bowl. Add the milk-egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well and without lumps. Beat the egg whites in a small bowl until stiff and carefully fold into the dough.
- Heat a waffle iron and grease it with a little butter or oil. Place a good ladle of batter per waffle in the waffle iron and fry into waffles depending on the desired degree of browning. Do the same with the remaining dough. If the waffles are not served directly from the waffle iron, it is best to stack the waffles on top of each other on a plate and keep them warm under aluminum foil.
- Grate the Brunost with a fine cheese grater. Place 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream on each waffle and serve generously sprinkled with grated Brunost.