Fattigman Day
Our family tradition of Fattigman Day
Instructions plus recipe
this recipe has been handed down through many generations
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Fattigman Day Tradition
With many different dietary needs in our family, we decided to change up our traditions a bit. Rather than getting together for Thanksgiving dinner, we all gather on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for our own Fattigman Day.
Making enough fattigman for the entire family (several batches - yum!) requires time and work. We each man a station, and take turns with some of the tasks.
It’s a fun event that we all cherish. We follow the same recipe as our Swedish matriarch, Jan. She is no longer with us, but her teachings and traditions live on in the new generations.
Our recipe and method are exactly the same as she used, which are the same as that of her mother and grandmother. The only change we have made is that we now use a pasta roller, rather than a rolling pin, for rolling out the dough. This keeps the dough thickness consistent.
NOTE: I have seen many variations in recipes. This is our family recipe that has been passed down.
SUPPLIES - fattigman equipment
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Electric fryer with temperature setting - for frying the cookies
Vegetable oil - for frying the cookies
spice grinder
Fattigman Cutter - we use a metal cutter that rolls – refer to photo
Pasta dough roller - optional – you could use rolling pin
Kitchenaid electric mixer - I have a large commercial mixer because we make a lot of dough – a tilt head is nice
Food storage container - we separate the eggs the day before and store the yolks
Spice grinder - if you choose to use fresh cardamom seeds I recommend using an electric spice grinder – you can see mine in the photo. It shows the seeds removed from the pod, before grinding.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
This recipe is for one batch of cookies, which is 6 dozen cookies. We make 4 batches, for a total of 24 dozen. We divide them into gift boxes as gifts for family and friends.
12 egg yolks
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (must be very fresh - use store bought or home ground)
4 cups flour (this makes a stiff dough)
TIPS BEFORE STARTING
Separate the egg yolks.
Because we make 4 batches, we use 4 dozen eggs.
I work with one dozen eggs at a time. I separate the yolks, and place 1 dozen yolks into each of 4 containers. I cover them and refrigerate until use (that day or a day later). This takes time, so it is best to prepare the yoks ahead of time. My husband makes up the dough in 4 batches. When he is ready to make a batch of dough, it’s easy for him to just grab a container of egg yolks.
Grind the cardamom seeds.
You can use ground cardamom, but it must be very fresh. Cardamom is key to flavorful fattigman.
cardamom pods
I tend to use a mix of store-bought ground spice, and my own ground spice that I grind from seeds that have been removed from cardamom seed pods. Wow! The house smells wonderful when I am grinding cardamom. It’s the scent of Christmas!
I purchase cardamom pods, remove the seeds from the pods, and then grind the seeds.
Home Ground Seeds vs Store Bought
My home-ground seeds are not as fine as store bought. They have a potent taste that gives the cookie its classic flavor. Store bought, finely ground, works well too. I use a mix of store and hand-ground.
The photo shows my home ground seeds.
INSTRUCTIONS - make the dough
Beat the yolks until lemon colored.
Add the sugar and cardamom.
Whip the cream. Slowly fold in the cream.
Slowly mix in the flour. Mix well. The dough will be stiff and sticky.
REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT.
NOTE: The dough will be very stiff. You may wish to use the dough hook on your electric mixer.
INSTRUCTIONS - make the cookies
Place oil into fryer. I find that about 2 quarts is the right amount for my fryer. Pre-heat the oil. I set my heat to half way between 370 and 420 degrees Fahrenheit. Your fryer may need a different temperature (I use the old family fryer).
Place the ball of dough onto a floured surface.
Use a rolling pin with pastry mat and a bit of flour (the dough is very sticky) to roll out the dough, OR use a pasta roller to roll it out, to approximately 1/8” thick.
Use the fattigman cutter to cut the dough into diamond shaped cookies.
You can also use a diamond shaped cookie cutter, and then cut a vertical slit in the center of the cookie.
Our fattigman cutter makes cutting fast and easy.
Refer to the following four photos for shaping the cookies.
Hold the fattigman firmly in your hands and pull slightly on the tips to pull open the slit.
Push the upper pointed end down and come back up through the slit in the middle of the cookie.
Continue to pull the point through and up. A gentle side to side motion helps pull the point through.
The fourth photo shows the finished cookie, ready for the fryer.
Place the cookies into the pre-heated oil. Be very careful - do not splash any hot oil onto yourself! Do not overcrowd. 12 cookies at a time works well in my fryer. My fryer works best at the mark half way between 370 and 420 degrees Fahrenheit. When the cookies float, and the edges become slightly brown, they are ready to flip over. Use metal tongs to turn the cookies. When brown on both sides, they are done.
Remove from the fryer and place onto paper towels to cool.
TIP: Let the oil heat about a minutes between batches. Also, if you make several batches, you will need to add new oil at some point. Allow it to reheat before adding more cookies. With 4 batches, I add oil a couple of times.
Optional: sprinkle powdered sugar over the cookies while they are still warm.
SUCCESS!
Jan approved! We miss her, but have so many wonderful memories of her. She was a joy to all who knew her, and we remember her always, but especially on Fattigman Day.
Make It A Party!
Because Fattigman Day is an annual family tradition for us, we make it a party. Family and friends come over to help - or just enjoy the process. We serve side dishes and beverages.
A new favorite drink of mine is Mead. It is different from wine in that it is made from honey, water, and yeast. It was known as the nectar of the gods by the Vikings. I’m sure I must have inherited a gene for loving this stuff!
Our dough recipe downloads as a pdf file.
