This is in answer to Carol’s request for what she dubbed “Futimonbuckles,” which would sound more like Fattigmann Bakkels in Norwegian. ‘Poor Man’s Cakes’ is the original name of this very old dish, which has been around for more than a century.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 48 |
| Yield: | 4 dozen |
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 3 egg yolks
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 teaspoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 cups lard for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat egg and yolks together. Stir in the cream, sugar, melted butter and cardamom. Mix in enough of the flour to make a soft but manageable dough. Handle the dough as little as possible or cookies will be tough.
- Heat oil in deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). On a floured cloth, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 2×2 inch diamond shapes.
- Fry in hot lard until lightly browned. Drain on paper and dust with confectioners’ sugar when cool. The cookies should be uniform in size and thickness and shouldn’t be fried too dark or too light.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount may vary depending on cook time and temperature, ingredient density, and the specific type of oil used.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 43 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 19 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 4 mg |
| Sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 3 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
OMG !!!! My grandma and I made this every HOLIDAY what memories thank you for giving me the exact recipe,i was little around 5-7 yrs old at the time we made these, so TO HAVE THIS RECIPE NOW, I CAN PASS IT ON TO MY SON’S FAMILY thank you so MUCH…you do don’t know what this means,PS i just finish making these, DEEELICIOUS just like i remember….
My husbands mother, who is now passed, shared a very similiar Norwegian Recipe that she called Fuddins. Guessing that was family slang for this treat. Glad to read about the heritage of the recipe and thanks for sharing.
Close to my Grandmother’s recipe. Cardamon to taste was all that was written in English. I also add a tbls of brandy. Another recipe recommend refrigerating overnight to make it easier to roll.
The Polish families also have these for special occasions, like Christmas, they call them Angel Wings, we just do not add cardamom, and we also dust with powdered sugar after done frying… ; ) yummy!!!
My heritage is Nowegian and German. I get to enjoy German and Norwegian Christmas cookies every year. Fattingman is one of my favorites. They have light powdered sugar on top and YUM YUM 🙂
I saw this recipe & thought I’d try a different Fattigmand recipe instead of my great-great-grandmothers. I did not like this recipe at all. there was not enough cardamom and definately not enough sugar! It was completely tasteless, in my opinion tasted like cardboard. I had to add sugar to it after it was a dough & it turned out horrible I threw half of it away & made the recipe I used for years. Fattigmand is not supposed to be a sweet cookie but there is supposed to be at least enough to taste the sweetness & this recipe was not like that. I will not use this one again.
Just about like my Norwegian grandmother’s Fattigmann’s, but needs 1 tablespoon brandy.
My Great Grandmother who came over from Norway, taught me and my mother how to make these cookies. In addition to the other tips, we dusted the cookies with powdered sugar when we were done.
I love this recipe, I have my great grandmother’s hand written copy, which is written in backing spoons, flour enough, and “spitting temperature of the lard” This is the closest I’ve come to a modern version, only she used nutmeg as she didn’t like cardomand
Hi, I see I am a tad late, in replying here, but never the less, I too was taught by my Grandmother, and she came here from Norway and we too keep the tradition going strong. We have A BAkkelfest every year in December, and the whole family gathers in my Grandparents old home in which my parents now own, and we have a great time!!
This recipe is good, but as another reviewer suggested, the Fattigmand should be cut in a diamond shape with a wheel on a handle. My mother had a special wheel for this. Also if you add a tablespoon of whisky or other alcohol, they will not absorb the oil as they cook. My mother always used vegetable oil and never lard. My mother’s recipe used more eggs and the amount it made was dependent on the number of eggs used. The reason that they are called Fattigmand Bakkles (poor man’s cookies) is that they contain ingredients that everyone could afford.
my grandmother taught me how to make this cookie 3 years ago, before her passing. her grandmother taught her how to make it. Our family came to america over 100 years ago, and have made the cookie at christmas time ever since their arrival. This cookie is truly special to my entire extended family. I am carrying on the tradition now. happy baking!