Klejner ("kl-eye-ner")

Danish Christmas Cookie

Directions:

1. Preheat the frying oil in a pot to 375 *F. If you don't have a thermometer you can test if the oil is ready by sticking a chopstick in it and bubbles start to form around it. 

2. Mix all the ingredients together into a uniformed mass in an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment. 

3. Place plastic wrap over the klejner dough and let the dough rest in the fridge for about an hour. 

4. On a table dusted with flour, roll the dough into a rectangular shape down to about 1/5 of an inch thick. 

5. Cut the dough horizontally into strips that are between 3 - 3 1/2 inches wide (see the picture below for reference). 

6. After that, cut strips through the dough diagonally (45 degree angle) so that each piece forms a slanted kind of rectangle (see the picture below for reference). 

7. With a pizza cutter or a knife, cut a little slit (1/2-1 inch) down the middle of each dough piece, following the length of the klejner. 

8. Taking one of the dough pieces in your hand with the short sides of the rectangle in each hand, take one of the short sides and flip it up and through the middle slit in the dough and pull it fully out and through then rest it on some baking paper. 

9. Continue to do the same with the remaining rectangular dough pieces. 

10. When the oil is heated and ready, fry a couple of klejner at a time until they are golden on each side. 

11. Place the finished klejner on a couple of pieces of paper towel and allow them to rest for a few minutes so they cool down and the excess oil is absorbed into the paper towels. 

12. Klejner are best eaten warm and they can be eaten plain or with some powdered sugar dusted on top. 

Notes:

- Stored in a closed container, klejner can last up to 2 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. 

- Stored in a closed container, klejner dough can last up to 1 week in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. 

- Klejner taste best when they are warm and they can be reheated in the oven or in the microwave. 

*These pictures show two different ways to cut the klejner dough as well as how they should look before they are fried.