Hindbærsnitter (Danish Raspberry Bars)

Hindbærsnitter (Danish raspberry bars) are frosted shortbread cookies with raspberry jam in the middle. These buttery cookies have a crunchy exterior and a soft, melt-in-your-mouth center. The sweet raspberry jam brings a tartness to the cookies that pairs perfectly with the buttery flavor. Whether you enjoy them as a snack or a dessert, these raspberry sandwich cookies are sure to please!

Hindbærsnitter are a delicious and traditional Danish cookie that translates to “raspberry slices” in English. These sweet treats are essentially two thin layers of buttery shortbread cookies with raspberry jam in the middle. It’s then topped with a layer of sweet icing and colorful sprinkles for an added pop of flavor and texture. It’s similar to a Poptart, but it’s much more delicious, and lot of fun to make!

What is the Origin of Hindbærsnitter?

Hindbærsnitter have a long and rich history in Danish cuisine, dating back to at least the early 1900s. They are a popular pastry for fika, the Swedish and Danish custom of taking a break to enjoy coffee and pastries. Hindbærsnitter can be found in most Danish bakeries and cafes, and they’re enjoyed as a snack or dessert throughout the day.

Hindbærsnitter have become a staple of Danish cuisine and are loved by locals and tourists alike. They’re a simple yet delicious pastry that celebrates the flavors of raspberries and butter, and they’re a perfect treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea. Whether enjoyed as a midday snack or an after-dinner dessert, Hindbærsnitter are a beloved part of Danish culinary tradition.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Butter: I use unsalted butter when baking. Different brands of butter use varying amounts of salt in salted butter. Using unsalted butter will help give uniform results when baking. If you’re using salted butter, reduce or eliminate any additional salt.
• Powdered sugar: Also called icing sugar. Produces a more delicate, melt-in-your-mouth cookie than if you were to use granulated sugar.
• Raspberry jam: You can also add fresh or frozen (and thawed) mashed raspberries to give it more texture and tartness.
• Lemon juice: Using lemon juice in the frosting brightens it up and cuts some of the richness.
• Toppings: Nonpareils (tiny colored candy balls) are traditional, but freeze-dried raspberries give it an elevated look and add more raspberry flavor. Sometimes I’ll use one, sometimes I’ll use both. It’s up to you!

How to Make Hindbærsnitter

• Add the flour, powdered sugar and salt to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. You can also do this by hand in a large bowl.
• Add the cold butter to the food processor and pulse until it resembles fine breadcrumbs or sand. If you’re doing this by hand, rub the butter and flour together between your fingers until it reaches the correct consistency.

• Add the egg and vanilla and pulse until the dough starts to come together. You’re probably thinking that this dough will never come together and it’s just going to be a dry, crumbly mess. But have no fear, it will work!
• Remove the dough from the food processor or bowl and squeeze it together a few times with your hands so it forms a ball.

• Now it’s time to wrap up the dough and refrigerate. I find it easiest to split the dough into two equal parts, form each part into a small rectangle and wrap each one in plastic wrap. That way you have a head start on shaping the dough before you start rolling.
• Place the dough halves in the refrigerator and let cool for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
• You’ll need two baking sheets, one for each piece of dough. Cut two pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets.
• Working one piece of parchment paper at a time, roll out each portion of dough into rectangles about 1/6-1/4″ thick (I used the 4mm setting on my rolling pin). The final size of my rectangles is around 8″x10″, but what matters most is that you make the rectangles as close in size to each other as you can.
• Hold onto the parchment paper and slide the dough rectangles onto the baking sheets.
• Prick each dough rectangle all over with a fork to prevent it from bubbling and puffing up.
• Bake them both about 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges. Let cool.

• Once they have cooled, it’s time to assemble and decorate.
• Spread the jam onto one of the cookie layers. Carefully place the other cookie layer on top and press down gently to secure.

• To make the icing, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice and mix together. It should be thick enough so it’s not runny, but thin enough to spread, about the consistency of honey. You can adjust the consistency by either adding more powdered sugar to make it thicker or adding more liquid (either lemon juice or water) to thin it out.
• Drizzle the icing on top of the pastry and spread it out so it covers the entire cookie.

• Immediately sprinkle with dried raspberries or nonpareils. The frosting will still be wet so the toppings will adhere to it.
• Give it time, about 1 hour, for the icing to set before cutting.
• Using a sharp knife, trim the edges of the cookie to form a rectangle. Then cut it into squares or rectangles.

Expert Tips

• Roll out the dough on parchment paper. This will make it so much easier to transfer the dough to the baking sheet. Just lift up the parchment with the rolled-out dough and easily place it on the baking sheet!
• Let it the dough cool before assembling. If the dough is still warm, the raspberry jam will warm up and become loose and runny. Then when you put the top cookie on top of the jam it’ll just slide right off.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the cookies. I use my thinnest, sharpest knife when I cut them which makes a cleaner cut, reduces crumbling and helps keep the jam from squeezing out.
• Close enough. Try to get the rolled-out dough rectangles as close in size as possible, but as you can see from mine, they’re not exactly the same size. And that’s ok. You’ll be trimming the ends and squaring the cookies up after baking. And mine still weren’t perfectly straight after trimming!

Variations

• While raspberry is the most common flavor for Hindbærsnitter, other fruit spreads, like lingonberry, apricot, or strawberry can also be used.
• Try different toppings like nuts, sprinkles, icing sugar, confetti sprinkles, or lemon zest.
• Add some orange zest to the dough. Orange and raspberry are a wonderful combination!

Can I Make This Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can make the dough and leave it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. I like to make the dough the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight.

How to Store Hindbærsnitter

These can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container for 4-5 days. The cookies will soften as time passes, but they’ll still taste delicious!

If you want to stack them, place a piece of parchment paper between each layer.

These can be stored in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.

Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

• Swedish Oatmeal Lace Cookies (Havreflarn)
• Pebernødder (Danish Peppernut Cookies)
• Easy Gingerbread Brownies with Chocolate Chips
• Bondkakor (Swedish Farmer Cookies)
• Raspberry and White Chocolate Blondies