Dammsugare: A marzipan-covered Swedish treat you can customize with your favourite fillings

When I worked in London, I spent some time at a Swedish bakery and became a huge fan of their practical approach: use what you have! Dammsugare are a great example of that philosophy. 

Their name translates to “vacuum cleaner,” which Swedish food blogger Isabelle Fredborg says could be because they give bakeries a way to get rid of leftover sweets. To make them, you take any cookies, cake scraps or brownies you have lying around and blend them into a dough. The dough then gets formed into a log, rolled in green marzipan, cut into small pieces and dipped in chocolate. 

My version of the classic pastry uses brownie pieces and sugar cookies (undecorated, nut-free varieties will give you the best texture), plus dark chocolate and gold sprinkles for a festive look.

And while dammsugare traditionally contain alcohol like Levantine arrack or Swedish punsch (which is why they’re also known as arracksrulle and punschrulle), I’ve also omitted the spirits so guests young and old can enjoy them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brownie pieces
• 2 cups finely crushed sugar cookies
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp table salt
• ¼ cup toasted crushed almonds
• ½ tsp flaky salt, optional
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 3 tbsp water
• 200 g plain marzipan (I like McCall’s brand)
• ½ cup (100 g) dark chocolate callets
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• Gold sprinkles

Preparation

Place the brownie pieces and crushed cookies in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is combined and looks like wet sand, about 2 minutes. 

Add the cocoa powder, icing sugar, table salt, crushed almonds and flaky salt, if using (it’ll create nice little pockets of salt in the dough). Mix until combined.

Add the almond extract and water, and mix to combine; this will help bring the mixture together into a dough-like consistency.

Form the cookie mixture into a log that’s roughly 12 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or parchment paper and twist to close on both ends (similar to a candy wrapper); this movement will also help you create a uniform log. Place in the freezer for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, using a rolling pin, roll out the marzipan to the same length as the log. Roll the diameter to about 1½ to 2 inches, enough to wrap around the log.

Once the cookie mixture has chilled, remove the plastic wrap or parchment paper and place the log on top of the rolled out marzipan. Wrap the log in the marzipan and trim away any excess.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the log crosswise into 2-inch pieces to form your dammsugare and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Toward the end of that 20 minutes, use a double boiler set over simmering water to melt together the dark chocolate and coconut oil. (Microwaving the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe dish in 10-second increments works well, too.)

Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Remove the chilled dammsugare from the fridge. Working one piece at a time, dip each end in the melted chocolate, top with sprinkles and set on the cooling rack. (Don’t dip the dammsugare in a bowl of sprinkles because you’ll transfer melted chocolate into the bowl.)

Place the tray of dammsugare back in the fridge to set again, about 20 minutes.

Once set, the dammsugare are ready to enjoy, but they will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. 

Makes 10 cookies