Chocolate

Swedish Biskvi

by:
February 12, 2013
2.3
3 Ratings
Swedish Biskvi
  • Makes 20
Author Notes

Biskvi are a popular cookie from Sweden that I fell in love with while studying abroad there. With an almond macaroon base, chocolate buttercream filling and a chocolaty shell, they are magnificently sinful. This recipe is a mixture of several recipes that my friend and I have found that best imitates the biskvi found in Sweden .
Note: The amount of buttercream can be adjusted, depending on how thick of a filling is desired. The recipe below is for a heaping amount of filling.
Also the key to getting the chocolate to set is using couverture (pre-tempered) chocolate. I found 61% cacao to be perfect, but this can vary depending on preference.

The buttercream recipe is adapted by SmittenKitchen.com and the macaroon is adapted from an Odense almond paste recipe. —swedishturkey

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Almond Macaroon Base
  • 7 ounces Almond paste, grated
  • 2/3 cup Granulated sugar
  • 1 Large egg white
  • Buttercream Filling and Chocolate Shell
  • 3/4 cup Granulated sugar
  • 3 Large egg whites
  • 18 tablespoons Unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons Dark cocoa powder
  • 2/3 pound Couverture chocolate, 61%
Directions
  1. Almond Macaroon Base
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Tip: Also use baking spray since the dough is very sticky.
  3. Add sugar to the grated almond past and mix until it is mixed thoroughly and forms crumbs.
  4. Slowly add egg whites and beat until mixed through on low speed. Tip: Use a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer. Using a stand mixer only pushes the dough to the sides of the mixing bowl.
  5. Beat on medium-high until the mixture is a creamy paste.
  6. Scoop 1/2 tsp of dough onto the baking sheet. Press down to flatted the dough. Tip: Flattening the dough cooks them through. Use powdered sugar very sparingly only if needed to flatted the dough.
  7. Bake 15-16 minutes until cookies are a light golden color. Cool completely.
  1. Buttercream Filling and Chocolate Shell
  2. Using a double-boiler, melt sugar into the egg whites. Stir occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Tip: If you don't have double-boiler, use a mixing bowl that fits over a pot. Fill the pot halfway with water. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water and only the steam heats the egg/sugar mixture.
  3. Immediately start beating the egg/sugar mixture until double in size on medium-high speed. The texture should be the color of a marshmellow and glossy like a meringue. Tip: Make sure to beat for long enough that the mixture has cooled so that once butter is added, it will not melt.
  4. Mix in vanilla.
  5. Drop in chunks of butter (about 3 tbsp or so in size) into running mixer.
  6. Mix in cocoa powder. Tip: If the buttercream begins to loosen in texture, keep mixing. It will become silky smooth if mixed long enough.
  7. Pipe onto the underside of the cookies. Tip: Heap on as much as you like, but make sure to add buttercream all the way to the edges. This will help with adding the chocolate topping.
  8. Refrigerate for about an hour to cool buttercream. Tip: This helps prevent the buttercream filling from melting once it encounters the warm chocolate in the next steps.
  9. For the chocolate shell, melt in the microwave for 30 seconds the chocolate. Stir. Melt for another 30 seconds and stir again. If the chocolate has not completely melted, continue to heat for 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each time until it is melted. Do not over cook in the microwave which will bring the chocolate out of temper. Tip: Use a plastic bowl. Using glass will keep the chocolate hotter for longer. Also a deeper bowl is better for dipping.
  10. Dip the cookies into the chocolate upside down. Coat the buttercream frosting completely. The macaroon should remain uncoated.
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • leilah
    leilah
  • Gretel
    Gretel
  • Sara Adams Dixon
    Sara Adams Dixon
  • BiskviLover3096
    BiskviLover3096

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13 Reviews

leilah
leilah March 31, 2023
This recipe is less “adapted” than “plagiarized”, and some of the confusing wording appears to come from that.

The Odense macaroon recipe calls for “scant 1/4 cup egg whites” instead of 1 large egg white. Likely why the directions say whites instead of white. The original says to use 1 tsp of dough, which makes more sense. That recipe with the original directions is here:
https://odense.com/odense-recipes/macaroons-recipe/

The Smitten Kitchen buttercream is “adapted” by multiplying the smaller quantity recipe by 3. Their recipe, again with clearer directions, is here:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/project-wedding-cake-swiss-buttercream/

Not sure why the author is so snarky - I wouldn’t have checked their work if they hadn’t been rude to folks about legit issues with the recipe. One star for helping me find really good macaroon and buttercream recipes on other sites though!
 
swedishturkey
swedishturkey March 31, 2023
Wow, spending at least 39 minutes of your life commenting on this recipe. I really triggered you. It's not plagiarizing when you reference the original creators and use it in a way different from their end use, hence the adaptation. Recipe bloggers do this ALL the time. What would we do on here without someone to "check work" by calling out everything blatantly and already credited.
 
Gretel
Gretel March 19, 2023
Thank you for this excellent recipe. The chocolate buttercream is devilishly delicious and a thousands better than the cheap powered sugar buttercream that is used so often. These kept so well for over a week in the fridge. Impressive to look at,,fun to make and divine to eat.
 
Sara A.
Sara A. December 10, 2019
I'm a very good baker...however I can't make sense of this recipe...is says 1 large egg white, but then states, "Slowly add egg whites", (plural). It also states only use 1/2 teaspoon of dough per cookie....WHAT???? Also, I'm guessing that it should have said to whip the egg whites??? Just a guess, because I followed the recipe and they are flat like pancakes...SO disappointed! My father in law is Swedish and I really wanted to make these for him.
 
swedishturkey
swedishturkey December 11, 2019
Yes the recipe is correct. As stated in the ingredients list, it's the whites of one egg. The teaspoon is an actual spoon that one eats with... you know where the baking measurement term comes from. These should not be whipped, which I did not state, because who whips egg whites on low speed? The egg white is purely there to bind the almond paste and sugar..
 
leilah
leilah March 31, 2023
To the author: 1/2 tsp in a recipe is a very clear and standard unit of measurement. If what you actually mean is “half a teaspoon of the kind that the standardized measurement is based on”, say that. Along with what size of teaspoon you mean and whether that’s heaping or level. Maybe just use a standardized measurement instead?
 
Sara A.
Sara A. December 10, 2019
I'm a very good baker...however I can't make sense of this recipe...is says 1 large egg white, but then states, "Slowly add egg whites", (plural). It also states only use 1/2 teaspoon of dough per cookie....WHAT???? Also, I'm guessing that it should have said to whip the egg whites??? Just a guess, because I followed the recipe and they are flat like pancakes...SO disappointed! My father in law is Swedish and I really wanted to make these for him.
 
BiskviLover3096
BiskviLover3096 November 16, 2018
10/10 biskvis rock!
 
Sam R.
Sam R. May 21, 2015
WTF with '18 tablespoons of butter'?!! Who has time for that?! Why isn't it in cups?
 
swedishturkey
swedishturkey November 17, 2018
Because counting is simple. If you are pressed for time, this isn't the recipe for you.
 
leilah
leilah March 31, 2023
Likely because it’s the Smitten Kitchen recipe, just with a change to the size. Small recipe x3. Their recipe lists it in tablespoons, but does also include a stick equivalent.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/project-wedding-cake-swiss-buttercream/
 
leilah
leilah March 31, 2023
It’s 2 and 1/4 sticks, or 1 1/8 cups. Would’ve taken less time to add it to the recipe than to type out the snarky response, but you do you, I guess.
 
leilah
leilah March 31, 2023
That comment was directed to the author of the recipe, not the commenter.