What Is a Kringle?

As soon as the weather starts to turn cool, I make my pilgrimage to the local Trader Joe’s and sit in the parking lot, eagerly awaiting the arrival of all their fall staples and winter goodies. And the food I most anticipate is kringle. And I’m not referring to Kris Kringle, as if I have some kind of weird relationship with Santa Claus and refer to him by his last name like I’m his football coach. No, I’m talking about the delightful Danish pastry called kringle. But what is a kringle? What’s a Danish kringle? Are those the same thing? Let’s cut up this kringle pastry!

What is a kringle?

A kringle is a traditional northern European pastry. Kringles were actually originally a variety of pretzels. Pretzels have been around forever. They were supposedly invented around the 13th century by a bunch of Roman Catholic monks over in Denmark. But if you’re familiar at all with kringles, the ones you’re probably thinking about are those Danish kringles from Trader Joe’s. Or if you’re from the Midwest, you may have access to fresh-baked, non-Trader Joe’s kringles from your local bakery.

What is a Danish kringle?

A Danish kringle is the best kind of kringle. A Danish kringle is made with Danish pastry dough or wienerbrød dough. It’s layer after layer of flaky, buttery dough that is filled with all manner of sweet filling, and then topped with a sugar glaze. Danish kringles are usually a large, ovular ring. They can be  filled with  almond, raspberry, cream cheese, pumpkin, cranberry, or even key lime. 

Now, you’re probably aware of another pastry called a Danish. Is kringle pastry just a Danish? Technically, Danish pastry just refers to the style of flaky, buttery dough. Danishes at bakeries are usually small, oblong filled pastries. But a Danish kringle is a big old boy that can be sliced and shared. A typical Danish kringle measures 14 inches by 10 inches, or 35 cm by 25 cm.

In the U.S., the epicenter of kringle pastry activity is Racine, Wisconsin. Even the kringles that you get at Trader Joe’s say “Racin, Wisconsin” on their packaging. Why does Racine have so many kringles? It’s because so many Danish people live there. Danish families, and a lot of Danish bakers, settled around the Racine area back in the 1800s. Today, the kringle is the official state pastry of Wisconsin. 

If you want to pick up your own Danish kringle, you already know that I’m going to suggest hitting up Trader Joe’s. They usually have one flavor variety available at a time, but there are multiple flavored fillings you can order online from other bakeries. 

You can store your kringle for around five days, but those things usually are eaten pretty quickly if they’re left out. You can store it a bit longer in the fridge and then give it a quick reheat in the oven or microwave. I like to wear my kringle around my neck like a necklace and take bites of it throughout the day.