Rommegrot Bars
Rommegrot bars are a spin on the traditional Norwegian porridge/pudding, rommegrot. These are more portable, in bar form, ready for any potluck or picnic.
I have a major affinity for traditional Norwegian recipes. The old world recipes my grandma used to make. The treats that showed up on special occasions like church basement potlucks, where the ladies of the church would bring their best cooked rice, lefse, and yes, rommegrot.
I love these recipes + traditions so much that I’m a member of a few Norwegian/Scandinavian Facebook groups.
One day, one fellow member posted an intriguing question: Does anyone have a recipe for rommegrot bars?
My curiosity was instantly piqued.
I had heard of rommegrot, obviously (recipe here), but the idea of making them into bars was novel and frankly, sounded delicious.
I immediately decided I had to make them.
What Is Rommegrot?
Rommegrot (or rømmegrøt) is a traditional Norwegian dessert recipe that is thick and pudding-like. It’s traditionally made with sour cream, lots of rich dairy, and sugar, and topped with cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg.
What Are Rommegrot Bars?
Rommegrot bars, on the other hand, are a bit different.
This recipe features 3 layers:
- A bottom layer of crescent rolls
- A middle layer of a thick cream-cheese based filling that is lightly sweetened
- A top layer of crescent rolls that is topped with cinnamon-sugar and baked until golden brown
Do these bars taste like rommegrot? Not exactly. Traditional rommegrot doesn’t contain any pastry, and isn’t made out of cream cheese. But the cream cheese filling does taste a bit like the original rommegrot.
In any case, I don’t think it’s going to matter. Everyone in my family loved these and weren’t worried about how similar or dissimilar they were to the original dish.
What You’ll Need
The ingredient list is pretty short and simple. You’ll need:
- 2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls – 8 ounces each (look for Pillsbury or similar brand)
- 2 packages cream cheese – 8 ounces each
- Pantry staples: 1 egg, granulated sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract
That’s it! The short ingredient list makes for an affordable recipe.
The end result is a delicious, almost pastry-like dessert. It kind of reminded me of a Danish pastry.
I wholeheartedly recommend rommegrot bars for your next potluck or picnic. They’re easy to make and transport well.
More Traditional Norwegian Recipes
It brings me so much joy to share the traditional Norwegian recipes that my family has made for generations. And it’s so fun to hear from others who share the love for these old recipes.
Here are other traditional Norwegian recipes I’ve made:
- Potato dumplings (klub)
- My Norwegian Grandma’s meatball recipe
- Swedish meatballs
- Flatbread (flatbrod)
- Scandinavian open-faced sandwiches
- Lefse (no special equipment needed!)
- Norwegian cream pudding (rommegrot)
- Norwegian rice pudding (risgrot)
- Almond kringler
- Kringla cookies
- Fattigmand cookies
- Krumkake
- Goro cookies
- Rosettes
- A Scandinavian snack board
- Norwegian egg coffee
- Non-alcoholic gløgg
- Pepperkaker cookies
- Norwegian Christmas bread
Rommegrot Bars
Ingredients
- 2 packages refrigerator crescent roll dough
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar (divided)
- 1 egg, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch cake pan with cooking spray. Press 1 package of crescent roll dough into the bottom of the pan, pushing the dough if necessary to make sure it fills the bottom of the pan.
- In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Spread over crescent roll layer.
- Place remaining crescent roll dough over the top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Beat egg white until foamy. Brush over the top of the top crescent roll layer. Combine remining 1/3 cup of sugar and cinnamon and dust over the top.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
I presume the oven temperature is 350 degrees?
Yes! Thanks for asking. I’ll update the recipe.
Do you know if these would freeze very well? I plan to make them when we have company in a few weeks but looking at the possibility of making them early and freezing them. Thanks!
I haven’t tried – but I don’t think it would work. I never have much luck freezing cream cheese. They’re pretty easy and quick to make so hopefully you could make them when your company comes!
So these need to be refrigerated if made the day before?
Yes, I would recommend refrigerating them if you’re making them ahead of time.