Bittermandel
Bittermandel is bitter almond, used in tiny amounts in Swedish baking for a strong marzipan taste. What it is, safety, and what to use instead abroad.
Also called Bitter almond, Bitter almonds, Bittermandlar.
Bittermandel is Swedish for bitter almond, a close relative of the sweet almond. It looks the same but tastes strongly of marzipan and cherry stone, with a bitter edge. Swedish bakers use just one or two in a batch of cookies, a cake or almond paste to give a deep almond flavor. Swedish shops sell them in small bags in the baking aisle.
How to use it
- Grate the nut very finely on a small grater. Many recipes say riven bittermandel.
- Mix it into the dough, batter or filling with the other dry ingredients.
Typical amounts are 1 to 3 nuts for a cake or a batch of cookies. Bitter almond flavors almond cakes (mandelkaka), mandelmusslor (almond tartlets), cookies, homemade mandelmassa and the almond paste in semlor.
Substitutes
Outside Scandinavia, bitter almonds can be hard or impossible to buy. Use almond extract instead. Most almond extract is flavored with the same compound that gives bitter almonds their taste.
- Start with ¼ teaspoon (about 1 ml) of almond extract to replace 2 to 3 bitter almonds. Taste the batter and add a drop or two more if needed.
- Swedish recipes may offer bittermandelarom, a bitter almond flavoring. Use a few drops, following the bottle.
- Leaving it out is fine. The bake will taste of sweet almond instead.
How to store it
Keep the bag closed in a cool, dry place out of reach of children. Bitter almonds keep for months but can go rancid like any nut.
Common mistakes
- Using more than the recipe says. Raw bitter almonds contain a compound that releases cyanide when eaten. A grated nut or two in a whole cake is a normal amount. Eating them by the handful is dangerous, and children are most at risk. Never let anyone snack on them.
- Mixing them up with sweet almonds in the cupboard. Label the bag.
- Leaving lumps. Grate them finely so the flavor spreads evenly and no one bites into a bitter piece.
In recipes
Bitter almond is a classic flavor in Swedish baking for fika. It is a tree nut, so it matters for a tree nut allergy.
Recipes that use it
7 recipes from the sites we collect.
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Related terms
- MandelmassaMandelmassa is Swedish almond paste, half almonds and half sugar. It fills semlor and buns. What it is like and what to use instead outside Sweden.
- GrateTo grate is to rub food against a grater to turn it into fine shreds or a powder, as with cheese, carrots, ginger, garlic, nutmeg or citrus zest.
- FikaFika is the Swedish break for coffee and something sweet, such as a cinnamon bun, shared with others. See what is served and how to do it at home.
- Tree nutsTree nuts include almonds, walnuts, cashews and hazelnuts. The EU and the US define the group differently, so their labels can name different nuts.
- VaniljsockerVaniljsocker is Swedish vanilla sugar, a fine powder measured by the teaspoon in baking. What it is and how much vanilla extract to use instead.