Snow Flakes and Cookie Comments

We are currently in the midst of a winter snowstorm.  Already we are close to an all-time record winter snowfall.  This storm was originally predicted to travel to the south of us but somehow headed directly for us.  It is moving slowly so we are being dumped upon.  As of bedtime yesterday, we were under a winter storm watch running through Saturday, ending Sunday.  The prediction indicated that we could get as much as a foot of snow during that time.  The snowfall began in earnest a couple hours later than predicted but it is as heavy as predicted.  This morning as we shoveled the back terrace, one little junko flew around us.  It seemed like it was asking for food.  We put a little food into both feeders because we were certain that the squirrels would be around to dump it all out.  No sooner did we hang the feeders than about a half dozen junkos and a pair of cardinals flocked to them.  I hunted out the dry corn we have and put some in a flower pot saucer for the squirrels.  My rationale was that if the squirrels had some corn on the ground they might leave the birdfeeders alone.  I think that the squirrels are staying snug in their nests because we have seen none. 

The sandbakkels and the molded cookies that resemble madeleines.  The dough is rich and rather stiff.  The molds that I use are a bit small and take about a teaspoon of dough.  You then press a thin layer of dough into the bottom and sides of the mold; it is a lot like playing with clay when you were a child.  Sandbakkels are crispy.  Tradition in Minnesota indicates that sandbakkels is a Norwegian treat and translates roughly as sand tarts.  I found a little discussion about sandbakkels in this blog.  The recipe is close to my recipe; The major difference is that I use ground or finely chopped almonds instead of almond extract.  We usually serve them outside (molded side) up.  Most people do not let the inside show on the serving plate unless they are filled.  It is not necessary to fill them.  Other popular Scandinavian treats are: 
Krumkake
Fattigmands Bakkels
Rosettes

What do these treats have in common besides Scandinavia? 
1.  The translation of the name is open to variation. 
2.  The spelling of the name is also open to variation. 
3.  They are all very popular in the Upper Midwest.  Guess where a lot of Scandinavians settled. 
4.  They are all labor intensive.  Even the fattigmands which are cut into diamonds are cut in the middle and turned inside out by hand. 

I was wondering why the Scandinavian treats are so labor intensive.  Roger suggested that it is because Scandinavia has such long, dark winters.  With the dim light during the winter, people did not need bright light to make the treats plus the fact that the nights were so long there was plenty of time to make the treats.  I am not sure that is a very good explanation.  After all, the Scots who are in the north are famous for their shortbread which is very similar to sandbakkels.  They just pat out the dough and cut it into squares.