The 9 Finnish Sweets and Desserts You Must Try

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Similarly to its Scandinavian neighbors, Finland is known as the land of forests, lakes, and innovative technologies (Nokia is from Finland!). Historically, the Finns lived far from each other, enduring the harsh, long winters amidst snow, winds, and darkness. Could the cold and dark have been the reasons why northern Europe is the birth place of such a variety of sweet treats?

Indeed, what better way to take away the sting of winter than making and enjoying sweet desserts and delicacies. Speculation aside, whatever the reason, the Finns have developed some unique and delicious sweet treats over the centuries.

Most of the best sweet foods of Finland have got something to do with the local, natural elements and ingredients. There are lots of berry treats, as well as treats made with rye flour and other grains that grow in the north. Liquorice and salmiak are also greatly enjoyed in Finland, and Finns overall are big candy eaters. Whether it is holidays, work, or friends and family that bring you for a visit to Finland, we highly recommend you to sample some of these sweet treats during your time in the country of the “nightless night”.

1. Blueberry pie/tart (and other berry pies)

Many of the best desserts and sweet treats in Finland are made from berries. This is understandable, for berries are the most easily and widely available naturally sweet food found in Finnish nature. The boreal forests harbor a great diversity of vitamin-rich berries, including blueberries, raspberries, lingonberries, cranberries, arctic raspberries, cloudberries, and many more. People in Scandinavia traditionally harvest these berries in the summertime and use them for various purposes, or freeze them to be used during the winter months.

Of all the Finnish things made from berries, blueberry pie is my personal favorite. Enjoyed with cream or ice cream, this sweet treat ticks many boxes. Well-made blueberry pie almost melts in the mouth and provides a comforting culinary experience while offering the benefit of ingesting this antioxidant-rich superfood, blueberries.

Where to find great blueberry pie

Homemade blueberry pie is, of course, the best; however, stores and cafés all over Finland sell versions of this traditional dessert. The blueberry pie found at the supermarket is nice but might not titillate your taste buds quite as wonderfully as one found at a quality café. Café Miriam in Jyväskylä, for example, has superb berry tarts and desserts.

2. Finnish cardamom bread, or pulla

Although this sweet treat is commonly eaten in Sweden (and many other European nations pride themselves on cardamon bread), pulla is a decidedly Finnish thing. It can be found in almost every café in Finland, and it is the most common thing offered to guests when they come over for a coffee or a tea. Pulla is certainly one of the best Finnish sweets and desserts, and there is nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked cardamom bread.

Cardamom bread dough is simple to make, and yeast is the rising agent. It is traditionally made in the shape of large braids, or simple round buns. However, especially in Christmas time, people often make it in other shapes, such as in the form of twirls, letters, stars, or doughnuts. The same dough is also used for cinnamon rolls, which is a closely related dessert.

A special pulla for a unique Finnish feast

Laskiaispulla is a nice variety of cardamom bread. In February, about six weeks before Easter, the Finns back in the day would start the time of fasting – and those following Catholic and Orthodox religions still continue this tradition. This transition was celebrated as shrovetide. People would then stop doing certain activities and eating certain foods, until Easter.

Shrovetide is still celebrated by sledding in the snow. The further you can sled, the better your crops will be in the coming year, or so goes the saying. In Finnish, shrovetide is called laskiainen, and during this fest before fasting, laskiaispulla is traditionally eaten. It is just a simple, round pulla, but cut in half and served with whipped cream and berry jam. It’s kind of like a Finnish scone.

After some sledding, it is most wonderful to enjoy a sweet laskiaispulla with a cup of hot chocolate.

3. Salmiakki

Also known as salty liquorice, salmiakki is a unique treat that originates in Scandinavia and particularly Finland. This black liquorice spiced with ammonium chloride is something the Finns grow up with and often love very much. However, elsewhere in the world it divides opinions because of its salty, pungent taste.

Salmiakki comes in various forms. Some of the best salmiakki products are made by Fazer, one of the longest-standing sweet producers in Finland. I would especially recommend their salmiakki alphabet sweets and turkinpippuri (Turkish pepper), which, due to its spiciness, isn’t for the fainthearted.

Local tip: Perhaps the most traditional salmiakki is the one you can buy at the pharmacies in Finland.

It is even today packed in the same small, traditional paper boxes as decades ago. Salmiakki is also sometimes used in baking, and, for example, Koskenkorva makes a sweet salmiakki vodka that I can highly recommend for you to try.

Fun fact: Most youngsters in Finland learn the preparation of ammonium chloride, the main ingredient in salmiakki, during school chemistry classes.

4. Liquorice

Liquorice, like salmiakki, is a sweet greatly enjoyed by Finns. Various types of liquorice are produced around the world, and the Finns have made their own varieties. What gives liquorice its flavor and color is the root extract of the liquorice plant. In Finland and Nordic countries, ammonium chloride (salmiakki) is often added to liquorice. It’s this ingredient that gives Nordic liquorice its distinctive taste.

Some of the most famous liquorice sweets in Finland include Kouvola Liquorice and Panda Liquorice, both enjoyed by Finns for over 100 years now. A whole host of imaginative liquorice sweets exists in Finland, though; you can buy fruity liquorice, sweet and sour liquorice, or, for example, chocolate-coated liquorice. If you visit any Finnish outdoor marketplace, you might find a stall selling what’s called a “metre long liquorice”. I highly recommend trying a few flavors of these.

Where to buy salmiakki and liquorice in Finland

Salmiakki and liquorice sweets are sold at pretty much every shop or kiosk you can find in Finland. If you’re in central Finland, you could visit Panda’s factory shop at Vaajakoski to find fabulous liquorice souvenirs. In Helsinki, there is a place that specializes in salmiakki called Salmiakkikioski. Here you can find over 90 varieties of salmiakki sweets.

5. One of the strangest yet tastiest Finnish sweets and desserts – Mämmi (malted rye pudding)

The most unique Finnish dessert is perhaps mämmi. It has been eaten in Finland since at least the 14th century. It is traditionally eaten cold, and especially during Easter time. Mämmi is made out of malted rye flour and orange zest. It is traditionally left to sweeten naturally before it is baked, and then stored in small boxes made out of birch bark. The modern commercial versions are generally sweetened with molasses, but they are also stored in boxes that mimic birch bark.

Mämmi looks pointedly odd; the dark brown, goo-like pudding doesn’t seem inviting to everyone at first glance. However, mämmi’s sweet taste often wins people over, especially after several tries. Mämmi is best when enjoyed with some cream and sugar, as it is traditionally eaten. These days you can even find products such as mämmi ice cream at the Finnish stores. All in all, albeit somewhat peculiar, mämmi can be counted among the best Finnish sweets and desserts.

6. Fazer chocolate

The most popular and beloved chocolate in Finland is the milk chocolate made by Fazer, known as Fazer Blue. This delicious chocolate with silky texture, in a blue wrapper, has been enjoyed by Finnish people since the 1920’s.

Fazer has countless other products, but chocolate is their signature product. These days you can find Fazer Blue in the stores in several tastes. There is even blueberry Fazer Blue and liquorice Fazer Blue. And even beyond those, you’ll find raspberry, nuts and raisins, strawberry and vanilla, and gingerbread spices. I recommend trying a few to find your favorite among these quality chocolates. The calories don’t count because it’s market research.

7. Joulutorttu – Christmas star

This little tartlet is enjoyed in Finland usually only before and during Christmas. Many Finns, like myself, eagerly await the time of year when it is time to pull out the puff pastry sheets from the freezer, cut them into squares, make small cuts in the corners and add a spoonful of plum jam in the center of each. The squares are then made into Christmas stars or joulutorttu which is most often a star-shaped treat.

Joulutorttu tartlets do contain quite a few calories because the dough is made with a lot of butter. Having said that, these sweet treats really are an essential part of Finnish Christmas and culture, so do treat yourself to one (or a few). You can use up any extra calories by going on a nice long ski tour or a snow shoe hike through a Finnish forest.

8. Vispipuuro – whipped lingonberry porridge

Vispipuuro is mostly made as a breakfast dish or a snack for children, but it is also enjoyed by adults and sometimes eaten as a dessert. This pink porridge is made with wheat semolina and lingonberries, or sometimes red currants or cranberries. The ingredients are whipped to gain a foamy consistency.

Whipped lingonberry porridge is usually enjoyed with a bit of sugar and milk or cream. This is one food I personally miss the most when I’m not in Finland; for me the taste of sour berries mixed with wheat semolina and some sweetener is comforting and yet at the same time exciting. And lingonberries are really very healthy for you, too.

9. Finnish bread cheese – squeaky cheese or leipäjuusto

Leipäjuusto originates in northern and western Finland. It is traditionally made from cow’s colostrum, though the modern version is made from any cow’s milk or even goat’s milk. Bread cheese is prepared by curdling milk, allowing it to set in a round shape, and then baking it. Afterwards, the cheese could be dried and kept for up to several years. When bread cheese is heated over a fire, it becomes beautifully aromatic.

Nowadays, bread cheese is mostly enjoyed fresh, as a teatime treat. It is usually served with coffee or cloudberry jam. It is sometimes called squeaky cheese because of the squeaky sound the cheese makes against your teeth. As seems to be the case with some Finnish desserts, leipäjuusto also is perhaps a bit of an acquired taste, but I highly recommend you give it a try. It is actually quite mild tasting, and a real delicacy when served in the traditional manner.

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