Mars-Snúðar

Mars rolls

I love cinnamon rolls, pretty much in every situation. And in many different variations. But of course, there are more than just cinnamon rolls – I recently came across a recipe for rolls with little pieces of Mars chocolate, and I just had to try that!

Memo to myself:

Next time I'll try the recipe with licorice chocolate; I imagine it would be delicious too!

Ingredients for about 20 rolls

150 ml lukewarm milk

1 tsp dry yeast

2 Tbsp sugar

50 g soft butter

1 egg

1 pinch of salt

350 g flour

2 - 3 Tbsp lukewarm water

1 - 3 Tbsp flour

180 g Mars chocolate

30 g butter

Preparation

For the dough, put all ingredients (except the water) into a large bowl...

...and knead thoroughly.

If the dough is too dry, add more water in portions until a good consistency is achieved.

Cover the yeast dough and let it rise.

For the filling, melt the butter and let it cool slightly.

Cut the Mars chocolate into small pieces.

Divide the dough into two parts, knead briefly again, and add a little more flour if the dough is still too sticky.

Then roll out half the dough...

... and brush with half of the melted butter.

Then spread half of the chopped chocolate over the dough...

... and roll it up as tightly as possible.

Cut the dough into slices about 2/3 inch (1.5 cm) thick.

Then place the snails on a baking tray lined with baking paper and let them rise for another 30 minutes.

Repeat the same with the second half of the dough.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (resp. 180 °C) upper and lower heat.

Bake the snails in the preheated oven for about 15 to 30 minutes until they are golden brown.

Let it cool a bit and then serve.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]

Gúrkuídýfa

Cucumber dip

Recently, someone was searching an Iceland Facebook group for a recipe for a specific cucumber salsa. Yes, of course, cucumbers aren't "traditionally Icelandic". The first confirmed reports of attempts to grow cucumbers in Iceland date back to 1890 - and back then, only five cucumbers were harvested; it didn't go well. Cucumbers and the Icelandic climate don't mix particularly well.

The first Icelander to cultivate cucumbers using hot springs in Iceland was probably the horticulturalist and later shipowner and herring manufacturer Óskar Halldórsson (1893 - 1953), who cultivated cucumbers with more success in 1913/14 in Reykir in the municipality of Mosfellsbær.

Today, cucumbers in Iceland are grown in greenhouses using geothermal energy, and around 99% of the cucumbers sold in Iceland are also grown in Iceland.

In Icelandic cuisine, cucumbers are mainly used fresh or sweet and sour.

In an old newspaper article from Morgunblaðið from 1985, I also found a recipe online for a cucumber dip - with sour cream, blue cheese, and ground, salted peanuts. I thought it sounded so interesting, I had to try it!

Ingredients

1 cucumber

200 ml sour cream

100 g salted peanuts

100 g firm blue cheese

Preparation

Set aside a few peanuts for decoration and grind the rest with a blender.

Cut the firm, preferably crumbly blue cheese into small pieces.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the sour cream with the ground peanuts and the crushed blue cheese.

Peel and grate the cucumber, add it to the dip and stir in.

Season to taste with some fresh pepper if desired.

Pour the dip into a fresh bowl or dish, scatter the peanuts on top for decoration, and then serve well chilled with cookies, crackers, or similar.

Bon appetit!

[Translated from here.]

Reynisfjara

Iceland's most dangerous beach

At the beginning of August 2025, another tragic accident occurred in Reynisfjara, resulting in the death of a 9-year-old girl from Germany. The girl was apparently caught by a wave in the back cave on the beach, then remained untouched at sea for 20 minutes before disappearing and later being recovered dead.

After the child's death, there was much discussion in Iceland about how the black beach could be made safer for tourists in order to avoid further fatal accidents here in the future, if possible.

In the last two decades, there have been a total of seven fatal accidents on this beach or in the surrounding area. Seven people have died, been caught in the sea, hit their heads on rocks, or drowned. Seven people are dead.

And yet, visitors to Reynisfjara still don't understand how dangerous this beautiful stretch of beach is.

To prevent further accidents, following the girl's fatal accident earlier this month, the traffic light system was changed so that the red light now comes on earlier, and chains and a gate were installed to make it clear that the area is closed for safety reasons when the light is red.

The gate is standing - it is closed - the red light is on - it doesn't seem to help much

Source: ruv.is

This week the barrier was used for the first time.

There were strong seas and strong winds along the coast, so access to Reynisfjara beach was sealed off as much as possible with the new access gate.

Nevertheless, many people climbed past the closed gate and ran onto the beach, some far down to the waves and even into the cave, the very cave where the girl was caught by the wave and swept to her death earlier this month.

A woman who is one of the landowners here and her husband were on site to warn the people and, if possible, to bring them back, but several of the visitors initially did not react with much understanding.

When asked on-site by media representatives why they had ignored the red light and the closed gate, the visitors simply explained that it was the only opportunity to visit this beach on their trip to Iceland, and they didn't want to miss it. Others had heard that this beach was particularly dangerous, but decided they would just quickly go and take a photo as a reminder. They were already being careful, but it was worth the risk. Seriously?!?

No, damn it, I think these people still don't understand that it's NOT worth the risk.

If you're "only" risking your own life, that might be one thing, but what about the lives of your children? What about the rescue workers who repeatedly try everything in their power to save the person, or, more realistically, at least rescue them? What about the people who, meanwhile, stand on the beach and watch someone drown?

It makes me so angry and helpless when visitors to Reynisfjara, despite the flashing red warning light and the closed gate, still don't understand why it's such a bad idea to just climb past the gate and go to the beach anyway. You're careful, it's quick, you only have this one opportunity... No, that's not how it works!

People still don't get it.

Anyone who goes to the beach under such conditions could be the next victim. That's not a good memory, and it's not worth a photo in the world!

[Translated from here.]

Kolufossar

The waterfalls of the troll woman Kola

 

Our second stop on our trip to northern Iceland was Kolufossar - the waterfalls of the troll woman Kola.

 

Near the ring road, the Víðidalsá river plunges over three waterfalls into the Kolugljúfur gorge. The gorge is 1 to 2 km long.

 

 

The waterfalls can be reached from the ring road via road 715 (Víðidalsvegur). The road is a 13 km long circular route. Shortly before the waterfalls, turn off again and follow the signs to the parking lot.

 

 

This is the beginning of road 715, the turnoff from the ring road. However, we waited a little while until the animals had crossed the road and turned off again a little further on to another pasture on the other side of the road. 

 

 

 

You then park in the large parking lot in front of the old wooden bridge that spans the river and the Kolugljúfur gorge and walk across the bridge to see the gorge.  

 

The three waterfalls are called Efrifoss (= “upper waterfall”), Kolufoss (= “waterfall of Kola”) and Neðri-Kolufoss (= “lower waterfall of Kola”).  

 

Together, the three waterfalls are called “Kolufossar” (= “waterfalls of Kola”).

 

 

 

 

 

But please be careful!

The Víðidalsá river originates on a plateau in the former rural municipality of Húnavatn (now Húnabyggð) and flows for approximately 67 km through Lake Hóp to the sea. From mid-June to the end of September, fishing is permitted in the river below the waterfalls up to the Kolugljúfur gorge, approximately 25 km from the mouth at Hóp. The Kolufossar waterfalls in the gorge are so high that salmon cannot swim further up the river, so fishing is only possible in the pool below the waterfall and further downstream to the sea. 

As far as I can tell, the Starir fishing club has leased the fishing rights in the river. Anyone interested in fishing must therefore contact the club. However, the Víðidalsá river and its tributary Fitjá are both known as good fishing rivers: large salmon weighing around 20 pounds are mainly caught here, but char and trout are also found.

Incidentally, the name “Kola” is said to derive from the troll woman Kola:

She is said to have lived near the Kolugil farm, close to today's path to the gorge, before retreating into solitude. 

It is said that she dug the Kolugljúfur gorge with her own hands and then lived on the rocks by the waterfalls. Her sleeping place was on a special slab on the cliffs, which is still called Kolusæng (= “bed of Kola”) today. It was located directly by the river, behind the waterfalls, so that in the morning, before getting up, she could reach into the pool below the waterfalls with her long arms and put the first salmon of the day, still raw, into her mouth. 

 

When she got up, she caught more salmon, which she then ate cooked. A little further west, there is still a large hole in one of the rocks called Koluketill – Kola's cauldron.

 

The troll woman Kola is said to have been buried nearby under the hill Koluhóll. 

 

 

[Translated from here.]

Kaffi Schwarzwald

The small Black Forest Café in Helluland

During our trip to the north of Iceland, we were also at the opening day of Kaffi Schwarzwald in early August 2025, about 8 km from Sauðárkrókur.

The two Germans Peony and Daniel, who run the Guesthouse Helluland, have now set up their small Black Forest café, their Kaffi Schwarzwald, in the front area of ​​their house (with a fantastic view of the landscape).

The coffee shop (kaffistofa) is generally open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Here you can find delicious, homemade cakes (a small, sometimes changing selection) and various hot and cold drinks.

My husband had a piece of Black Forest Cake (Svartaskógarterta) and I had chosen the Frankfurt Crown Cake (Frankfurtkrans) - out of old local ties, after all I was born and grew up very close to Frankfurt and during my childhood there was hardly a family birthday without Frankfurter Crown Cake.

I think I scared Peony a little at first, but I quickly calmed her down - her Frankfurter Crown Cake was a little different than my mom's version, but it captured the spirit of the cake perfectly, and I really enjoyed it!

We also had coffee and hot chocolate.

The prices

A slice of cake at Kaffi Schwarzwald currently costs 1,390 ISK (just under €9.70), and a slice of cake costs 890 ISK (approximately €6.20). Coffee drinks, tea, and hot chocolate cost between 550 ISK and 670 ISK (approximately €3.80 and €4.70). The prices are quite reasonable by Icelandic standards.

The ambience

The café's two guest rooms are very cozy and beautifully furnished; we immediately felt very comfortable.

And I immediately fell in love with the colorful sofa cushions with their Icelandic sweater design!

Small but very cozy!

And the view from the café is truly stunning! Even though we didn't sit on the beautiful, new wooden terrace that day, as the weather was a bit changeable.

The Helluland farm

Helluland is a historic farm at Skagafjörður, with beautiful views of the Vestari-Héraðsvötn, translated the "western district waters" - a glacial river that originates from Hofsjökull and flows into the sea as Vesturós on the west side of the Hegranes peninsula.

The Helluland farm is located approximately 8 km from the village of Sauðárkrókur; it's about a 10-minute drive away.

The Guesthouse Helluland

The farm is over 100 years old and is considered one of the first concrete houses in this region. For a long time, the house served as a family home, along with the stables. In 2016, the house was converted into a guesthouse. It is open year-round and, with its five guest rooms, offers comfortable accommodation for up to 10 people.

The current owners, Peony and Daniel, took over the guesthouse in 2020 and have lovingly renovated and furnished it since then.

In the front area of ​​the house, with a fantastic view of the expansive landscape and the district waters, the two have now set up their Black Forest café, their Kaffi Schwarzwald.

The Helluland horse farm

The stables house the farm's horses. The horse farm is run by Icelandic Andrés Magnússon and his German wife Luka Dreiner. The couple offer their guests both riding lessons and tours, both by the hour and for several days.

PS: This isn't a paid advertisement. We weren't invited, and we paid for our cake and drinks ourselves. But we "know" the owners of Guesthouse Helluland online from Instagram, had already had a nice interaction there, and when I read about the opening of Schwarzwald Kaffi, on the very day we were driving north to Sauðárkrókur, we spontaneously made a little detour to check out the café.

[Translated from here.]