ESSIE WEINSTEIN’S SCHNECKEN

Amarante

Thu, Nov 10 2016, 5:13 am

This are great because you can keep in the freezer and then just slice what you need. You might have to recoat with the sugar cinnamon mix after freezing.

ESSIE WEINSTEIN’S SCHNECKEN

Excerpt From: Yoskowitz, Jeffrey - The Gefilte Manifesto

Schnecken means “snails” in German and Yiddish. As a dessert, it’s mostly known as a sweet cinnamon bun found in Germany and German enclaves in the United States. But Bessie Weinstein’s schnecken are different. They’re flaky, like dairy rugelach, sweetened with jam, and dusted with cinnamon-sugar. According to her family, Bessie Weinstein—whom I first learned about when recipe testing for Joan Nathan—was a sharp, wise, and classy woman who either got this recipe from a friend sometime in the 1940s or, more likely, found it on a cream cheese box.

MAKES 48 TO 60 COOKIES (12 TO 15 COOKIES PER LOG)

Wherever it came from, schnecken were Bessie’s signature recipe, and now they’ve become one of mine. They’re delicate and easy to adapt. This recipe makes four separate logs that will make dozens of schnecken cookies when sliced. I often wrap two of the unbaked logs in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and freeze them for the future. When I want more schnecken, I let them thaw slightly while the oven heats up (not too long, or they’ll get too soft) and bake them off. Sometimes I use different jams for each log to mix things up a bit. Note that the dough is delicate, so work quickly and carefully when rolling and wrapping for the freezer

8 ounces cream cheese, store-bought or homemade (here), at room temperature
8 ounces unsalted butter, store-bought or homemade (here), at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
1½ cups raisins, golden or otherwise
1½ cups walnuts
1 (12-ounce) jar apricot or raspberry jam (or whatever flavor you like best), store-bought or homemade (here)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or spoon, mix the cream cheese and butter. Stir in the flour to form a dough. Form the dough into 4 equal balls. Wrap the dough balls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 5 hours, until the dough is firm to the touch.

2. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Pulse the raisins and walnuts together in a food processor until coarsely chopped.

4. Generously flour your work surface and roll out one ball of dough into a thin rectangle, about 8 x 12 inches. Note that the dough will be hard when it first comes out of the fridge but will soften as you roll it. The dough can become delicate as it softens, so work quickly but gently to avoid tearing. Using one-quarter of the jam (about 3 tablespoons), coat the dough, leaving a ½-inch border all around the edges, then spread a layer of the raisins and walnuts (about 6 tablespoons) over the jam. Carefully roll up the rectangle from one of the longer sides like a jelly roll and tuck the ends underneath the log. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.

“5. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Using your hands, coat each schnecken log with cinnamon-sugar mix, rubbing it on the top and the sides. Place the logs, seam side down, on the lined baking sheets.

6. Bake the logs for 30 to 35 minutes. Your schnecken are ready when they are ever-so-slightly browned and crisp on top and on the sides without being dry. It’s best to keep an eye on the baking, starting at the 30-minute mark. Once out of the oven and slightly cooled, gently slice the logs with a serrated knife into 2-inch pieces (any smaller and they will crumble). Nosh on the end pieces while slicing and display each whole piece sideways to show off the snail-like swirl of the cookie.”

Last edited by Amarante on Thu, Nov 10 2016, 5:32 am; edited 1 time in total