Festive little bites inspired by traditional German stollen, so popular during the Christmas season. This simplified version uses baking powder and bicarbonate of soda instead of yeast, making the cookies quick and easy to prepare. Delicious hardly begins to describe them – they are utterly irresistible: crisp on the outside and wonderfully soft inside. Thanks to the addition of quark (or curd cheese), they stay fresh for days and can be filled with as much dried fruit and nuts as you wish. They also make a perfect homemade Christmas gift.
The recipe below contains raisins and candied citrus peel, but I highly recommend adding more dried fruit (soaked in rum beforehand), toasted almonds or pistachios, or even little pieces of marzipan to make them even more special. Just add whatever you love!
Makes approximately 40 mini stollen.
Ingredients for the mini stollen:
- 100 g raisins
- 30 g mixed candied orange and lemon peel
- 1 tablespoon dark rum or brandy
- 120 g butter
- 75 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
- 1 large egg
- 200 g quark or curd cheese, finely ground
- 300 g plain flour
- 50 g potato starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
For coating:
- 130 g butter, melted
- 220 g icing sugar
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
Place the raisins and candied citrus peel in a small bowl, pour over the rum and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and mix again. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated. Add the quark (or curd cheese) and mix until smooth. Sift the flour, potato starch, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda directly into the mixture. Add the salt and spices and mix just until combined. Fold in the rum-soaked fruit. The dough will be thick and sticky.
Line two large baking trays with baking paper. Roughly shape the dough into balls about the size of a small walnut and place them on the trays, leaving plenty of space between them as they rise considerably. The dough may be sticky and the balls uneven, but that’s part of their charm (take a look at the photos – that’s exactly how they should look).
Bake at 180°C for approximately 12–15 minutes, until the mini stollen have risen and turned golden. Remove from the oven and immediately brush generously with melted butter using a pastry brush, then coat liberally in icing sugar. If the sugar absorbs into the butter, dust them again with more icing sugar. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
Store the mini stollen in an airtight container for up to 7 days. They keep exceptionally well and stay wonderfully fresh.
Enjoy!
Recipe source: Advent: Festive German Bakes to Celebrate the Coming of Christmas by Anja Dunk.
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