STOLLEN BITES ( Stollenkonfekt)
Stollenkonfekt is something that has become popular during my lifetime. Bite-sized versions of the real thing, I like to make these with quark* and baking powder, but they’d work just as well with yeasted dough.
Makes 35 - 40 100g raisins 30g mixed peel 1 tbsp dark rum or brandy 300g plain flour 50g cornflour 75g caster sugar 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground cloves ¹⁄₈ tsp grated nutmeg Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 1 egg 120g unsalted butter, at room temp 200g quark* 1 tsp vanilla extract
to coat:
220g icing sugar, sifted
130g unsalted butter, melted
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4 and line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
2 Put the raisins and mixed peel into a bowl, pour over the rum and set aside. 3 Meanwhile, put the dry ingredients into a large bowl and combine. Crack in the egg, then add the butter, quark, rum-soaked dried fruit and the vanilla extract. Mix together with your hands until a soft, sticky dough is formed. Set aside for 10 mins, then pinch off walnut-sized pieces and shape them into little pillows.
4 Place on the baking sheets, leaving 2cm between each, and bake for 22–25 mins, turning the sheet halfway through, until golden brown all over.
5 While they bake, place the icing sugar in a shallow dish. Using a pastry brush, glaze each stollenkonfekt with the butter as soon as they come out of the oven, then roll them in the icing sugar. Place on a wire rack to cool. Once cool, dust with more icing sugar. Cook’s note: Stored in an airtight container, they’ll keep for 1 week. * Quark is a smooth and creamy Eastern European cheese, most similar to French fromage frais.