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6/11/11

A Schneeballen Hunt... Before I mess all the recipes together and try my own!

Rothenburg Schneeballen

My oldest daughter just returned from a 3 week trip to Europe with a school group.  They visited Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France and England.  Of the many wonderful things she brought home, one of the most intriguing was a delicious not-too-sweet pastry.  Actually, she brought home FOUR of them!  A crumbly, flaky crust center rolled in or drizzled with anything from powdered sugar to glaze to candied flavorings, they are just...  delicious!

Even though I am German and Swedish I had never had one of these pastries that are a specialty of Rothenburg, Germany.  But enjoying a sliver of each this morning (Caramel, Chocolate, Lemon and Vanilla) with my coffee, I started a quest on the internet to find some recipes that looked promising and that I could 'play with' to concoct my own copycat recipe of this wonderful German treat.

Here is one that I found that has a bit more ingredients than some of the more basic versions;

Schneeballen

4 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 c sugar
3 lg eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp rum, spiced (captain morgan)
1 Tbsp cream sherry
2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 c sour cream
1 tsp nutmeg
cooking oil
powder sugar

Cream sugar and eggs together then add remaining ingredients except flour add it in gradually...cut with pastry cutter knife or hands.... cut rum and cream sherry, and sour cream gradually into mixture to make dough; adding flour from board as necessary; knead about 15 to 10 minutes till dough is stiff and shiny and pliable, cover and chill in fridge at least 1 hour.

Roll out dough...about 1/4 inch thick and cut into strip...make strips into ball by wrapping them around each other....fry in hot oil till golden brown on one side then turn over and fry other side till golden brown all over...drain on paper towel and cool sprinkle powder sugar on top you may also dip them into dipping chocolate...

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This one is a bit more basic but still embellishes the dough a little more than the most popular version I found.  I do like that this one went into a bit more explanation about the cooking process and the ball shape;

3 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cloves
1 pt. sour cream
4-5 cups Flour or as much as needed to make a medium stiff dough


Mix the eggs and sugar together then mix in the remaining ingredients, adding the flour last in small amounts till you have a medium stiff dough.

Pinch a walnut size piece of dough and roll out into a 4 by 4 inch circle. cut with a fluted pastry wheel or a knife. Lift weaving inbetween each slit with a small rod.


Make a ball in your hand and then deep fry till brown on one side. Flip it over and then brown on the other side. Push sides in to make a ball or use an ice cream scoop.   Lift out onto a plate with a paper towel and press into a ball shape while still warm. Dust with powdered sugar.

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Here is better directions from another source that was describing the Schneeballen but not making them and thus did not provide a recipe.  The description of watching them made in Rothenburg however, was so well done that I understood now what I was trying to accomplish;

Egg, flour and sugar pastry is rolled out quite thinly. The middle is cut into strips, but not all the way to the edges. Every other strip is lifted onto a wooden “broom handle”, then the baker slips his hand under these strips and expertly folds them all together into a ball, which is placed in a special long-handled tong-like tool. This is dipped into oil and deep fried. After cooling, the snowballs were traditionally sprinkled with icing sugar (hence the name), but today they can also be covered with chocolate and nuts and filled with all sorts of creme fillings.


And here is the most basic of recipes for them, but it's the version I found the most on the internet from 90% of the sources;


1 c all-purpose flour, minus 1 tbsp
2 tbsp sugar
2-3 tbsp butter
2 egg yolks
Dash of dark rum
Sauterne or white wine

Combine all ingredients. Mix with hands. Add rum and wine to make dough. Knead about 15 to 10 minutes, adding flour from board as necessary, until dough feels like velvet; cover and let rest in refrigerator at least 1 hour. Roll out thin on floured board and cut into squares. String on the handle end of a wooden spoon, and carefully place in preheated deep-fryer. Fry until golden. Drain on brown paper bag. Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture of confectioners sugar.

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This one also promises to be a recipe for Schneeballen but I really don't know if it is, as the only German I speak is my maiden name, the only German I sing is Stile Nacht and the only German I read is... well, none.  I can't read German.  It could be a grocery list for all I know!


Zutaten für Portionen
7 Eiweiß, gut gekühlt
100 g Zucker
½ Zitrone(n), der Saft davon
Für die Sauce:
½ Pck. Vanillezucker
500 ml Milch
5 Eigelb
100 g Zucker
10 g Mehl


Zubereitung
Gut gekühltes Eiweiß steif schlagen und mit dem Zucker und Zitronensaft verrühren. Die Eiweißmasse formt man mit einem Löffel zu Bällchen, die man in kochendes Wasser gibt. Die "Schneebälle" werden 3-5 Min. gekocht, dann mit einem Schaumlöffel herausgenommen und in eine Schüssel gelegt.

Für die Soße das Eigelb mit dem Zucker verquirlen, die Milch und das Mehl unterrühren und alles im Wasserbad auf 80° Grad erhitzen.
Zuletzt den Vanillezucker hinzufügen und die Soße über die "Schneebälle" geben.Print Friendly and PDF