Best Chocolate Schnecke Pastry Recipes

SCHNECKEN (STICKY GERMAN CINNAMON BUNS)

Steps:

• Butter a 12-cup muffin pan.
• Line a roasting pan or baking pan with parchment paper (for turning the sticky buns onto later)large enough to cover muffin pan.
• Combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl.
• Melt butter in the milk over very low heat and beat in eggs.
• Stir milk/butter mixture into the dry ingredients to make the dough. Knead for 10 minutes or for 5 with dough hook. When it is springy and satiny, form a ball and put in a greased bowl. Turn to coat and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Syrup: Using an electric mixer cream butter until soft and smooth and add sugar. Beat in syrups and then divide mixture among the muffin cups and top with walnuts (about a tablespoonful in each sticky-based waiting cup.).
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Knock dough back, knead once or twice and then roll out to a large rectangle (apx 24X12) with the long side nearest you. Beat egg and add milk; glaze the dough using a pastry brush or your fingers.
• Mix the filling ingredients in a little bowl and sprinkle onto the dough. Now, roll up from the long side and away from you, carefully and firmly (not too tight) keeping a firm sausage shape.
• Cut into 12 even slices, and lie each slice spiral-swirly cut side up, on top of the nuts and syrup in the muffin cups.
• Leave to rise for about 20 minutes then put into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, by which time they should be golden and cooked: crisp in parts, voluptuously gooey in others. You may want to put a baking sheet under pan to catch any falling goo.
• Place roasting pan or baking sheet on top and turn the whole thing the other way up. Remove the muffin tray and dislodge any nuts that are still stuck in it, adding them, along with any residual syrup, to the upturned buns.
• Leave to cool, then stuff your face -- as if you needed encouragement.

GRANDMA DOUGLAS'S SCHNECKEN

Steps:

• 1. To make the dough, melt the 1/2 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the milk and sugar and heat just to lukewarm (about 110°F), stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the warm milk mixture into a bowl. Stir in the yeast. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes, then stir in the salt.
• 2. Beat the whole egg and egg yolk together and add to the yeast mixture. Stir in the flour 1 cup at a time until you have a sticky dough. Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until you have a nice smooth dough. Butter a large bowl. Place the dough in the prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours, until tripled in volume.
• 3. Meanwhile, brush a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with some melted butter (or spray it with vegetable oil spray). To prepare the sugar-pecan topping, melt the butter with the brown sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat and spread the mixture in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans.
• 4. Punch down the dough and turn it out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for a minute, then use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle about 15 × 12 inches and 1/8 inch thick. To make the cinnamon-sugar filling, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and allow it to cool. Brush the butter thoroughly over the surface of the dough. In a bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the melted butter. Roll the rectangle up, like a jelly roll, along one long edge.
• 5. Slice the log of rolled dough into 1-inch-thick slices and arrange the slices, cut sides up, in the prepared pan. Cover the pan with a piece of plastic wrap (you can spray the plastic wrap first with vegetable oil spray to be sure it doesn't stick to the dough) and allow it to rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes.
• 6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the schnecken until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. Check them occasionally during the baking time, and if they seem to be browning too quickly, loosely cover them with a sheet of aluminum foil.
• 7. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the schnecken out of the pan while still warm by inverting the pan over a large platter or baking sheet. Serve the schnecken warm.

CHOCOLATE RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sour cream and 2 tablespoons sugar, mix until combined. Gradually beat in flour. Divide dough into four portions. Shape each into a disk; wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or until easy to handle. , Preheat oven to 350°. Place chocolate, nuts, currants, cinnamon and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine jam and 2 tablespoons water. Microwave on high until thinned, 5-10 seconds; whisk., Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll each into a 10-in. circle on a well floured surface. Brush with one fourth of the jam mixture. Sprinkle with one fourth of the chocolate mixture (about a half cup), pressing lightly to adhere. Cut each into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges from the wide ends; place 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, point side down. In a small bowl, whisk egg white and remaining 2 teaspoons water; brush over pastries. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar., Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth., For a pourable ganache, cool, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches 85°-90° and is slightly thickened, about 40 minutes. Pour over cake, allowing some to drape down the sides. Spread ganache with a spatula if necessary to evenly coat, working quickly before it thickens. Let stand until set., For spreadable ganache, chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches a spreading consistency. Spread over cake.