An Eastern European must, Sochniki are cookies you have to try out! A sweet, melt-in-your-mouth dough is stuffed with sweetened cottage cheese, making for a classic cookie that goes with a strong cup of coffee or a piping hot cup of black tea sweetened with jam.
What are Sochniki?
They are a cookie that looks plain but are far from plain in flavor. They were a canteen sweet treat during the Soviet bloc, seen commonly in both regions of Russia and Ukraine. Originally, they are made with a thick tvorog or smetana, which is comparable to farmer’s cheese. Since farmer’s cheese isn’t always a given in supermarkets, cottage cheese is a common substitution.
First, the dough is made, and you let it rest for a bit, which will allow the flour’s gluten to relax and the dough to be chilled enough for rolling and shaping.
Once the dough is cut out into round circles, a sweetened cottage cheese fortified with egg, sugar, and sour cream gets spread on top to keep the portion of dough.
Folding the dough over itself gives these cookies their classic half-moon shape.
Baked and then cooled, the Sochniki are ready to eat!
The dough uses powdered sugar as a sweetener, which gives the dough a meltaway tenderness that you wouldn’t get with classic granulated sugar.
The filling firms up into a satisfying, cheesecake-like texture that’s ultra satisfying. Once you try these cookies, you’ll wish that you had discovered them sooner!
Sochniki (Sweet Cheese Cookies)
For the Cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Filling:
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
To make the Cookies:
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and salt with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth.
- Add 1 egg and beat until mixed. Divide other egg, add the egg white and reserve the egg yolk for later use. Mix to combine.
- Gradually mix in dry ingredients, then knead dough until it forms a firm but cohesive dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill while you work on the filling, about 30 minutes.
To make the Filling and Finish the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use an immersion blender to roughly blend the cottage cheese to make a smoother consistency. You can also mash curds with a fork.
- Mix in egg, sugar, sour cream, and flour. Mix until well combined. Set aside.
- Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a circular or crinkle cutter, cut 4-inch circles of dough.
- Place circles on prepared baking sheet. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling mixture on half of each circle.
- Fold empty dough half over the filling and press down lightly. Brush cookies with reserved egg yolk.
- Bake until golden and puffed, 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Mom's Dish, Recipes from Europe, and By Lena.