Christmas cottage cheese stollen is a traditional German baked good made in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The classic stollen is made with yeast, but today's version is its close cousin — easier to make, yet every bit as delicious! It's best to bake stollen ahead of time so it has a chance to mature. In that way it's similar to the Christmas Dundee Cake, which is one of the most popular recipes on my site. Stollen is typically left to rest for 2–3 weeks, though at least a week is highly recommended — although, between you and me, it's absolutely delicious even without the wait!) The cottage cheese gives the dough the moisture and tenderness it needs. Lemon zest, cognac, and good-quality butter provide a wonderful aroma. The result is incredibly, incredibly tasty! This recipe makes two 30 cm stollens. If you'd like, you can double everything to make 4 — especially handy if you're planning to give stollen as gifts.
Ingredients:
- 350 g flour
- 200 g cottage cheese
- 170 g butter
- 170 g sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- zest of one lemon
- pinch of salt
- Mix-ins:
- 250 g dried fruit (I used raisins and dried cranberries)
- 150 g nuts (I used almonds, cashews, and walnuts)
- 4 tbsp cognac (or orange juice)
- Also:
- 70 g butter
- 30 g powdered sugar
How to cook cottage cheese stollen
First, prepare the dried fruit and nuts. You have a lot of options here — go with whatever you like. What I used is listed in the ingredients, and I took equal amounts of everything. Wash all the mix-ins and dry them thoroughly. Then soak the dried fruit in the alcohol or juice and let it sit for 24 hours, or at least 2–3 hours. Chop the nuts fairly finely. Make the dough. Beat the softened butter, sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt together until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and beat until smooth. Add the cottage cheese and beat to combine. If your cottage cheese is not smooth and creamy, be sure to press it through a fine-mesh strainer first — this is very important! I used small-curd cottage cheese.
Shape the stollens. Divide the dough in half. Turn one half out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly, just a few strokes. Pat it out into an even oval, about 25 cm long.
Visually divide it into thirds, then press a lengthwise indent down the center using the edge of your hand.
Fold the larger portion over the top. Gently press and shape from all sides to form an elongated loaf. The shape of a stollen is meant to symbolize the swaddled infant Christ.
Bake in an oven preheated to 170°C for approximately 35–45 minutes, or adjust the time based on your oven.
As soon as the stollens come out of the oven, generously brush them all over with melted butter using a silicone pastry brush.
Sift about one-third of the powdered sugar over the top — it will melt into the surface and set. Let the stollens cool completely. Then dust with the remaining powdered sugar. Wrap the stollens tightly in parchment paper, then in 2–3 layers of plastic wrap or a zip-top bag, and store in a cool, dry, dark place for two to three weeks, or at least one week. That said, you can dig in right away — they're already delicious!
Comments