I remember I tried these cookies over 25 years ago in Moscow, but they were shaped as little pillows, my college friend grandma was making them. Then I tried them in my friend’s house here, she called them rosettes.
The dough is very light because it’s based on farmer cheese. The result is – super airy pastry. Friendship brand works, but I usually make farmer cheese or tvorog (творог) of my own, and that’s the one on the picture.
Ingredients:
- Farmer cheese – 1/2 lbs
- 1.5-2 sticks of soften margarine or butter (I usually use 1 stick of butter and the 1/2+ margarine).
- Sour cream – 3-4 tbsp
- Eggs – 3 (room temperature)
- Sugar – 1/2 cup + 1 cup
- Flour – 3-31/2 cups
Directions:
- Separate egg whites from yolks
- In a bowl start mixing yolks and 1/2 sugar with a whisk
- Add softened butter/margarine, farmer cheese, sour cream and soda and mix it well (with the whisk or a spoon)
- Gradually add flour, 1 cup at a time. Use a spoon till possible, then kneed with your hands. The dough should be soft, even a little sticky. But you will add some more flour when rolling.
- In a separate bowl beat egg whites + 1 cup of sugar
- Preheat your oven to 375 °F, cover baking sheet with the parchment paper
- Divide the dough into 3 pieces (just so it’s easier to roll)
- Dust you board with flour
- Roll the dough to the “rectangular” or oval shape (about 15″x 8″), 1/8″ (3mm) thick
- Spread the dough with 1/3 of a beaten whites leaving some borders (for the whites not to ooze out too much)
- Make a roll, make it even width with your hands, also trying to spread the whites inside evenly.
- Cut the roll into 1 inch thick pieces, pressing with the knife and lifting each piece so that the whites don’t come out, placing it to the baking sheet right away.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough and the whites
- Bake for about 20 minutes, but start checking after 15 minutes. The cookies (and the whites) should be just golden and remain a little soft.
