This cute folded tvorogli pechenye biscuit tastes a bit like a sweet English scone. The dough is cake-like with a sugary crunchy crust. This cookie is a popular snack in Uzbekistan and other former eastern bloc countries and children often get it in their lunch boxes to take to school. It is not exactly clear which country can truly claim the cookie. In this region many recipes and traditions are quite similar and dairy – like sour cream, cream cheese or, in this case, cottage cheese – is often used in pastry dough. It makes for a nice fresh and rich result. No sugar is used in the dough of the classic tvorogli pechenye cookie, so be generous when sprinkling it on during folding. And even though this cookie tastes good just by itself, I could not resist having it with a large dollop of jam and cream, just like a scone. Mmmmm.
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Tvorogli pechenye cookie from Uzbekistan
for about 20 cookies
125 grams (1 stick + 1 tbs) soft butter
125 grams (½ cup + 1 tbs) cottage cheese
½ egg, beaten
200 grams (1 scant cup) flour
pinch of salt
⅛ teaspoon baking powder
sugar for sprinkling
With a mixer beat the butter with the cottage cheese together well.
Beat in the egg.
Add the flour, salt and baking powder.
Knead into a smooth ball, cover and leave to rest in the refrigerator for about1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Roll out the dough to ± ½ cm / ⅛ inch thick and cut out circles of ± 6 cm / ½ inch ø.
Sprinkle the circles with sugar, fold in half, sprinkle again with sugar, fold in half again and sprinkle again with sugar. Press down. Bake the tvorogli pechenye cookies in the middle of the oven for ± 20 min. until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.
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