Monday, June 7, 2010

Better than Pop Tarts: Hindbær Snitters

I don't know about you, but I like saying "snitter."  Hindbær is "raspberry" in Danish and, for the life of me, I can't figure out why but snitter translates to "chopper."  In other words, this is a recipe for raspberry choppers.  But you know what?  That's kind of fun to say, too.

I have no idea if the hindbær snitter was the precursor to the Pop Tart, but there is a close similarity.  Only who would choose the packaged, processed, chemical-amped version over the natural, homemade one? Not me.



















Last week I mentioned that I bought a few slices of hindbær snitter for the kids at our BBQ.  I was so taken with them that I had to try and make my own.  The recipe is a cinch, and I love the different steps involved.  The dough mixes up quickly, then gets chilled in the refrigerator for an hour.  After that the two discs of dough are each rolled into a large rectangle and baked.  After they cool for a few minutes, one rectangle gets spread with raspberry jam, the other goes on top, sandwich-style, and then the whole thing gets a nice, smooth layer of white icing.  The sprinkles on top are for pure fun.



















Kids adore this dessert, and it might even be a fun one to tackle with their help.  They probably would love spreading the sprinkles around.






















Hindbær Snitters
Recipe adapted from about.com

2.5c flour
1 1/4c. powdered sugar (I used 1c.) + 1c for glaze
1t vanilla sugar (optional)
1t baking powder
3/4c butter, diced into small cubes
1 egg, beaten
1c. raspberry jam
2-3T water
sprinkles

1.  Whisk together flour through baking powder.  Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mix until it resembles small crumbs.  Mix in beaten egg to form a soft dough.  My note:  I added 2T or so of water to help bind the dough.

2.  Divide dough in two halves, cover each with plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.

3.  Preheat oven to 375F/190C.  Using a rolling pin, roll out each half of chilled dough into an 8 x 12" rectangle, give or take a bit.  My rectangles weren't perfectly uniform, but you are going for two slabs of dough that are nearly identical so that you can make a "sandwich" with them later.

4.  Trim edges to make them square.  My note:  I trimmed after baking, which maybe wasn't such a good idea, but it worked fine.  Carefully roll the dough around your rolling pin and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown.  Remove and cool.  My note:  I rolled and baked one rectangle at a time.

5.  Spread jam on bottom layer and cover with the top layer.  Combine 1 cup powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons water to form a thick glaze. Spread over top layer and add sprinkles.  After 10 or so minutes, cut into bars.

Yield:  15-20

5 comments:

  1. Awesome! I'd never really thought of making poptarts but sounds great. Something to add to the list. Thanks. :-)

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  2. Oooo. Owen would love these. Anything with jam is a hit and he would love helping - pulsing the cuisinart to do the dough, rolling, spreading jam, icing, sprinkles. Winner!

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  3. This looks so good to eat and fun to make, I think I will try this in a couple of weeks when the kids are out of school and we are looking for something fun/new to make! Thanks

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  4. Good job!!! They look perfect. Wish I could taste them. They must be so much better than the store bought ones!

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  5. When I was little my mom used to take me and my brother to a little local bakery every Friday after school. The first owners of the bakery made these everyday and it was my favorite treat to order. Thank you so much for this recipe, I'll have to make it and reminisce a little as I enjoy :).

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