When I first started blogging last year, I came across a blog called IEatDC on Blogspot. The blog’s author, Andrea, writes about food—the restaurants she visits and the meals she cooks. Andrea and I began communicating via blog comments not long after I launched my website, and we’ve stayed in touch ever since. Andrea’s background is Jewish, and she’s very familiar with traditional kosher cuisine, so we’ve had fun talking about the different ways that our families approach traditional dishes like challah and kugel. Now, over a year since we “met,” Andrea’s blog is still going strong. She renamed it Capitol to Capital – DC2ALB – after moving from Washington DC to upstate New York, and she continues to blog about one of her favorite subjects… food. 🙂
Andrea’s grandmother Renée was born to a Syrian Jewish father and a French Jewish mother. Renée’s mother was unable to care for her (the reason is unclear), and her father could not raise her alone. That is how Renée ended up in a Jewish orphanage connected to a Sephardic synagogue in London. She often told her family the memory she had of leaving for the orphanage—as she boarded the train, her father tied a string from her suitcase to her wrist so she wouldn’t lose it.
A picture of Renée
At the orphanage, Renée was raised with culturally Jewish values—she learned to keep kosher and Shabbat while living there. I researched the orphanage a bit, and found out that it was called the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Orphanage in Lauderdale Road, Maida Vale. Believe it or not, famed hair stylist Vidal Sassoon was living in the London orphanage at the same time as Renée!
Lauderdale Road Synagogue, site of the Spanish and Portuguese Orphanage at Maida Vale where Renee spent her childhood (photo: http://www.sandp.org/lauderdale.html).
Renée later came to the US as a war bride with Andrea’s grandfather. She was a talented knitter (like my grandma!); according to Andrea, Renée could make you a sweater if you pointed it out in a clothing catalogue. She was also a wonderful baker. A few weeks ago, Andrea shared with me her favorite recipe passed down from Renée —Sour Cream Twists.
“My grandmother’s sour cream twists were my favorite of her cookies,” Andrea wrote. “She also made a cake-like mandelbrot and delicious pies with lattice tops. I’m not sure of the origin of the cookies (I’m sure you’ll dig around), but I know that I was thrilled when I’d open a package at camp and see a tin of them.”
I did, in fact, do some “digging around” on these delicious cookies. While Renée was raised in a Sephardic Jewish orphanage, these twists are most likely Ashkenazi in origin. I found a couple of similar recipes that suggest a German connection. Sour cream was an important part of nineteenth-century Eastern European Jewish cuisine, and was particularly prevalent in German Jewish cooking and baking. It was used to enhance a generally bland diet heavy in starches, particularly potatoes. In Ashkenazi baking, sour cream was used to add moisture and richness to cake and pastry dough.
Here is Andrea’s family recipe, exactly as Renée wrote it down:
Sour Cream Twists
Oven 375 degrees
½ cup sour cream
3 ½ cups of flour
2 stks. margarine, cut in then add two beaten eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup of warm water 1/2 tsp sugar
Add each ingredient then wait till yeast rises before being mixed into flour mixture.
Pack into large bowl greased with oil. Then turn dough over and cover with damp cloth. Refrigerate for 2 hours before rolling in vanilla sugar.
Vanilla sugar mixture 1 ½ cups sugar with 2 tsp. of vanilla
After cutting process BAKE for 25 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet immediately.
In her written recipe, Renée doesn’t explain about how to cut or twist the cookies, so I used Andrea’s method (which is explained below). The first time I tried these I found the dough a bit sticky and tough to roll out. Flouring the rolling surface made the dough too smooth, which meant the sugar didn’t stick to the cookie like it should. After researching the twists, I found out that they are traditionally rolled out on a surface that has been sprinkled with sugar, so I made them a second time that way and they turned out just dandy. Just be aware that sugaring the rolling surface and the rolling pin will be a bit of a sticky mess (butter + sugar = messy), so if you have a large silpat or some other easily cleanable rolling surface, it will make cleanup easier.
Best to use full-fat sour cream in these cookies. They’ll taste okay with lowfat sour cream, but they won’t be as rich, and the dough’s texture won’t be quite the same. Oh, also– I used real butter instead of margarine. I figured that since the cookies contain sour cream, it’s already a dairy recipe– so why not? 🙂
These cookies are delicious, with a very unique texture—tender on the inside, a tiny bit crisp on the outside, with a touch of crunch where the sugar caramelizes. They’re totally addicting. I had three last night, and had to stop myself from eating more. They’re perfect for dunking in tea or coffee, and would make a great addition to a dairy Shavuot or Hanukkah menu. Many thanks to Andrea and her grandma Renée for this unique and wonderful recipe!
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Renée's Sour Cream Twists
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup butter or margarine (2 sticks)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 teaspoons vanilla, divided (use a liquid vanilla extract, not a thick syrup)
- 1 package yeast
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- Canola or nonstick spray oil to grease bowl
Instructions
- Pour flour into a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or two knives until the flour resembles coarse crumbs.
- Alternatively, you can pulse the flour and butter in a food processor until a crumbly texture forms. Do not over-process.
- Pour packet of yeast into a small bowl and cover with 1/2 cup lukewarm water (about 110 degrees). Stir in 1/2 tsp of sugar till yeast and sugar are dissolved. Set aside for 10 minutes to activate.
- While yeast is activating, stir vanilla into the 2 beaten eggs till combined. Add the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream to the crumbly flour mixture.
- Right about now the yeast should be activated, meaning it will look expanded and foamy. If it doesn’t, your yeast may have expired—go buy some fresh yeast!
- Add the foamy yeast water to the mixing bowl.
- Stir all ingredients in the mixing bowl until just combined, switching to kneading when the mixture becomes to thick to stir. Do not overwork the dough; knead just a few times until a rough dough ball forms.
- Grease a larger mixing bowl with oil. Punch dough down into the greased bowl, then flip the dough so both sides are lightly oiled.
- Cover bowl with a damp cloth and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a wide, shallow bowl, mix 2 tsp of liquid vanilla extract with 1 1/2 cups of sugar till the sugar is evenly scented with vanilla.
- Dust your rolling surface with 1/2 cup of the vanilla sugar. Take dough out of the refrigerator and place it on the sugared rolling surface.
- Roll out the dough into a rough 12x16 inch rectangle. If the dough sticks to your rolling pin, rub the pin with sugar periodically.
- Cut the rectangle lengthwise so there are 3 long, thin rectangles of dough. Cut each rectangle of dough into strips about 1 inch thick (each strip will be about 4 inches long).
- Dip each strip into the vanilla sugar so that both sides of the strips are evenly coated in sugar.
- Twist the sugar-coated strips two or three times each and pinch at the ends to taper. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.Bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Turn the tray halfway through baking to ensure even browning. The darker you let them brown, the crisper the cookies will be.
- Remove cookies from baking sheet immediately, otherwise the cookies will stick to the sheet. Place on a wire rack or plate to cool.
- These Sour Cream Twists go great with tea, coffee, or a glass of ice cold milk. Store in a sealed tin or Tupperware.
Nutrition
I loved your website.So glad I tuned into Joan Hamburg today. I can hardly wait to try the Honey Apple and honey date cakes.I bake my mother-in-law’s recipe for honey cake with coffee and liquor. It’s about a hundred years old. A great family favorite but sometimes rises over the pan. Any suggestions?
Hi Bev, have you tried using a slightly larger pan? If it’s a loaf cake (honey cakes usually are), the loaf pans tend to come in three sizes– try the next size up and see how that works. Good luck!
These look wonderful. May try them with cinnamon and sugar. What kind of yeast did you use?
Hi Heather, I used active dry yeast.
Wow, these sound amazing! I think I could probably eat up the entire batch. Delicious!
I’ve been battling the urge to eat the whole batch myself this week. Gave some away to friends so I wouldn’t be as tempted. 😉
These cookies are dilectable. The instructions say to cut rectangle in half. Based on the picture, should probably say cut in thirds
Thanks for noticing that Kathleen! The first time I made them I cut the dough in half, but the cookies were too big– I must have missed that when I edited the recipe. Now it’s fixed. 🙂
My wife and I made those last night. We loved it!
Awesome Donna, so happy you loved them!
I’ll keep you in mind about contributing recipes. My cooking consists of Appalachian, Southern and Jewish recipes. We now split our time between South Carolina and Michigan. You have a delightful blog, and I am glad I found it!
By the way, I know you are in California. Do you happen to be in LA or familiar with Rabbi Wolpe? He is one of my favorite rabbis.
These are very similar to a recipe given to me by a friend from his German grandmother. Mel passed away this week, so I had been telling my kids about this recipe (with ingredients in lb. measures) and planning to make them. His recipe calls for 3 egg yolks, for the dough to rise in refrigerator overnight and then be rolled out and folded into thirds, adding sugar on each fold. Then cut into strips and give a little twist. (I’m going to try the vanilla sugar.) Thanks for the lovely story and recipe.
You’re welcome Edna! I did read a few similar German recipes that had this roll and fold method you described. I may try them that way the next time I make them. Thanks for sharing! And if you have any family recipes you’d like to contribute to the blog, please consider doing so. Here is the link: https://toriavey.com/submissions/
You’ve knocked another one out of the park. These look wonderful!
Thanks Kim! This blog is a labor of love, and these family recipe entries are the most rewarding. It’s an honor to be able to share a person’s story along with their recipe. Happy you enjoyed it!
I think I will make it with Garlic, Sharp Cheddar,Rosemary and Parsley….. I will let you know how it turns out!
Please do Angel, I’d love to hear about it. 🙂
Hi, I am Renee’s daughter, Andrea’s aunt. I often make these cookies pareve (non-dairy) by using non-dairy sour cream and margarine instead of butter. They come out absolutely wonderful and then can be eaten with a meat meal. My mother was an incredible baker and left a legacy that continues in my kitchen to this day.
When I use my mother’s recipes I can sense her being with me and I am sure she is proud that her recipes are used and loved by the next generations.
Annette Glassner
Annette, what a pleasure to hear from you! And great to know about the pareve version of the Sour Cream Twists. I am grateful that you and Andrea were willing to share this family recipe, and I know it will be enjoyed by many! I hope this blog inspired others to write down their family recipes, so they can pass these culinary treasures down to the next generation.
Love it, of course. Thanks so much for sharing these beautiful family memories! May we all continue to make such memories, preserve them, and all while eating delicious cookies.
Andrea, thank you so much for taking the time to share this wonderful recipe! It was an amazing experience getting to know your family’s story through your grandmother’s delicious cookies. xoxo
Another keeper! I can’t wait to try these!
i love your posts BTW.
Thanks Melanie! If you try them please report back and let us know how they turned out for you.
Thanks Kevin! 🙂
Reminds me of home. Thanks for posting!
Vintage recipes such as this one are truly a treasure to have. I am so glad you shared this one-I have saved it. Also, I enjoyed the read about Renee. Thanks for sharing!
I agree, they are a treasure Tina. Thank you for reading! xo
My grandfather (from Russia) had a Jewish bakery in Boston in the very early 1900’s ’till the 50’s and made something called Kichel. It looked like what you picture, but the rolled dough was cut in 2″ squares instead of twisted, then coated with sugar It was my favorite, and I’ve never come across it again … until now!
Hey Joyce! I love kichel, too. These cookies are similar to kichel, but the texture is different… the dough bakes up softer and less crunchy than kichel dough. Maybe I should blog about kichel… I agree they are delicious!
Do you have any of your grandfather’s recipes? I would love to know what he made, and what the favorites at his bakery were! 🙂
I wonder if cheese would be good… no sugar?
With no sugar at all? That’s an interesting idea. Maybe some cheese and a sprinkle of garlic… if you give it a try that way let me know how it goes, Angel!
I am going to make these tonight! I am just a good Irish Catholic girls who grew up in a very orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Los Angeles and grew to love all things Jewish(especially all of the youngsters I babysat)! I was ofter referred to as the “Shabbos goy”. Although I am still a practicing Catholic, I have always been somewhat tickled by Judaism and the traditions! (I love gifelte fish with horseradish and matzah on Passover whether I go to a Seder or not!)
Thanks for sharing your wonderful story with this recipe! My kids are gonna love em!
Awesome Colleen! Please report back and let us know how you liked them. I know Andrea would be so pleased to hear that her grandma’s recipe is being enjoyed by others. “Spreading the food love,” so to speak. 🙂
What a lovely story and wonderful recipe Tori! I’m Sephardi descendant on my father’s side, so I’m familiar with certain Jewish recipes. My grandmother (“Mama Sultana”) would bake the most amazing things! 🙂
Susy, I’d love to hear some of Mama Sultana’s recipes if you have them written down and are willing to share! 😉
Those look incredibly YUMMY! Thanks for the recipe, tips and interesting history. Love your blog!
Thanks for reading, Lisa! These family historical recipes are my favorite… so neat to be able to help preserve family traditions this way. 🙂