RUSSIAN CHOCOLATE VATRUSHKI | CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE BUNS

cottage cheese

🥗Healthier: ricotta cheese

💰Cheaper: cream cheese

Ricotta provides a similar texture with fewer calories.

butter

🥗Healthier: coconut oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Coconut oil is dairy-free and adds a unique flavor.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey offers natural sweetness and is often less expensive.

chocolate chips

🥗Healthier: dark chocolate

💰Cheaper: chocolate chunks

Dark chocolate has less sugar and can be more affordable.

Add lukewarm milk to a jug and mix in half of the sugar, then add dry yeast and let it activate.

Once activated, add eggs, sour cream, and melted unsalted butter, then mix well.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, remaining sugar, and salt, then gradually add the wet mixture while mixing with a dough hook.

Knead the dough by hand on a floured surface, adding more flour as needed until it is soft and sticky.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with cling film, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1.5 hours until tripled in size.

Prepare the filling by mixing cream cheese, dry cottage cheese, vanilla extract, sugar, egg, cocoa powder, and melted dark chocolate until smooth.

After the dough has risen, flatten it out and divide it into pieces, letting them rise for another 30 minutes.

Oil a glass and press it into each dough piece to create a hole for the filling.

Fill each piece with a large tablespoon of the chocolate filling, adding a teaspoon of Nutella and dark chocolate chunks if desired.

Brush the edges with egg wash for a golden color.

Bake until golden brown and let cool on a rack, then brush with soft butter and dust with icing sugar.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens