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Romanian Sweet Cheese Pies are delightful pastry creations that combine the richness of cream cheese with a touch of sweetness, enveloped in a flaky, golden-brown dough shell. These delectable pockets are the perfect marriage of textures, with the luscious cream cheese filling providing a creamy contrast to the crisp, buttery dough. Each bite delivers a harmonious blend of flavors, making them a delectable treat for any occasion. Whether enjoyed as a breakfast pastry, dessert, or a delightful snack, sweet cream cheese pies are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth and leave you craving for more.
What are the Romanian Sweet Cheese Pies?
Romanian sweet cheese pies, as I’ve mentioned before, are an excellent choice for a healthy dessert, a sweet snack, or even a satisfying breakfast paired with a glass of milk. This sweet yet wholesome treat is based on a simple dough and a sweet cheese filling. Baked in the oven with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, these sweet cheese pies will quickly become a star for the whole family, filling your home with a delightful aroma and catering to everyone’s tastes and needs. So, don’t hesitate any longer; prepare your list of ingredients to bake these sweet pockets for your loved ones as soon as possible.
As you’ve probably noticed, the goal of this blog is to showcase that simplicity in food can be utterly delightful. This rule extends to desserts as well. You’ll discover that a straightforward homemade dessert, built upon just a handful of ingredients and requiring only a few steps, can be an excellent choice when you crave something sweet, healthy, and satisfying. The same holds true for other uncomplicated homemade dessert recipes, such as fruit cake, chocolate banana cake , or cherry clafoutis.
The secret to making these sweet cheese pies is to use a sweet cheese that, combined with eggs and sugar, will create a sweet cream that will delight your taste buds. Of course, for those who prefer savory dishes, this recipe can be adapted to turn sweet pockets into salty cheese pies without any issues.
In Romania we use βurdΔβ, which is a sweet cheese very similar to ricotta https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricotta . You can also use mascarpone cream cheese, but if you choose this type of cheese, your cheese cream will be a little softer.
Are these Sweet Cheese Pies a healthy dessert?
I believe that the Romanian Sweet Cheese Pies represent a healthy option when it comes to desserts, sweet snacks or even a simple breakfast. But you donβt have to take my word for this.
Ricotta and eggs, two key ingredients in this recipe, offer a range of advantages when incorporated into your culinary creations. Let’s explore the benefits of each:
- Ricotta Cheese
- Rich Creaminess: Ricotta cheese is renowned for its luxurious creaminess. When it’s blended into dishes, it imparts a velvety texture that’s incredibly pleasing to the palate. This creaminess is perfect for creating smooth, luscious fillings in pastries like sweet cheese pies.
- Versatile Flavor: Ricotta has a mild, slightly sweet flavor that makes it incredibly versatile. It can easily adapt to both sweet and savory dishes, making it an essential ingredient in a diverse range of recipes.
- Protein-Packed: While it’s known for its creamy texture, ricotta is also a protein powerhouse. It’s an excellent source of high-quality protein, which is essential for muscle growth and repair. Incorporating ricotta into your dishes can help boost your protein intake.
- Calcium Boost: Ricotta is a good source of calcium, a mineral crucial for strong bones and teeth. This can be especially beneficial for growing children and those looking to maintain bone health.
- Eggs
- Binding Agent: Eggs are culinary magic when it comes to binding ingredients together. In baking, they act as natural emulsifiers, creating a cohesive structure in recipes like sweet and savory pies. This binding quality ensures your dishes hold together beautifully.
- Nutrient-Rich: Eggs are a nutrient powerhouse. They’re packed with essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12, which is vital for a healthy nervous system, and vitamin D, important for bone health. They’re also rich in choline, an essential nutrient for brain function.
- Protein Prowess: Eggs are one of the best sources of high-quality protein available. The protein in eggs contains all the essential amino acids your body needs, making them a complete protein source. This can be particularly valuable for those following a vegetarian or protein-focused diet.
- Boosts Texture: Eggs contribute to the delightful texture of many dishes, from fluffing up pancakes to creating the airy, soufflΓ©-like consistency in casseroles. In sweet cheese pies, for instance, eggs play a vital role in giving the filling its smooth, custardy texture. So, when you reach for recipes that feature ricotta cheese and eggs, you’re not only treating yourself to exquisite taste and texture, but you’re also benefiting from the protein, nutrients, and culinary versatility these ingredients bring to your table.
If you are looking for a fresh and healthy savory tart, you should definitely try the Easy Cheese and Leek Tart recipe, which represents the perfect mix between a crispy tart dough and a creamy and healthy filling.
Full Recipe – Romanian Sweet Cheese Pies
Romanian Sweet Cheese Pies βURDOICIβ
Equipment
- 1 Kneading machine / Stand mixer / Whisk
- 1 Oven
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 kg All-purpose flour
- 40 g Dried yeast
- 7 tbsp Oil
- 5 tbsp Brown sugar
- 5 pcs eggs
- 320 ml Milk
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 tsp Vanilla sugar
Filling
- 700 g Sweet cheese
- 2 pcs Eggs
- 1 pinch Salt
- 5 tbsp Brown sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla sugar
Instructions
- From the 5 eggs, take out one of them and separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Set aside.
- Put all the dough ingredients into a kneading machine (or knead into a bowl using your hands), including the 4 remaining eggs. Add the remaining egg white and knead the dough for 5 minutes.
- Place the dough into a bowl greased with oil and cover it with a plastic foil. Leave it for 1 hour to double its volume.
- Meanwhile, start preparing the filling. Add the eggs, the vanilla sugar, the pinch of salt and the sugar and mix well using a mixer or a whisk to incorporate the sugar well. Then, add the sweet cheese and mix well to create a creamy texture.
- Once the dough has doubled its volume, ripe the dough in 18 different pieces. Using a roller pin, stretch each piece until obtaining a small thin dough sheet in a square shape.
- Pour cream in the middle of each dough sheet and put together the edges of the sheet into the middle of the square, to create an envelope shaped pie.
- Put all the pies into a tray covered with baking paper and let them sit for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the remaining egg yolk with a spoon on milk and after the 30 minutes pass, cover each envelope shaped pie with this mixture, using a brush.
- Bake the pies for 30 minutes in the preheated oven at 170Β° C.
Video
Nutrition
Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy this incredible Romanian Sweet Cheese Pies recipe. If you need more help in filling the pies, you can see the whole filling process in the video recipe below.
Video Recipe Romanian Sweet Cheese Pies
I hope Iβve convinced you to try this amazing Romanian Sweet Cheese Pies. I am looking forward to your opinions and reviews, so donβt forget to share your thoughts in the comments section. Until the next easy and delicious recipe, I wish you all a great time spent with your loved ones. Bye π