Bienenstich Cookies

Bienenstich

                Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake)  is a lovely German pastry that you may have heard about or experienced. I suppose the proper title would be Bienenstich Kuchen, but if you look it up and scroll through recipes, it is more commonly referred to as simply "Bienenstich." It may be commonly referred to in Germany that way, I will have to ask someone. 

                I first learned of Bienenstich through a German friend when we were discussing cookies. If memory serves, that was in 2015. During that conversation, I was asked to make the cake. After listening to his description, I scoured the internet in search of the proper recipe. 

                The first try turned out quite well even though my filling wasn't quite thick enough. My friend deemed my version of the cake as "just as he remembered" back in Germany. That was a very high compliment for me, because if I can transport someone back in time through taste buds, it is a great accomplishment. 

                Since then, Bienenstich has been added to our list of holiday desserts at our home. I have made it many times, and everyone always enjoys it. It is a delightful combination of a yeast cake sponge, creamy filling, and an almond topping. Each element contains honey. 

                I have been intending to shrink the Bienenstich into smaller cakes that would serve one or two; or even making a bun-sized version, but I haven't had a lot of time for experimentation with those. I have also had the desire to make a "shelf-stable" version. (Bienenstich in its original form must stay under refrigeration.) 

Bienenstich Cookies

                So that brings me to the cookies. I was finally ready to make a version of Tiramisu in cookie form (after thinking about it off & on for over a year), and it suddenly occurred to me that I should do the same with Bienenstich.  It went from "thought to plate" very quickly...I believe it holds the record for that now, though I don't really keep tabs on the time things go from thought to plate (unless it's. savory dish, then the process is much faster). I have many pastry experiments to do and not enough time -- some have been in a holding pattern for months or years. This one entered the "queue" and was realized in less than 24 hours, so that's pretty good. 

                Without further ado, here they are: 

Bienenstichplätzchen 
(Bee Sting Cookies)

                This was from the second batch. I was going to use a round tip for piping so they resemble the cake even more, but a star tip made them look much more appealing, in my opinion. I will be posting the recipe, but in a nutshell I used: a modified German honey cookie recipe for the base, honey ganache, and the standard topping for Bienenstich. I used Norpro #677 scoop (1.5 Tbsps.) for the cookie dough. I measured after they were done & as luck would have it, (really, it was Kitchen Magic, not luck 😁), I had some silicone cupcake molds on hand, which were just the right size to bake the topping, so the cookies were uniform in size from top to bottom. 

                The topping was not rock hard, you could still bite through it with no issues. You could simply make some almond brittle and crumble it over the cookies, but the presentation wouldn't be as nice, in my opinion.  

                As luck.....errr....I mean....Kitchen Magic would have it, my German friend was around to sample these and give them the German Seal of Approval. The experiment was a success!