Schneeballen — fried strip-dough snowballs from Rothenburg

i. Origin & history

Schneeballen have been a Rothenburg specialty since at least the 18th century. The town now has dozens of shops selling them, often with elaborate modern coatings (chocolate, marzipan, hazelnut) that contrast with the original plain icing-sugar finish.

ii. Ingredients

Makes 8 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 300 g plain flour
• 60 g sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 60 ml cream
• 1 tbsp rum
• 1 litre oil for frying
• Icing sugar to dust
• Optional: 100 g dark chocolate, melted

iii. Method

1. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat yolks with cream and rum; mix into dry ingredients to a soft dough.
2. Rest 30 min. Roll out thin. Cut into long strips (15 × 2 cm).
3. Use a schneeballen press (or wrap strips loosely around a ladle) to form into a rough ball shape.
4. Fry at 170 °C for 3-4 minutes until golden. Drain.
5. Dust with icing sugar or dip in melted chocolate.

iv. Tips & common mistakes

• Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
• Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
• Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.

v. Variations

Chocolate-coated, marzipan-coated, hazelnut-praline, cinnamon, amaretto versions all exist in modern Rothenburg shops.

vii. More from Austrian & German

• Apfelstrudel — apple strudel
• Topfenstrudel — quark strudel
• Klejner — Danish carnival biscuits
• Faworki — Polish carnival ribbons
• Fattigmann — Norwegian fried biscuits
• Chak-Chak — Central Asian honey-fried