Not your typical scones served with tea, this German Scones Recipe is deep fried dough that is served with Cinnamon Honey Butter.
Originally posted December 25, 2007 – The year I originally posted this recipe was the first year that my little family started the tradition of scones on Christmas morning. I’m happy to report that this tradition has continued and we have fried up this German Scones Recipe every Christmas morning except for one year when we were in a hotel on Christmas morning. This is a highly anticipated recipe every year. My kids were so confused when I made a batch of these to photograph. They kept thinking it was somehow Christmas, because that is the only time I make these! (Unless my husband wants them for his birthday.) I prepare the dough the night before and refrigerate it until we are ready for it in the morning. This makes A LOT, so I will usually use half of the dough on Christmas morning, and fry up the rest the weekend after Christmas. I’m not sure if these are actually German (the name was listed in an old cookbook) but we love them! They are kind of a mix of fry bread/sopaipilla/beignet/doughnut. It’s fried dough, and it’s delicious!!
The presents are unwrapped and our bellies are full. I am prepared to not have a decent conversation with my husband for the next couple of weeks because he will be too preoccupied by his new Xbox 360. All of the preparations we’ve made (or should have made!) over the last months are finished, and we can now put our feet up and take some welcome time off.
I love the holiday season. It just brings out the best in everyone. And I’m always sad when it passes. But this Christmas, I have been thinking a lot about how things change as we get older. I have realized that Christmas is a lot like Disneyland. It’s a blast when you are a kid. And I’m sure that it is a whole lot of fun when you are older and you take your own kids. But when you are in the in-between stage, like I am, it’s still fun, but it doesn’t quite have the same magic. I kind of feel like that is how Christmas is – it’s so much fun anticipating Santa’s visit when you are a kid, and I’m sure that when you have your own kids, you feel that same magic watching them as experience Christmas morning. But when you are in that in-between stage, you still love Christmas, but it almost feels like something is missing.
Although we don’t have kids yet, I decided that this Christmas would be the Christmas that we start our own fun and traditions. I figured now would be the time to start, and also so that I could try to bring some of the child-like magic into our Christmas.
Well, this was the first Christmas morning that we have spent with just the two of us (3, if you count the dog, and we always do!!). So we started with the first of our new Christmas traditions – this German scones recipe for breakfast!! It also helped that I got a nice new fryer as a gift!
If you don’t know what German scones are, I won’t be surprised. My husband has begged and begged for me to make scones for him for the longest time now, but he didn’t want what most of the world knows scones to be. German scones are more like a mixture between fried bread and doughnuts. My husband didn’t even know that these weren’t what most people know scones to be. I had my mother-in-law email me a recipe for them a few weeks back, but when I went to get the recipe yesterday, I couldn’t find the email. So, thank goodness for the internet. I did a quick Google search, and only a handful of recipes came up. Looking through them, they were all exactly the same, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong. (While over at the in-laws today, I looked at my mother-in-law’s recipe, and hers was the exact same recipe as well!!)
The beautiful thing about this recipe is that you can make the dough, let it rise, and then stick it in the fridge overnight. That way, if you made them for Christmas morning, you don’t have to dirty up your kitchen on Christmas morning, and all you have to do is fry them up. And they are delicious!!
If you notice from the picture, I learned a trick while watching a news program on Christmas Eve – if you poke a hole in the middle of the scone before you fry it, they are a lot easier to turn. These things really puff up when they hit the hot oil, and without the hole in the middle, they become a bit hard to turn because they are so top-heavy. These are really good served with some cinnamon honey butter, and it’s a cinch to whip up while the scones are frying.
It was a great Christmas – my husband said that it has been his best Christmas. I’m not sure if I could give all of the credit to the scones, but they certainly did make our morning!!
German Scones Recipe with Cinnamon Honey Butter
Ingredients
Scones
- 4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast 2 packages
- 1/2 cup warm water + 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter cut into small pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- oil for frying
Cinnamon Honey Butter
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
For the scones:
- In a small bowl, combine the yeast, 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside and let sit until it foams.
- Put the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour the boiling water over the top. Add the salt, then the eggs and mix on medium-low speed until combined. Add in the yeast mixture and 2 cups of the flour and mix. Continue to add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until all of the flour is incorporated. (You may need to add a bit more flour, depending on external circumstances. The dough should still be sticky to the touch, but should be starting to pull away from the sides of the mixer slightly. I usually like to add less flour rather than more - if the dough is too sticky to work with, you can always go heavier on the flour when you are rolling out the dough.)
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and let the dough rise for about an hour, then refrigerate until cold. (I usually just leave the dough in my mixer bowl, but if you need it for another use, place it in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.)
- When ready to fry, place 2-3 inches of oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. You want the oil to be about 350ºF. Dust your work surface with flour. Divide the dough into half, and working with one half at a time, roll the dough until it’s about 1/4-inch thick. Cut the dough into 3-inch squares. Puncture the center through the dough with your fingernail (or a knife) and place the square in the hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan - you’ll probably be able to fry 2-4 at a time, depending on the size of your pot. Fry until the first side is golden brown and puffy, then flip over and cook until the second side is brown. Remove the scones from the oil with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towels.
- Serve with the honey butter, honey, jam, or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
For the cinnamon honey butter:
- Combine the butter, honey and cinnamon and beat until combined.
Mari says
Hello,
First I want to say: I love love love your blog! So much yummy recips I want to try out 🙂
And I think I can adjust this confusion a little bit 🙂 In germany we call these “schmalzgebäck” and the original recipe is made with lard (scary huh? ) But I make them with all vegetable shortening. “schmalzgebäck” is a typical recipe for carnival, shrovetide or for new years eve. They taste best when they are still warm and covered
with powdered sugar (confectioners sugar? )
Please excuse my awful english
Kind regards from germany
Mari
Diane says
My German grandmother used to make something similar… they were called kifflies or kirklies. Sliced the center open to make a pocket and filled them with jam. Have never been able to find a recipe, as I don’t even know the proper name. Have you ever heard of something with that name?
Deborah says
I haven’t heard that name before, but after posting these and hearing from a lot of people, it seems like there are a lot of cultures that do a recipe similar to these.
Nina says
Hello, Deborah,
hello Diane,
I know it’s been two years since you wrote your comment, but I’d like to help you on your search.
The doughnuts filled with jam are called “Berliner” in german. As in different places the name varies a lot (I come from the Heidelberg area and we also call them Krapfen or Faschingskrapfen, as we eat them on the days of Fasching (carnival) ) you may find the right recipe searching for “Berliner”. Your grandmother might have used a different name for them, depending on the dialect she spoke 🙂
Berliner are made of sweet yeast dough and filled with jam as you explained. You fry them from each side in a deep pan. That’s where they get their characteristic light ring from.
There’re different types of filling. I know them best with strawberry jam, but there’re also modern versions with vanilla custard, eggnog cream or whatever.
Wikipedia says that Berliner are very similar to jelly doughnuts.
HOWEVER, your recipe is bookmarked. I think they look delicious and their name made me curious, because I am german, too 😉
Best regards!
Nina
alina says
The scones look really interesting, but I’m from Germany and I have never ever heard of them so far. 😉 so I think I have to try them out.
Lovely greetings from Germany
Allison says
That is so crazy that you call them German Scones because those are French beignets, the kind they serve in New Orleans, Louisiana~! Delicious anyways.
Deborah says
The name came from an old cookbook where I got the recipe. And yes – they are very similar to beignets, sopaipillas and even many doughnut recipes. Can’t go wrong with fried bread!
mariana says
These are very similar to lakums made in the south Russia by Circassians. My grandmother used to make these all the time. She would sometimes make them sweet like above and we ate it with honey+homemade cream or she would add less sugar in the recipe and we would eat them as a savory breakfast with homemade cheese and hot sweet tea. Thank you for the recipe and bringing back my childhood memories <3
Dee says
we make these but call them Grebble and dunk them in warm syrup!!
Jersey Girl Cooks says
These look so good! Sorry I missed this post during the holidays because now I am on a diet. Bookmarking this to make soon!
Marla Meridith says
These look fabulous!!
Mary says
you add boiling water to scrambled eggs? Doesn’t this cook the eggs? I’m just confused by that step.
Deborah says
I add in the eggs while the mixer is on low and I’ve never had a problem with the eggs scrambling at all.
Lynn says
Thanks for the recipe. They look very much like what I know as Panini, They are delish. going to try this for sure
Joan says
This is actually a very popular East African, to be more specific, Kenyan, dish that is prepared and served as a side with tea. We call it ‘mandazi’. Couldn’t image snacking on these once a week. Nevertheless, they’re extremely delicious! Hope you had them this year 🙂
Joan says
Sorry, I meant once a YEAR!
Shann says
There’s are a variation of the Dutch oily balls… Which are a Christmas Eve tradition for many Dutch people or their descendents lol….. Hence why I love Christmas Eve 🙂
Chels R. says
Let me just say that these look amazing! I would want these Christmas morning too!
Baby June says
Wow those sound like my kind of scones! Deep-fried and coated in powdered sugar? Yesss.
Anonymous says
My husband’s grandmother made New Year’s Peltz or Pelts (sp?)which is a fried dough shaped as in your photo and very heavy eating as in a heavy doughnut made with a sweet yeast dough. As the recipe is lost, I keep looking for the “right one.”
Your recipe looks close. Grandmother Bartz was from Stettin, Germany.
Jennifer Calaway says
My husband’s grandmother’s mother was a Bartz from Stettin, Germany. They also make peltz or pelts for New Years. I do have a recipe but have had difficulty getting the form just right.
lani says
These are a treat for my whole family. We have something similar here in Fiji, which I have eaten but never made. Have made your recipe a few times as we totally love this. Thank-you for sharing.
Deborah says
I’m so glad you have been enjoying it!
JM Simpson says
Hi!
When I was young my mother (with German ancestors) made something she called KEE-KUNZ. I offer a pronunciation because I never saw it written down. If anyone else has heard of these, please respond. I tried to google it, but your scones showed up. She just used a portion of her dough from bread-baking to make this treat that had to be eated right then. We ate it with lots of butter and honey, actually, probably syrup. Anyway, my sister and I were thinking about looking for a quick way to make them. If anyone has heard of this, please e-mail me at jmsimpson@cox.net.
Thank you.
Kate says
These are the type I was introduced to when I first had a scone, and it was at a cheesey buffet of all places, in California, in the 1970s. We went to Buffy’s Buffet and they had a big tray of freshly fried squares called scones. Almost hollow in the center, crispy on the outside, just bursting with Wesson-ality, and to the side, a shaker of powdered sugar and a dispenser of honey, with pats of butter. We loaded UP and made pigs of ourselves.
Fast forward to my adult years, I was always dismayed to find scones were these big triangular, dry crumbly things (which I often appreciate), but were never the fried squares of my youth.
Thanks for the memory, perhaps I’ll try them myself!