Comments on: What the hecken’s a “Schnecken”?

By: Jane McCarthy

Jane McCarthy — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:08:50 +0000

Loved your article, especially since my husband calls me Schnecken. It all started on our honeymoon to Austria and Switzerland; he kept ordering escargot or schnecken and I kept saying, “Eyuh, how can you eat that stuff?!” I said it one too many times to which he uttered back to me, “What’s the matter, Mein mein kleines, schoene schnecken?” (sorry for the spelling…) but it roughly translates to “my cute, little snail?” It stuck and I’ve actually grown to like this term of endearment. My Mother objects, however; she told my husband in no uncertain terms that she hardly thinks of her daughter as a snail. Thanks, Mom, but we’ll celebrate our 23rd anniversary next month.

By: Denise

Denise — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:14:52 +0000

I also grew up in Philadelphia..The NE…88′ Grad from GWHS…I own a small dessert company now in suburban Santa Clarita, CA…I am making your recipe for a Jewish Food Festival…I called a dz bakeries in town and nobody knew what I was asking for…so thanks bunches for your post…Think we may have something here…

By: Lynn

Lynn — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:50:03 +0000

How about Virginia Bakeries “Butterscotch Gems”, anyone have the recipe?? I can not find them or a recipes anywhere??? Help!

By: Jan

Jan — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:18:28 +0000

I was just in Cincinnati at Graeters and sampled their Schnecken. It looked like a loaf but was super sweet and seemed to be soaked in a syrup. These recipes don’t seem to be the same. Can anyone help me find one similar to what I tasted?

By: kristin

kristin — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 01:15:43 +0000

The schneckens I ate as a young girl in CenterValley,PA were muffin shaped. I’ve since had the cresent shaped schneckens and they are more on the order of rugelach. Both are delicious but different.

By: sean

sean — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 09:41:00 +0000

I have to agree with Tad’s comments above. I grew up in Cincinnati – by history, a largely German town. In Clifton, one of the neighborhoods just outside of downtown, there was a bakery – Virginia Bakery to be precise – that made a seemingly unduplicated Schnecken. As a kid in the 70’s, I had a paper route and used to go in the back door of the bakery way too early in the morning and was treated to all kinds of wondrous delicacies by a group of older ladies who seemed to work through the night. Interesting, this was right next to another hometown treat, a Skyline chili restaurant. At any rate, Virginia Bakery went out of business and the recipe was sold to Busken Bakery – yet another indigenous Cinti tradition. My brother…moved to the west side for some unknown reason, still sends Shnecken from Busken every Xmas. It’s too cool because they still use the same Virginia Bakery box to package the goods. As a matter of fact, I had the good fortune of tasting my childhood again just last week. I’m not a chef or a learned culinary expert…but I will go to my maker with Cinti Shnecken branded on my mind! Happy Holidays!

By: Glenda

Glenda — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:56:22 +0000

I’m with Tad. I hail from Cincinnati – a great town with a strong German heritage (my grands are from Wales and Cornwall, though). The Virginia Bakery that he mentions was fabulous and I agree that Buskens’ Schnecken is not nearly as good as that fromThe Virginia Bakery that closed several years ago. I think they open one or two weekends in December and sell only Schnecken and sell out within an hour – people line up around the block. I used to live down the street in the Clifton Gaslight District from the bakery in Cincinnati.

Tad – Do you have the Virginia Bakery recipe? I’d love to have it. Do you remember their Pull-Apart Cake? Oh… wait… the sugar coma….arrgghhh!

By: Wilma

Wilma — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 04:11:44 +0000

I grew up in suburban Philadelphia and made cookie-like Schnecken at Christmas in the mid-1950’s. I had gotten the recipe from one of my mother’s magazines she bought at the grocery store. Thanks for the memories!

By: Beer City Bruiser

Beer City Bruiser — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:51:12 +0000

Schnecke apparently is German for “snail,” but also means a type of cinnamon roll whose spiral shape is reminiscent of a snail, and this seems to have been generalized to mean any kind of pastry in Milwaukee. As Liberace said when he endorsed Blatz beer, “I’m from Milwaukee, and I oughta know.”

By: abi

abi — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:50:05 +0000

Schnecken is german for two or more snails, actualy