Oponki

Polish style cookies/donuts - great for Fat Thursday

yield: 60 pieces

Ingredients:

600g/1.3lb white or farmer’s cheese - grind

600g/1.3lb all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1 stick of butter or margarine (113g/4oz) - softened

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 vanilla sugar (8g/0.28oz)

8 cups oil (canola or vegetable) to bake

a lot of powdered sugar to sprinkle them

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a bowl of your electric mixer and mix well until you get an elastic and smooth dough (you can also knead by hands).

Divide the dough into 4 smaller pieces. Roll each one on a floured surface to about ½ cm/0.2inch thick (or thicker if you like). Using a drinking glass (about 3inch/7.5cm diameter) cut out the round cookies/donuts. Then using a smaller cutter - about 2cm/ ¾ inch diameter - cut the small circle inside each one.

Work with the dough until you are done. You should get about 60 cookies.

Heat the oil in a large pot. Put the oponki (in a few bunches) into a hot oil and bake until golden brown - about 2 minutes each side.

NOTE:

Oil can’t be very hot - you burn the cookies. Just medium hot. You can check if it’s OK by dropping one small piece of dough into the pot. It should slowly come out onto the surface and slowly getting golden brown.

Remove the oponki onto a large plate lined with paper towel and sprinkle with a lot of powdered sugar.

Eat the same day. The next day they are not so good but you can “refresh” them by putting into a microwave for about 10 seconds. But it’s not the same! So enjoy the same day:)

Enjoy!:)