Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)
Quick Ingredients
- All-purpose flour 300 g (2 1/2 cups), baking powder 1 tsp, fine salt 1/4 tsp
- Cold unsalted butter 115 g (1 stick), granulated sugar 60 g (1/4 cup)
- Sour cream 120 g (1/2 cup), 1 large egg
- Tvorog/farmer’s cheese 400 g (14 oz), sugar 70 g (1/3 cup), 1 egg yolk
- Sour cream 2 tbsp, vanilla extract 1 1/2 tsp, semolina or cornstarch 1 tbsp
- Lemon zest 1/2 tsp (optional)
- Egg wash: 1 egg + 1 tbsp milk; 1–2 tbsp sugar for sprinkling; powdered sugar to dust (optional)
Do This
- 1) Mix filling: mash/press cheese smooth; stir in sugar, yolk, sour cream, vanilla, semolina, salt, zest. Chill.
- 2) Make dough: rub cold butter into flour, sugar, baking powder, salt to crumbs. Add egg and sour cream; bring together.
- 3) Chill dough 30 minutes; preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line 2 baking sheets.
- 4) Roll dough 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. Cut 10 cm (4 in) rounds.
- 5) Fill each with 1 1/2 tbsp filling slightly off-center. Fold into a crescent, leaving a little filling visible.
- 6) Pinch edges lightly, brush tops with egg wash, sprinkle sugar.
- 7) Bake 18–22 minutes until pale golden at edges. Cool 10 minutes; dust lightly with powdered sugar.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tender, crumbly sour-cream shortcrust wrapped around a tangy vanilla–tvorog center.
- Not too sweet—perfect with tea or coffee.
- Uses simple, affordable ingredients and easy techniques.
- Freezer-friendly and great for make-ahead baking.
Grocery List
- Produce: 1 lemon (for optional zest)
- Dairy: Unsalted butter, sour cream, farmer’s cheese/tvorog (or well-drained ricotta), eggs, milk (for egg wash)
- Pantry: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, powdered sugar (optional), baking powder, vanilla extract, fine sea salt, semolina or cornstarch
Full Ingredients
Sour-Cream Shortcrust Dough
- All-purpose flour: 300 g (2 1/2 cups, spooned and leveled)
- Baking powder: 1 tsp (4 g)
- Fine sea salt: 1/4 tsp
- Granulated sugar: 60 g (1/4 cup)
- Cold unsalted butter, cut in cubes: 115 g (1 stick)
- Sour cream (full-fat preferred): 120 g (1/2 cup)
- Large egg: 1
Vanilla–Tvorog Filling
- Tvorog or well-drained farmer’s cheese: 400 g (14 oz)
- Granulated sugar: 70 g (1/3 cup)
- Large egg yolk: 1
- Sour cream: 30 g (2 tbsp)
- Vanilla extract: 1 1/2 tsp
- Fine sea salt: pinch
- Fine semolina or cornstarch: 1 tbsp (10 g), to bind
- Finely grated lemon zest: 1/2 tsp (optional)
Assembly & Finish
- Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk
- Granulated sugar: 1–2 tbsp, for sprinkling
- Powdered sugar: 1 tbsp, to dust (optional)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Smooth and drain the cheese
If the tvorog/farmer’s cheese feels wet, spread it on paper towels for 10 minutes. For the silkiest filling, press the cheese through a fine-mesh sieve or pulse briefly with an immersion blender until mostly smooth but still slightly curdy.
Step 2: Mix the vanilla–tvorog filling
In a bowl, stir the cheese with sugar, egg yolk, sour cream, vanilla, salt, semolina (or cornstarch), and optional lemon zest until combined. Cover and refrigerate while you make the dough; the semolina will hydrate and thicken the mixture.
Step 3: Make the sour-cream shortcrust
In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add cold butter cubes and rub in with fingertips until it resembles coarse, sandy crumbs with a few pea-sized bits. Whisk the egg with sour cream, pour over the crumbs, and mix with a fork just until a soft dough forms. It should be smooth but not sticky.
Step 4: Chill the dough and preheat
Flatten the dough into a 2 cm (3/4 in) thick slab, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Step 5: Roll and cut neat circles
On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough to 3 mm (about 1/8 in) thickness. Cut 10 cm (4 in) rounds (reroll scraps once, if needed). You should get about 12 rounds. Keep rounds covered with a towel so they don’t dry out.
Step 6: Fill, fold, and seal crescents
Place about 1 1/2 tbsp (30–35 g) filling slightly off-center on each round. Fold the dough over to form a half-moon, leaving a slim strip of filling peeking out along the open seam (classic sochnik style). Pinch along the curved edge to seal lightly; do not crimp too hard or the edges may toughen.
Step 7: Glaze, bake to pale gold, and finish
Arrange the sochniki on prepared sheets, brush tops with egg wash, and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake 18–22 minutes until the edges are pale golden and the tops are matte but not deeply browned. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Dust very lightly with powdered sugar before serving warm or at room temperature.
Pro Tips
- For the best texture, press the cheese through a sieve—this prevents a grainy filling.
- If using ricotta instead of tvorog, drain it overnight in the fridge in a sieve lined with cheesecloth.
- Keep butter cold and handle the dough gently; overworking makes it tough.
- Roll evenly to 3 mm; uneven dough causes leaks. Re-roll scraps only once.
- Bake just to pale gold—classic sochniki are tender and light, not deeply browned.
Variations
- Raisin Classic: Fold 2 tbsp finely chopped raisins or currants into the filling.
- Lemon–Poppy: Add 1 tbsp poppy seeds and increase lemon zest to 1 tsp.
- Cardamom–Vanilla: Add 1/4 tsp ground cardamom to the filling and a pinch to the dough.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Store cooled sochniki airtight at room temperature for up to 24 hours, or refrigerate up to 3 days. To refresh, warm at 160°C/325°F for 6–8 minutes. Freeze baked or unbaked, shaped sochniki on a tray until firm, then bag for up to 2 months. Bake frozen, adding 2–4 minutes to the time. The dough can be refrigerated up to 48 hours; filling up to 48 hours.
Nutrition (per serving)
Approximate per crescent (1 of 12): 300 calories; 15 g fat; 31 g carbohydrates; 9 g protein; 9 g sugars; 1 g fiber; 190 mg sodium.
