A traditional Alsace recipe…

Amongst the most traditional Alsace recipes, these almond sweet treats, known as "ladies' thighs" given their shape, are certainly worth a try. These little beignets typically used to be given by young girls to their sweethearts, on the second Sunday after Ash Wednesday. The Schenkele (as they're called in the Bas-Rhin region) or Schankala (their name in the Haut-Rhin region) may be named after their shape, like little thighs or legs, or after the fact that, in the olden days, patisserie chefs used to roll them out on their thighs..

Fans of almond will also love them with a drop of kirsch. Our grandmothers used to make this delightful treat to mark the occasion of Mardi Gras festivities. It also gave housekeepers and bakers a way to use up leftover eggs, as they couldn't eat them during the period of Lent that followed.

Practical info

Number of beignets

Recipe for approx. 30 Schenkele

Difficulty

Very easy

Time to make

• 20 minutes for preparation
• 2 hours for rising
• Approx. 5 minutes for cooking

Ingredients

• 400g of plain flour (pastry flour if you can get it)
• 250g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 130g butter
• 125g blanched and ground almonds
• 1 tbs Alsace kirsch
• 2 pinches of fine salt

Decoration:

• 100g caster sugar
• Approx. 2g cinnamon

Frying:

• 500ml frying oil

Method

Step 1

Beat the sugar and eggs then add in the Alsace kirsch, either with an electric mixer  or by hand.
Mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt, ground almonds) and add into the mixing bowl.
Lastly, add the melted butter.
Spread the dough over a lightly floured surface, then leave to rest for around 2 hours.

Step 2

Cut the dough into 9-11cm (length) strips then roll them by hand, until you get a little log shape,

Inspo – Pistachio schenkele
When making the dough, you can replace 50g of the ground almonds with 50g ground pistachio, to create a tasty twist on the recipe.

Cooking

Immerse the Schenkele in the hot oil for a few minutes.
Remove them from frying when they start to brown, and use kitchen roll to drain them and soak up excess oil.

Finishing

Mix the 100g caster sugar with the cinnamon.
Without letting them cool, sprinkle the Schenkele with the cinnamon sugar before enjoying.