Kohuke

Ingredients

Curd filling

• 500 gdry curd cheese (kohupiim), or well-drained quark
• 80 gicing sugar
• 60 gunsalted butter, soft
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• a pinch of salt

Coating

• 250 gdark or milk chocolate
• 1 tbspneutral oil

Optional

• 2 tbspcocoa powder, or 60 g chopped dried apricot, for flavoured versions

Directions

1. Press the curd cheese through a fine sieve. This is tedious and it is the difference between a smooth bar and a grainy one — a food processor breaks the curd but does not eliminate the grain the way a sieve does.
2. Beat the sieved curd with the icing sugar, soft butter, vanilla and salt until completely smooth and thick. It should hold its shape when you draw a spoon through it. If the curd was wet, drain it in muslin for an hour first.
3. Shape into 10 small bars about 8 cm long on a lined tray, using two spoons or a piping bag.
4. Freeze the bars for at least two hours until solid. This is essential: a soft bar dipped in warm chocolate collapses off the fork.
5. Melt the chocolate with the oil over a pan of barely simmering water, then let it cool to about 32°C (90°F) — warm chocolate on a frozen bar sets too fast and cracks.
6. Dip each frozen bar in the chocolate using two forks, let the excess run off, and set on a lined tray. The chocolate will set almost instantly against the cold curd.
7. Refrigerate and eat within four days. Serve cold, straight from the fridge.

Technique

• Sieve the curd. Skipping this is the one thing that makes a homemade kohuke obviously homemade.
• Freeze before dipping, without exception.
• The commercial bars are made on an enrobing line with stabilisers and keep for weeks; this version is a fresh dairy product and keeps for days.

Substitutions

• Well-drained ricotta or a firm quark in place of kohupiim.
• Cocoa powder beaten into the filling for a chocolate version, or chopped dried apricot folded through.

Variations

• A vanilla version with real vanilla seeds, which is the most popular commercial flavour.
• Rolled in toasted crumbs instead of chocolate, which some households do.

History

Glazed curd bar produced industrially from the Soviet era and still one of Estonia’s most eaten snacks, sold in dozens of flavours.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kohuke?

Kohuke is a cheese & dairy from Estonia: chocolate-coated sweet curd bars from every kiosk. Glazed curd bar produced industrially from the Soviet era and still one of Estonia’s most eaten snacks, sold in dozens of flavours.

How long does Kohuke take to make?

Kohuke takes 30 min plus 2 hours chilling of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes 10 bars. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kohuke?

Yes, within limits. Well-drained ricotta or a firm quark in place of kohupiim. Cocoa powder beaten into the filling for a chocolate version, or chopped dried apricot folded through.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kohuke?

Press the curd cheese through a fine sieve. This is tedious and it is the difference between a smooth bar and a grainy one — a food processor breaks the curd but does not eliminate the grain the way a sieve does.