Vegan Stollen Bites with Dates and Figs

Today, all sweet tooths will be fully at their expense! Fluffy stollen in mini form and all without raisins!

In Christmas baking you can make a huge mess even without eggs and milk! :D Since we are always away over Christmas the last few years, it has never been worthwhile to bake cookies. And in general, the problem with cookies is that you enthusiastically start to knead dough, roll it out and press the first shapes into the dough with love. Until, after what feels like three hours, you still have half a kilo of dough left and you slowly roll it out thicker and thicker. Finally, the ramekins are packed aside and you create with last effort figures in XXL format and swear next time to make only half of the dough ... or just buy some cookies.

With this stollen bites you don't have to roll out the dough and cut out the cookies. Once kneaded, the dough just needs to be rolled into thin sausages and sliced off.

I was never a fan of Stollen, much too sweet and especially these mushy raisins still haunted me in my nightmares. If anything, I can only stand raisins in trail mix where they are smaller and firmer. The alternative with cranberries didn't really convince me either. But I love dates and figs, and I guess they fit the holiday season like no other dried fruit! So today there is a modified stollen recipe with creamy Alpro Skyr and delicious dates and figs.

For about 50 pieces you need:

For the dough:

• 50g dried dates

• 50g dried figs

• 100g margarine (room temperature)

• 50g sugar

• 1 pinch of salt

• 150g Alpro Skyr, unsweetened

• 1 orange

• 300g light spelt flour

• 1 tsp. stollen spice

• 2,5 tsp. baking powder

• 100g chopped almonds

• 100g marzipan

• a few drops of rum aroma

For decorating:

• powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) convection oven (then two trays can be baked at the same time).

2. Wash the orange with hot water and dry it well. Then grate the peel with a grater and squeeze out the juice.

3. Remove the figs from the firm stems.

4. Finely dice the dates (50g) and figs (50g).

5. Dice the marzipan (100g) and heat it briefly in the microwave so that it becomes soft.

6. Mix the margarine (100g) with the sugar (50g) and the marzipan for about 5 minutes until foamy.

7. Then mix in Skyr (150g) and a pinch of salt.

8. Add the diced dates and figs together with the Stollen spice (1 tsp.), baking powder (2.5 tsp.), orange zest, rum flavoring and the chopped almonds (100g) to the Skyr mixture and stir well.

9. Finally, sift the flour (300g) into the mixture and knead everything. Add as much orange juice until you get a smooth dough that does not stick.

10. Put the dough on a floured work surface, cut it into 3 parts and roll each part into a sausage about 3 cm thick.

11. Cut pieces about 4 inches apart.

12. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and place the stollen bites on it. Leave some space, because the pastry is still rising!

13. Then bake the Stollen bites for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

14. Take it out of the oven, let it cool down and dust it with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Tip: The stollen bites taste best when it has been allowed to soak for a day in a tightly closed tin (if it lasts that long ;) )