Trdelnik: Your New Favorite Dessert

The streets of Prague are dotted with little kiosks serving long, hollow, cylinder-like pastries called trdelnik. Trdelnik create quite the spectacle with their sheets of cinnamon sugar-coated pastry rotating around coals as they slow cook. Once they're golden brown, the pastry is filled with anything and everything, including ice cream, Nutella, apples, and every other sweet filling you can think of.

However these beautiful “chimney cakes” are not traditionally Czech. The name “trdelnik” is the only Czech thing about this dessert, as the Czech word “trdlo” is the name for the wooden stick that the pastry is wrapped around. The dessert’s origins are unknown, but many people believe that it originated in Hungary. Versions of this dessert can be found all over Europe, as roasting bread was once the only way to cook it.

Despite the dessert’s very “un-Czech” origins, it is still an amazing snack that makes my mouth water every time I think about it. After a vacation to Prague earlier this year, I've found myself craving this sweet treat but have been unable to find anything like it in Gainesville. Therefore, I decided that it was time for a dorm room baking experiment.

Trdelnik: Dorm Edition

• Prep Time:30 mins
• Cook Time:15 mins
• Total Time:45 mins
• Servings:8
• Medium

Ingredients

• 1 can crescent rolls
• 1 egg
• A whole lot cinnamon sugar
• Baking spray
• Cannoli pipes
• Wooden skewers

• Step 1

  First and foremost, set your oven to 380 F.

  

• Step 2

  Excessively grease the cannoli pipes - trust me, you don't want to skip this step.

  

• Step 3

  Stretch out one triangle of the crescent roll as much as you can then start wrapping it around one cannoli pipe.

  

• Step 4

  Wisk one egg and lightly coat the pastry with the egg wash before you sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over the pastry.

  

• Step 5

  Put one wooden skewer through each of the pipes and balance them on an oven proof pot. I had to get real creative because of my limited selection of kitchen ware, so you might have to do the same.

  

• Step 6

  Place the pot in the oven and cook for 10 minutes before taking the pot out and rotating the pastries. Bake for 5 more minutes or until both sides are golden brown.

  

• Step 7

  Let the pastry cool COMPLETELY before attempting to slide the pastry off the pipe. I learned this lesson the hard way and may or may not have a few burns on my hand.

  

• Step 8

  If you greased the pipes enough, the pastry should slide right off. Now it’s time to fill the pastry with whatever you’d like!

  

For my fillings, I decided to do one with classic whipped cream. You really can’t go wrong with this one. However, if you’re feeling more adventurous, you can try spreading Nutella in the pastry before throwing some sliced strawberries on top or inside. You could also fill it with sliced apples and drizzled caramel. This last step is your chance to be creative and utilize what you have in your pantry or fridge, then make something very unique out of it. 

This dessert doesn't disappoint, and it is sure to make the top of your dessert staple list. This is what you've been waiting for.