Schnecken, in German, means “snails” and this swirled confection is a holiday treat for many Cincinnatians. Virginia Bakery’s schnecken has been the gold standard (now owned by Busken), but others have entered the ring. Which Schnecken is the Best…en? I took several schnecken from around the city to my office, where a panel of my hungry coworkers sampled the goods. Here’s what they thought.
Virgil’s Matt Buschle has a passion for baking, and it shows in the schnecken. This one seemed like homemade to me, but could have used a few more raisins and cinnamon. The panelists said:
- “Sex in my mouth” (uh, wow.)
- “Could be a bit more moist.”
- “I expected it to be dry, but it wasn’t. Flavors were more subtle than I expected.”
- “I would like a little more cinnamon.”
- “Heavy-ish”
- “Winner.”
- “A bit too gooey”
- “Rich, gooey– a close second.”
- “FAN-FREKEN-TASTIC. I am weeping as I lick my fingers.”
- “Love the apple addition, though it offends ever so slightly my purist sensibility”
- “Rough and hard”
- “Buttery”
- “Buttery deliciousness”
- “‘Fruity’ balances the sugar”
- “BUTTER!”
- “Lightest, flaky pastry, not so sweet”
- “Dry, although glaze is nice”
- “Flaky, wonderful”
- “Looks good, but is not as good”
- “Tastes like a great piece of bread w/ icing”
- “Lemony”
- “Angel food cake-like”
- “Thick, creamy, buttery”
- “Sweet and moist”
- “Moist, not too raisin-y”
- “Soft, sweet”
- “Stronger cinnamon flavor”
- “Sweet but not much other flavor.”
- “Dry-ish interior, mild”
Here’s how they stacked up:
5. Servatii
4. Graeter’s
3. Virgil’s
2. Virginia Bakery
1. Queen City Cookies
#1 and #2 were pretty close as both of them are very buttery and rich, but not dry, dense, or too light. However, someone listed *each one* of these in their top two, so you’re bound to found a schnecken that tickles your fancy in this list. Is there a schnecken I missed? Post about it here and we’ll include it in next year’s schneck-off.