Austrian Treats

by Elissa

I have a wonderful friend from Austria named Helene--she helped to raise me and my sisters and is like a second mother. Whenever she would travel back to Austria to visit her family, she would bring back her favorite sweets to share with us. I got the chance to visit her recently and she gave me a stash of two of my favorite things.

The first might be my favorite store-bought cookie of all time: Manner Schnitten.

They feature crisp wafers and layers of hazelnut chocolate cream. If you like Nutella, you really need to seek them out. Unfortunately they can be hard to track down. I have occasionally found them at European specialty shops, and you can buy a 12-pack from Amazon (although it will set you back $30 once you add in shipping). And Helene will tell you that the Manner Schnitten here are never as fresh as the ones you get in Austria. So I guess the real solution is to head to Austria.

The other Austrian confection that I can't get enough of is Mozartkugeln.

In addition to the portrait of the composer on the wrapper, these chocolates feature a marzipan center, a layer of nougat, and a thick layer of dark chocolate. Sadly, these are also often pricey and hard to find (if you're willing to pay a 17 euro shipping fee, check out austriangrocery.com).

Anyone else share my love of these delicacies? Please share your favorite source in the comments.

Comments

[Erin]

We're lucky here in Portland to have several great European (and German in particular) shops that carry these. I've also had some luck getting German & Austrian treats at Cost Plus World Market!

[Krystal]

Austria to visit her family, she would bring back her favorite sweets to share with us. I got the chance to visit her recently and she gave me a stash of two of my favorite things.