Moroccan Chnek (Laminated Brioche Swirls with Raisins and Chocolate Chips)
This Moroccan chnek recipe and all the photos come from Jarib Al Wasfa (@jaribalwasfa), a Moroccan recipe account on TikTok.
Moroccan chnek (also spelled chneck) are the soft, flaky brioche swirls sold in every Moroccan bakery and made at home for breakfast, tea time and Ramadan tables. The name comes from the Alsatian schnecke, “snail”, for their spiral shape. This version uses a lightly laminated brioche dough, so the swirls come out light and buttery, and makes two flavors from one batch: jam and raisin, and pastry cream with chocolate chips.
What you need for Moroccan chnek
- The dough: flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, dry yeast, warm water, one egg, a little oil and a tablespoon of butter.
- Butter for laminating: 200 g at room temperature. Laminating butter or a firm baking margarine is easiest to work with.
- Raisin filling: jam (apricot in the video) and raisins, to taste.
- Chocolate filling: pastry cream (crème pâtissière), homemade or store-bought, and chocolate chips, to taste.
- Egg wash: one egg beaten with a tablespoon of milk.
How to make Moroccan chnek
1. Make the dough. Mix the flour, sugar and vanilla sugar and make a well in the center. Pour in the yeast dissolved in warm water, stir it with a little flour and leave it for 10 minutes until bubbly. Add the egg and the oil, mix, then knead in the tablespoon of butter for about 10 minutes.
2. Let it rise. Shape the dough into a ball, cover it and leave it in a warm place until doubled in size.
3. Laminate. Roll the dough into a long rectangle and spread the 200 g of soft butter over it. Fold it in three, roll it out and fold it again, then wrap it and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Fill and roll. Cut the dough in half and roll each half into a rectangle. Spread one with jam and raisins, the other with pastry cream and chocolate chips. Roll each one up tightly into a log.
5. Slice and proof. Slice the logs into thick rounds with a piece of thread, which cuts cleanly without squashing the spiral. Place them on lined trays, cover and let them rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.
6. Glaze and bake. Brush with egg wash and bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 25 minutes, until the Moroccan chnek are deep golden.
Moroccan Chnek (Laminated Brioche Swirls)
Ingredients
Method
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar and vanilla sugar. Make a well in the center.
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, pour it into the well and stir it with a little of the surrounding flour. Leave it for 10 minutes, until bubbly.
- Add the egg and the oil and mix everything together into a dough.
- Add the tablespoon of butter and knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and soft.
- Shape into a ball, cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
- Roll the dough out into a long rectangle. Spread the 200 g of room-temperature butter evenly over the surface.
- Fold the dough in three like a letter, roll it out again and fold it once more. Wrap it in plastic film and chill for 30 minutes.
- Cut the dough in half. Roll each half out into a rectangle.
- Spread the first rectangle with jam and scatter with raisins. Spread the second with pastry cream and scatter with chocolate chips.
- Roll each rectangle up tightly into a log, then slice into rounds with a piece of thread or a sharp knife, about 9 per log.
- Arrange the swirls on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, cover with a towel and let them rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Beat the egg with the milk and brush it over the swirls.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 25 minutes, until deep golden. Let cool on a rack.
Notes
Watch the video
Tips for perfect Moroccan chnek
- Keep the butter soft but cool. If it melts into the dough you lose the flaky layers; if it’s too cold it tears the dough.
- Use thread to slice. Slide it under the log, cross the ends over the top and pull: the swirls keep their round shape.
- Don’t skip the final rise. The swirls should look puffy before they go in the oven.
- Love pastry cream? It’s also the star of our Boston cream pie cookies.
More Moroccan recipes
Moroccan chnek are perfect with a glass of mint tea after a festive meal. For the main course, try our lamb tagine with prunes and almonds, and to start, the roasted bone marrow toast shared by another Moroccan home cook. Looking for another breakfast bake? Our zucchini bread keeps well all week.
FAQ
What is Moroccan chnek?
Chnek is the Moroccan name for brioche swirls, similar to the French pain aux raisins or a schnecke. They’re sold in Moroccan bakeries and often made at home for breakfast and tea time.
Can I use only one filling?
Yes. Use jam and raisins, or pastry cream and chocolate chips, for the whole batch.
How do I store Moroccan chnek?
Keep them in an airtight container for a day or two. Swirls filled with pastry cream are best kept in the fridge and eaten within a day or two.
Can I freeze chnek?
The jam and raisin swirls freeze well once baked and cooled: wrap them individually and reheat for a few minutes in a warm oven. The pastry cream ones are better eaten fresh.
Browse more Moroccan recipes.
