Kouka (Coo-ka)

Every Christmas I'm always found asking my Grandma, "when are you making Kouka and can I help?" Its about the only tradition we have left in our house. Every Christmas morning, everyone gets up, works on the puzzle upstairs for a while (another year-round tradition in our house) grabs something to drink and a piece of Kouka, and heads downstairs to open presents. Kouka is a sort of German pastry with prunes or apricots, cottage cheese and cream cheese. Sounds strange, the prunes and apricots, but it's my favorite pastry of all time, and a tradition I plan on keeping up in my house. My Grandmother has the original recipe somewhere in the house... she thinks. She's spent so many years experimenting with the recipe, which she learned years ago, so the original ingredients and preparation has been warped. I invite you to try this recipe below, which is the one my Grandmother wrote herself using "modern-day" products as she likes to say. It is too funny not to post the original.

Ingredients:
1 box Pillsbury Specialty Hot Roll Mix
1 large package of prunes, pitted preferred
1 package of dried apricots
1 quart of small curd cottage cheese
3-4 oz cream cheese, (6-8 oz is richer!)
1/3 cup sour cream or yogurt
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
3 tablespoons flour
Cinnamon
5 pie pans 8 or 9 inch in size

Directions:
1. Steam prunes and apricots separately and cool. Bring eggs and cream cheese to room temperature.
2. Make roll mix dough per instructions on box. Watch temperature of water so that you don't kill the yeast! I have often just spooned the dough in the mixing bowl for 5 minutes- using a bread mixer is easier. While dough is raising, proceed with pans and topping mix.
3. Oil pans and set oven to 350 degrees.
4. To make the cheese topping- beat 2 eggs and mix with softened cream cheese. Add cottage cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup sour cream or yogurt, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1/4 tsp. almond extract and 3 tablespoons of flour.
5. Cover raised dough in oiled pans, then spread dried fruit halves (each on their own pan, not together) over the dough. Add about 1 cut cheese topping on each pie (more if they're 9") Sprinkle the tops generously with cinnamon and sugar.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, test by cutting pie in half and checking that dough is baked through - it should be lightly browned on the edges and top.
6. Let cool 10 minutes or so in pan, then remove to cooking rack. After 30 minutes or so transfer to brown paper. Cool thoroughly before storing. Sprinkle more cinnamon and sugar on top if desired. Eat withing the week. ENJOY!

She even wrote a little history of where she got this recipe from, when she was living in North Dakota:
"A couple Bakeries in ND make and sell Kouka year around, or only at Christmas and Easter. 40% of the population of ND are descendants of Germans immigrating out of Russia."