cinammon snail

At the last bookclub meeting, K.'s boyfriend surprised us with decorated gingerbread hearts from the Oktoberfest in Munich. I chose one saying "Zimtschnecke" which literally means "cinammon snail" and is the name for a popular kind of pastry, but is also a term of endearment for females which I personally like a lot, not least because I passionately love cinnamon. Zimtschnecke, c'est so moi!

I regularly visit Müller's just because they sell Wrigley's Big Red chewing gum.

Apart from their Kürbiskernweckerln (pumpkinseed rolls), Zimtkrusterln are the only thing I ever buy at Anker, an otherwise rather boring bakery-chain which can be found at every street corner in Vienna. Their Zimtkrusterln (see photo) are absolutely divine. They consist of a yeasty dough interspersed with cinammon "spots" (think straciatella ice-cream) and a crunchy sugar crust. They're only moderately sweet and my idea of the perfect office breakfast. What makes them all the more precious is that a) not all Anker branches sell them and b) that they're seasonal, i.e. you can only buy them in autumn and winter. I spied the first Zimtkrusterl of the season in an Anker near Coma HQ about 2 weeks ago and immediately bought one. Bliss! And all the sweeter after long months of cold turkey.