Apricot & Plum Dumplings

Plum Dumpling cut in half on a white plate and drizzled with vanilla custard sauce.

5 from 1 vote

Marillenknödel are little Austrian dumplings, filled with apricots and sugar, rolled in toasted breadcrumbs and dusted powdered sugar. This recipe can be used to make both Apricot Dumplings and Plum Dumplings!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Resting Time20

Total Time45

Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: German

Keyword: apricot, knödel, plums

Servings:

Calories: 530kcal

Ingredients

3 apricots or plums, ripe

Dough

20 grams butter melted
40 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
15 grams cream of wheat or semolina
125 grams greek yogurt or quark
135 grams all purpose flour

Bread Crumb Topping

40 grams bread crumbs unseasoned
20 grams butter
30 grams granulated sugar
50 grams cinnamon sugar

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Instructions

Make the dough

In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla.
Add in the flour and cream of wheat and stir together with a fork until a crumbly mixture forms.
Stir in the yogurt or quark to create a thick dough.
Dump the dough out onto the counter and knead until smooth and combined.
Cover the bowl and set aside for 20 minutes.

Breadcrumb topping

In a large pan, combine the breadcrumbs, sugar, and butter. Heat over medium heat and stir frequently until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Remove the pan from the heat and pour the breadcrumbs into a large shallow bowl or plate for later.

Shape Plum or Apricot Dumplings

Add water to a large pot until it is at least 6" deep, it needs to be deep enough for the knödel to be fully submerged.
Add 2 tablespoons of salt to the water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
While the water heats up, assemble the plum or apricot dumplings.
Use the end of a spoon or a straw to press through the top of each fruit (where the stem would be) into the center of the apricot or plum where you will hit the pit. If the fruit is ripe enough you should be able to push a little harder and have the pit pop out through the bottom. If your apricots are still a little hard, use an apple corer to remove the pit. Or cut the fruit down the crack and pull the pit out.
Divide the rested dough it into 3 equal portions.
Pat each portion out into approximately a 4" wide disk. Place one apricot or plum in the center of each disk.
Pour 1-2 tsp of the cinnamon sugar into the center hole of each fruit.
Gently bring up all sides of the dough, up and around the apricot or plum, and pinch them shut at the top. The fruit should now be fully enclosed in the dough.
Gently roll the dumpling between your hands in a circular motion to round out the ball and evenly distribute the dough around the apricot. Repeat with each dumpling.

Cook the dumplings

Once the water is boiling and the dumplings have all been formed, turn the heat down to medium/high.
Gently lower each dumpling into the water with a large spoon - leaving at least a few inches between each one. Set a timer for 15 minutes and leave the dumplings to cook in the water.
Carefully stir the dumplings around in the beginning to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
The water should be simmering. After 15 minutes, the plum dumplings should be floating around in the water, this will indicate that the dumplings are fully cooked.

Finishing Touches

When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon to remove the dumplings and place them, one at a time, into the toasted bread crumbs.
Either roll the dumplings in the mixture to coat them, or pat the topping onto each dumpling.
Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of vanille soße.

Notes

When shaping the knödel try your best to seal the dough around the apricot or plum and make sure that it is even thickness all the way around. These are best eaten immediately after they have been topped. But they will keep in the fridge for a couple of days and can then be reheated in the microwave.

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