Austrian Apricot Dumplings | Marillenknödel
These dumplings are a typical sweet main meal in the Lower Austrian Wachau Valley during apricot season. A ripe apricot is wrapped in a quark-based dough and topped with sweetened breadcrumbs before eating.
Ingredients
Dumplings
- 300 g low-fat quark (or 2% Greek yogurt) 10.5 oz
- 60 g butter, at room temperature 4 tbsp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract alternatively, 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 200 g all-purpose flour 1⅔ cups
- 1 egg
- pinch of salt
- 10 small apricots
- 10 sugar cubes
Garnish
- 100 g breadcrumbs 1 cup
- 100 g unsalted butter, at room temperature 7 tbsp
- granulated sugar 2-4 tbsp (to taste)
- Cinnamon powder to taste
- powdered sugar to taste
Instructions
- Cream together softened butter, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Blend in the egg, quark, 1 tbsp sugar, and flour, then mix until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add a 1 tablespoon of flour at a time, until the dough has reached a workable consistency. Shape the dough into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling, pit the apricots and place a sugar cube inside each one. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a cylinder about 5 cm (2 inches) thick. Slice the dough into 10 pieces and gently flatten them with your hands. Encase each apricot in a piece of dough, pinching the edges to seal well. Flour your hands well, shape the filled dough into dumplings, and set them on a floured board.
- In a large pot, bring a good amount of salted water to a boil. Reduce the heat, gently add the apricot dumplings, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the dumplings from sticking together.
- For the topping, melt butter in a pan and add breadcrumbs. Season with granulated sugar and cinnamon to your taste and cook until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Carefully take out the dumplings and roll them in the sugared breadcrumbs. Arrange them on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm!
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