Name: Marillenknödel (Austrian Apricot Dumplings)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Central Eastern European
Ingredients: 250 g Potato, boiled, peeled, and mashed smooth; 4 Fresh Apricots, small, ripe but firm; ½ cup All-Purpose Flour, plus extra for shaping; 1 Egg, lightly beaten; 3 tbsp Butter, divided; ¾ cup Breadcrumbs, fine dry crumbs; 3 tbsp Sugar, divided; ¼ tsp Cinnamon Powder, for the crumb coating; ¼ tsp Salt, for the dough

Marillenknödel (Austrian Apricot Dumplings)

1 hr 10 mintotal

50 min hands-on20 min hands-off

Prep 30 min · Cook 20 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: None

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Ingredients

250 gPotatoboiled, peeled, and mashed smooth
4Fresh Apricotssmall, ripe but firm
½ cupAll-Purpose Flourplus extra for shaping
1Egglightly beaten
3 tbspButterdivided
¾ cupBreadcrumbsfine dry crumbs
3 tbspSugardivided
¼ tspCinnamon Powderfor the crumb coating
¼ tspSaltfor the dough

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Allow 20 minutes of inactive dough resting; the potato dough firms slightly and becomes easier to wrap around the apricots.

Method

Mix the mashed potato with the measured flour, egg, part of the measured butter, and salt to form a soft dough.
Rest the dough for 20 minutes so it becomes easier to shape.
20 min
Open each apricot carefully, remove the stone, and place a little measured sugar inside before closing it again.
Wrap each apricot completely in a thin layer of dough and seal without leaving cracks.
Boil the dumplings gently in salted water until they float and the dough is cooked through.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a pan and toast the breadcrumbs until golden.
Stir the remaining sugar and cinnamon into the toasted breadcrumbs.
Drain the dumplings and roll them in the sweet buttery crumbs while hot.

How to tell it's done

The dumplings should be tender outside, juicy and fruity inside, and coated in crisp sweet crumbs.

Getting it right

Tip

Keep the dough layer thin; too much dough makes the dumplings heavy and hides the fruit.

What to serve it with

Serve warm as a dessert with extra buttery crumbs spooned over the top.

Common mistakes

The apricot dumplings turn heavy and doughy.: Use a thin dough layer and ripe but firm apricots. Too much dough hides the fruit and needs longer boiling to cook through.

Substitutions

Fresh Apricots are central to the dish; canned apricots are usually too soft for wrapping.
Use ripe but firm apricots so they soften during boiling without collapsing.
Fine dry breadcrumbs give a better coating than coarse fresh crumbs.

Storing and reheating

Apricot dumplings are best warm. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days and reheat gently in a covered pan or microwave; freezing is not recommended because the fruit and potato dough soften.

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