Wachau Apricot Dumplings (Wachauer Marillenknödel)
Wachauer Marillenknödel Say it: VAH-khow-er mah-RIL-en-kner-del
Marillenknödel are pillowy dumplings from Austria's Wachau valley, where apricot orchards line the Danube terraces. A soft curd-cheese dough wraps a whole apricot hiding a sugar cube that melts into syrup as it simmers, so the first bite floods with warm fruit juice. Cooked gently in salted water, then rolled in golden buttered breadcrumbs and dusted with icing sugar, they are served as a sweet main course or dessert throughout apricot season in summer.
Wachau Apricot Dumplings (Wachauer Marillenknödel)
Wachauer Marillenknödel
Pronounced VAH-khow-er mah-RIL-en-kner-del
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Dough
Filling
Coating
Method
Make the dough. press the Topfen through a sieve into a bowl, add the egg and salt and whisk until smooth. Add the flour and semolina and mix with a wooden spoon, then briefly with your hands into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut each apricot along its seam, twist open and pull out the stone with the tip of a knife, keeping the fruit whole. Toss the sugar cubes in the cinnamon.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and keep them covered. On a lightly floured surface, flatten one piece into a disc about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick and wide enough to wrap an apricot.
Set an apricot in the center with a sugar cube pushed into the hollow where the stone was. Draw the dough up around the fruit and pinch firmly to seal all seams, then roll gently between your palms into a neat ball. Repeat with the rest.
Bring a wide pot of lightly salted water to a bare simmer. Slide in the dumplings, nudging them so they don't stick, and keep the water at a gentle tremble — never a rolling boil, or they will burst.
Simmer uncovered for 10–12 minutes. The dumplings are done when they float, look puffed and feel springy when lifted with a slotted spoon. Lift them out and drain briefly.
While they cook, melt the butter in a wide pan and stir in the breadcrumbs. Toast over medium heat, stirring, until golden brown and nutty-smelling, 4–5 minutes, then take off the heat.
Roll the drained dumplings in the warm breadcrumbs to coat all over. Serve at once, dusted generously with powdered sugar.
Tip for the sugar cube. it should sit fully inside the fruit, not touching the dough, so it melts into syrup without tearing a hole.
Regional variant: Potato Dough Apricot Dumplings (Erdäpfelmarillenknödel)
Replace the Topfen dough with 1 lb (450 g) boiled, riced floury potatoes cooled and mixed with 1 egg, 1/4 tsp salt and about 1 cup (130 g) flour, adding flour until the dough just stops sticking. Omit the semolina and use the same apricot filling and breadcrumb coating, simmering for 10–12 minutes; the result is heartier and slightly chewier.
Cook's notes
- Cook one dumpling first as a test: if it falls apart, knead 1–2 tbsp more flour into the dough.
- Use apricots that are ripe but firm — very soft fruit collapses and leaks juice into the cooking water.
- Keep the water at a gentle simmer; a hard boil is the main reason dumplings split open.
Serve with
A dusting of icing sugar, and in the Wachau a glass of apricot schnapps or a cup of coffee.
Make ahead and storage
Shape the dumplings up to 2 hours ahead and keep them cool on a floured tray; cooked dumplings reheat in foaming butter for a few minutes.
