Marillenknödel, how to prepare apricot dumplings

A shell of soft dough encloses a very sweet apricot in marillenknode, the sweet dumplings typical of Central Europe.

Apricot dumplings are sweet dumplings typical of Alto Adige , Austria and some areas of the Czech Republic. In fact, it is in this area that the orchards are most widespread and allow you to prepare delicious desserts such as marillenknödel.

Consisting of an outer shell made of potatoes , they enclose a pitted apricot ( marillen ). They are served after being dipped in breadcrumbs and sprinkled with melted butter. The preparation is quite simple and the result is a truly special dessert . Let's find out together how to prepare it with the original recipe that has made it a Traditional Agri-Food Product of Alto Adige .

How to prepare sweet apricot dumplings

1. First, boil the whole potatoes in their skins until they are tender. Times vary from 30 to 45 minutes depending on their size. Then cut them in half and, while they are still hot, mash them with a potato masher.
2. When the puree has cooled, add the egg , half the butter , the flour and a pinch of salt and mix quickly.
3. Pitt the apricots and place a small sugar cube in the center (you can divide the larger ones) or a teaspoon of sugar and close.
4. Divide the potato-based dough into 16 and use it to wrap the apricots one by one. Then boil them in plenty of salted water until they float to the surface, about 5-6 minutes.
5. Separately, mix the breadcrumbs with the sugar and cinnamon . Drain the apricot dumplings and roll them in the powders, then immediately distribute them on the plates and drizzle them with the remaining melted butter . Serve them hot.

Variants

If desired, the apricot dumplings can be accompanied by a light vanilla or chocolate sauce . Instead of the stone it is possible to insert a ball of almond paste , creating a perfect combination of flavours.

A variant of the dish involves covering the sweet apricot dumplings with a ricotta- based mixture. In this case you will need: 250 g 00 flour, 250 g ricotta, 50 g butter (soft), 1 egg, 1 pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon sugar. Mix all the raw ingredients, pit the apricots, placing the sugar cube in the center and cover them with the resulting mixture. Boil them in plenty of salted water then roll them in a mixture of 5 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of sugar. Serve them with 50 g of melted butter.

Equally famous are the plum dumplings , equally sweet and served with melted butter and cinnamon. The basic dough is the same so you can experiment with both in one go by simply using 6 apricots and 6 plums.

storage

You can prepare the dumplings in advance and warm them in the microwave just before serving. In this case, however, I advise you to coat them in breadcrumbs only just before serving them so as to avoid losing the crunchy component of the dish.

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