Austrian Marillenknödel (Fresh Apricot Dumplings)

About This Recipe

Austrian Marillenknödel is a real, traditional Austrian dish, known as Fresh Apricot Dumplings. Whole fresh apricots wrapped in a soft potato or quark dough, boiled, then rolled in buttery cinnamon breadcrumbs.\n\nMarillenknödel showcases Austria's prized Wachau valley apricots (Marillen), and the dish reflects a broader Austrian tradition of using fresh stone fruit encased in dough as a beloved summer dessert.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Austrian home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gpotatoes(boiled and riced, cooled)
• 150 gall-purpose flour
• 1egg
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 8fresh apricots(pitted, with a sugar cube in each cavity)
• 4 tbspbutter
• 1 cupbreadcrumbs
• 3 tbspsugar
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 3 tbsppowdered sugar(to finish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Combine the cooled riced potato, flour, egg and salt into a soft, pliable dough.

2. 2

   Prep the apricots

   Pit each apricot and tuck a sugar cube into the cavity where the pit was.

3. 3

   Wrap

   Divide the dough into 8 portions, flatten each, wrap around an apricot, and seal completely, rolling into a smooth ball.

4. 4

   Boil

   Cook the dumplings in gently simmering salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until they float and are cooked through.

5. 5

   Toast the coating

   Melt butter in a skillet and toast the breadcrumbs with sugar and cinnamon until golden and fragrant.

6. 6

   Serve

   Drain the dumplings, roll them in the buttery cinnamon breadcrumbs to coat, and dust with powdered sugar before serving warm.

Variations

• •

  Use plums instead of apricots for a related classic dumpling, Zwetschkenknödel.

• •

  A quark-based dough (using farmer's cheese instead of potato) is a lighter, more common version in some regions.

• •

  Serve with a dollop of vanilla sauce alongside the buttery breadcrumbs for extra indulgence.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions