Strawberry Dumplings – Czech Jahodové knedlíky

The fresh strawberry season in the Czech Republic starts in June. And that means only one thing - it's the perfect time to cook strawberry dumplings! So I've made them for you, taken photos of the process, and written a detailed recipe so you can master this divine delicacy on your first try.

➜ What Are Czech Strawberry Dumplings

Czech "Jahodové knedlíky" are small dumplings, each filled with a fresh strawberry. The strawberries are coated with a thin dough made of "tvaroh" cheese, flour, and egg.

Then, dumplings are boiled in water and served warm as a main dish or dessert. Most often, they are sprinkled with icing sugar on the plate, drizzled with melted butter, and decorated with a dollop of sour cream.

MY TIP: Try also these fruit dumplings made with a yeast dough (a real Czech thing!)

➜ Tvaroh Substitution

While "tvaroh" belongs among the common ingredients in the Czech Republic, you can't get it so easily abroad. Therefore, I offer possible substitutes to cook the dumplings without tvaroh: Ricotta or Cottage cheese.

I used cottage cheese pressed through a sieve. I got a soft mass, similar to Czech tvaroh. Ricotta, which you can use straight from the cup (no need to pass it through a sieve), works just as well.

If you would like to find tvaroh in your local store, here are the names used for this cheese in other countries:

Quark, Topfen (German), Twaróg (Polish), Túró (Hungarian), Farmers’ cheese (USA)

➜ Ingredients

Back to the dumplings! Here's your shopping list:

• Cottage Cheese; the original Czech recipe calls for tvaroh, a type of fresh cheese, but ricotta or cottage cheese works just as well
• Egg
• Salt
• All-purpose flour; the amount of flour added depends on how much liquid the cottage cheese/ricotta contains
• Semolina; for a fluffier texture, can be omitted and replaced with all-purpose flour
• Fresh strawberries; about the same size

Topping:

• Powdered sugar
• Unsalted butter; melted
• Sour cream

✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

➜ Instructions with Photos

STEP 1: Wash the strawberries, and dry them thoroughly. Finally, cut off the stem.

STEP 2: Place a sieve in a bowl. Put the cottage cheese in the sieve and press it through into the bowl. This way, you get a smooth cheese mass without lumps.

STEP 3: Add the all-purpose flour, semolina, salt, and one whole egg.

STEP 4: Use a spatula to mix everything by hand. If necessary, add all-purpose flour by tablespoonfuls until a workable, just slightly sticky dough forms. Finally, knead it quickly.

STEP 5: Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

STEP 6: Meantime, pour water into a wide pot, salt it, and bring to a boil.

STEP 7: Form the rested dough into a roll about 2 inches thick and cut it into equal-sized pieces. Sift the flour onto your work surface and dust your hands with it; the dumpling dough may stick slightly.

STEP 8: Shape each piece of dough into a round patty like a mini pizza. Place a clean, dried strawberry in the middle of the patty. Cover the strawberry with the dough and very carefully seal the seams of the dough. Form a regular shape between your palms.

STEP 9: Cook the dumplings in gently boiling water for 6 minutes. You do not need to flip the dumplings. The dumplings tend to stick to the bottom of the pot, loosen them with a fork, so they float to the surface.

STEP 10: Transfer the cooked dumplings to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

➜ Serving

Czech strawberry dumplings are served warm immediately after cooking. They are usually cut in half on the plate.

Sprinkle their surface with icing sugar and top with melted butter, garnish with a dollop of sour cream.

➜ Storage

It rarely happens that these fruit dumplings are left over!

If they do, or you're making a larger quantity to stock up, let the dumplings cool down first. Then, place them in a deep bowl, cover the surface carefully with cling film, and place them in the fridge. Here they will keep for up to four days.

You can also freeze the dumplings in an airtight container for about three months.

➜ Reheating Dumplings

The most reliable method is to heat the strawberry dumplings on steam. The cooked cottage cheese dough becomes stiffer when cooled; I highly recommend heating the dumplings in a humid environment.

A quicker option is to heat the dumplings in the microwave. In this case, please place them in a secure plastic bag that you have sprinkled with a little water on the inside.

➜ Topping

Strawberry dumplings made with cottage cheese dough pair best with icing sugar, melted butter, and sour cream.

Another option is breadcrumbs fried in butter mixed with granulated sugar. The dumplings are either sprinkled or coated with the breadcrumb mixture. Especially our neighbors in Austria love strawberry dumplings coated in fried sweet breadcrumbs.

A fancy option is to prepare a strawberry sauce to go with the dumplings.

Or sprinkle them with ground poppy seeds mixed with powdered sugar. Top with melted butter again.

➜ Cooking Tips

• The amount of flour in the dough depends on how much liquid the cottage cheese contains. If the dough is too sticky, add flour by tablespoons and work until the dough is not sticky and can be worked with your hands.
• In the Czech Republic, cottage cheese dough for dumplings is made from coarse flour (Hrubá mouka), which is not easy to get abroad. That's why I add semolina to the dough to make it fluffier.
• Only fresh strawberries are suitable for these dumplings, as frozen and canned ones contain too much liquid.

More sweet recipes:

• Strawberry Coffee Cake – jahodový koláč
• Bublanina – Czech fruit cake with cherries
• Buchty – sweet-filled yeast buns
• Plum dumplings – with poppyseed topping
• Cold strawberry soup