Sweet Cottage Cheese Dumplings – Romanian Papanași Fierți
Delicious, fluffy sweet cottage cheese dumplings served with jam and sour cream make for a perfect breakfast or sweet treat. This is a traditional Romanian recipe that's especially popular in the regions of Transylvania and Bucovina.
Ingredients
For the cheese dumplings:
- 250 g cottage cheese (drained)
- 60 g white flour (plus extra for shaping)
- 50 g semolina
- 1 egg
- lemon or orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 30 g sugar
Breadcrumb coating:
- 25 g butter
- 100 g breadcrumbs
- 50 g brown sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
To serve
- blueberry jam (our favorite jam)
- sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
Instructions
- Bring 1 liter (4 ¼ cups) of water to a boil in a large pot and add ½ teaspoon of salt.
- In a bowl, mix cottage cheese, flour, sugar, semolina, egg, zest, and vanilla until well combined. The dough will be soft but should hold its shape.
- With well-floured hands, take a spoonful of the mixture and shape it into 12-15 round dumplings (papanași).
- Flatten each dumpling slightly with a wooden spoon to ensure even cooking.
- Carefully drop the dumplings into the boiling water and let them simmer for about 5 minutes until they float to the surface.
Prepare the breadcrumb coating:
- Meanwhile, in a pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add breadcrumbs and fry for 2 minutes, then mix in brown sugar and cinnamon. Remove from heat.
- Once the dumplings are cooked, remove them with a slotted spoon and roll them in the breadcrumb mixture until evenly coated.
Serving:
- Serve the papanași warm, topped with blueberry jam and a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.
Notes
Tips:
- If the cottage cheese is too soft, add a little more flour and semolina to make the dough easier to handle.
- Papanași tend to firm up as they cool, so they’re best enjoyed fresh and warm.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!