Sour cherries are incredibly popular in Central and Eastern Europe, but they are criminally underrated outside of this region. You can find sour cherries popping up in lots of different desserts – like cakes and strudels – and one of my favourite applications is in dumplings.
Known as pierogi in Poland, pelmeni in Russia and vareniki in Ukraine, these sweet dumplings are so delicious and comforting. It uses the same dough you would use if making savoury vareniki and it’s actually super simple to make.
And, if you have limited access to fresh sour cherries, note that you can use frozen cherries in this recipe!
How to Make Sour Cherry Vareniki
Start by getting the filling together, which is super quick, simple and doesn’t require any cooking. I used frozen cherries when developing this recipe (I end up purchasing a ton of fresh sour cherries each summer, pit them and freeze them to use in applications like this!), but this works just as well with fresh.
If you’re using frozen cherries, you’re going to need to plan ahead and mix your filling the night before, just to give it enough time for the cherries to defrost and macerate. You only need about an hour if you’re using fresh cherries.
First, add a bit of sugar to a bowl along with a little bit of lemon zest. The latter isn’t necessarily traditional, but I love the floral quality it lends to the filling.
Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar to release the oils – the sugar should resemble wet sand.
Then, stir in some cornstarch and your cherries. If you’re using frozen cherries, go ahead and cover the bowl and move it to the fridge to defrost and macerate overnight.
If you’re using fresh cherries, just let them macerate at room temperature for about an hour – which is enough time to get your dough together!
So, let’s move onto the dough. Here, it’s important that all ingredients are at room temperature. Start by whisking together an egg and some sour cream in a small bowl.
Next, add some flour and a bit of salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Then, add some room-temperature butter to the flour and toss with your fingertips to coat it. Use your fingers to break up the butter and to incorporate it into the flour – so that there are no visible pieces of butter remaining.
Then, make a well in the flour and pour in the sour cream mixture. Mix until a shaggy dough forms and then turn it out onto a clean work surface.
Knead the dough – avoid adding any additional flour – until it’s smooth, pliable and lightly tacky, about 3 minutes. Then, cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes and up to 48 hours.
When you’re ready to form your vareniki, go ahead and drain the cherries from their soaking liquid. If you’d like, you can reserve the liquid and reduce it on the stovetop until it’s thick and syrupy – this makes a great sauce for the finished dumplings!
Dust a work surface with flour and roll out your dough until it’s about 3mm (⅛ in) thick and it has a diameter of around 50cm (20in). Then, use an 8cm (3in) circular cutter (or a drinking glass) to punch out roughly 25 rounds from the dough.
Working one dough round at a time, add 2 or 3 cherries to the centre of the dough. Fold the dough over the cherries and crimp tightly to seal completely.
If there is a lot of excess flour on the dough, you may struggle to get a proper seal on the dumpling. If this is the case, dip your index finger in some water and run it around the edges of the dough – this can help seal it properly.
Place your formed vareniki on a baking tray that’s been lined with parchment and lightly dusted with flour.
If you’d like, you can freeze the dumplings now – put the tray, uncovered, in the freezer until they’re solid, then transfer into an airtight container.
Or, you can go ahead and cook the dumplings right away! Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add half of the dumplings, stir, and cook until they begin to float to the top – about 2-3 minutes.
Go ahead and serve them immediately – commonly, they’re topped with some melted butter and plenty of sour cream. You can also drizzle them with the reduced juices, a bit of honey or a sprinkle of sugar.
Ukrainian Cherry Dumplings (Vareniki)
Ingredients
Cherry Filling
- 50 g (¼ cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 500 g (17 oz) pitted sour cherries fresh or frozen (see note 1)
- 10 g (2 tsp) cornstarch/cornflour
Vereniki Dough
- 1 egg room temperature
- 100 g (½ cup) sour cream room temperature
- 250 g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour plus more for rolling out
- 5 g (1 tsp) salt (see note 2)
- 50 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter room temperature, cut into cubes
Instructions
- Add the sugar to a large bowl along with the lemon zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar, releasing its oils, until the sugar resembles wet sand.
- Add the cherries and stir to combine with the sugar. Allow the cherries to macerate and release their juices for at least 1 hour if using fresh cherries. If you're using frozen cherries, cover and move to the fridge and allow to defrost fully overnight – about 12 hours.
- Meanwhile, make the dough. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the sour cream until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and the salt and whisk to combine. Add the butter and use your fingertips to coat it in the flour. Rub the butter into the flour until it's incorporated and no large pieces of butter remain.
- Make a well in the flour and add the sour cream mixture. Use a wooden spoon or flexible spatula to combine until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface and knead gently until it comes together, is soft and lightly tacky – about 3 minutes (see note 3). Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes and up to 48 hours.
- When ready to assemble, set a large fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Pour the cherry mixture into the sieve and allow the liquid to drain while rolling out the dough (see note 4).
- Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Unwrap the rested dough and, using a rolling pin, roll out the dough in a circle until it's about 3mm (⅛ in) thick and it has a diameter of around 50cm (20in). Use an 8cm (3in) circular cutter (or a drinking glass) to punch out roughly 25 rounds from the dough.
- Spoon 2-3 cherries into the centre of a dough round. Fold the dough over the cherries and crimp tightly to seal. Move to a parchment-lined baking tray and repeat with all remaining dough and filling (see note 5).
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add half of the vereniki and cook, stirring to prevent sticking, until they float to the top of the pot – about 2-3 minutes. Serve, topping with some melted butter, sour cream and a drizzle of honey, if desired.
Notes
- No need to defrost the frozen cherries ahead of time if using, just plan ahead to defrost them while they macerate in the fridge overnight.
- Use the weight measurement rather than the volumetric measurement if possible as different varieties and types of salt can vary in volume.
- Avoid adding any additional flour when kneading the dough unless it’s unmanageably sticky.
- If desired, reserve the cherry liquid and add it to a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for a minute or two – just until thickened and syrupy. You can then drizzle this over the finished dumplings as a sauce.
- The raw, filled vereniki can be frozen solid on the baking tray. Once frozen, move to an airtight container or a freezer bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can cook the vereniki directly from frozen, just not they will take 1-2 mintues longer.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
These Ukrainian cherry dumplings are simple to make and super delicious. They’re a perfect way to celebrate sour cherries.
Are you after a recipe for cherry vareniki? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
