A beautiful sweet Slovenian dessert for colder days
If you love apple desserts, then I am convinced you will soon adore this one too. Homemade Slovenian Apple Struklji (Dumplings) baked in the oven is a beautiful, traditional Slovenian dessert that beautifully celebrates autumn. These are the top reasons why we love it and believe you will too.
- the filo pastry holds the rich filling beautifully, and it's deliciously golden-brown
- the cottage cheese filling and the apple filling is luxurious, flavorful and create a beautiful balance
- a wonderful weekend dessert for the whole family
- kids and adults love it
- keeps well, and we can freeze any leftovers
- best served slightly warm or at room temperature
How to make Slovenian Apple Dumplings or Apple Struklji
Make this comforting and cozy dessert using store-bought or homemade filo pastry. Homemade is always better, but sometimes we lack time and energy, which is normal. You will find the entire recipe with ingredients and instructions below. Here's an overview of the recipe for easier preparation.
- Pan-fry the breadcrumbs until golden-brown.
- Separately prepare the cottage cheese and apple filling.
- Brush the filo pastry with butter.
- Sprinkle half of the pastry with breadcrumbs and apples, and spread the cottage cheese mixture over the other half of the pastry.
- Roll tightly into a swiss roll shape and place into the prepared baking dish.
- Pour the sour cream mixture all over the pastry.
- Bake in the oven until golden brown.
Tips and tricks
The recipe for these apple dumplings is straightforward and straightforward. To make it even easier, we are sharing some tips and tricks for stress-free preparation.
Grease and dust the baking dish. Grease the baking dish all over with melted butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. This way, the dumpling won't stick while baking, and it will be easier to remove it later.
Use homemade phyllo dough or store-bought phyllo pastry sheets. Feel free to buy store-bought filo pastry. In that case, choose fresh, Filo Pastry Ready Rolled Sheets as we did in this recipe. However, if you have time, we recommend making the filo dough at home. It's simple and easy. We always follow our recipe.
Choose delicious apples that are great for baking. For this recipe, we connected with Evrosad and used their Evelina (Surprisingly Apple) apples. They are firm, not overly sweet, and perfect for cooking and baking. Feel free to use Gala or Honeycrisp apples too.
Storing and freezing
Feel free to make these Slovenian Apple Dumplings (Struklji) up to a day ahead. Fill the dumplings with the filling and line them up in a baking dish. Then, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for up to a day. When you decide to bake them, make the topping mixture and bake.
Keep the apple dumplings in an airtight container or covered in a baking dish in the fridge for up to 4 days. Before serving, reheat in the oven or microwave.
We can freeze the apple struklji too. Place them in a freezer bag or freezer container. Place in the freezer for up to a month. Before serving, defrost at room temperature or overnight in the fridge. Before serving, reheat in the oven or microwave.
Try these delicious apple dessert recipes too
- Apple Tart with Vanilla Sauce
- Fried Apple Pies
- Apple Fritter Donut
- Spiced Apple Tarte Tatin
- Viennese Apple Strudel
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Apple Pie Cupcakes with Salted Caramel
METHOD
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preparation
Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 190 °C / 375 °F. Grease a deep baking dish 30 cm X 20 cm or 12-inch X 8-inch with melted butter and sprinkle all over with breadcrumbs. Shake any excess breadcrumbs.
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toast the breadcrumbs
Place a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter. When it melts, add the breadcrumbs, and sugar. Pan-fry them for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside until needed.
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cheese and apple filling
In a small bowl, stir to combine the sour cream, cottage cheese, lemon zest, an egg, flour, and a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, combine the grated apples, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon powder.
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phyllo dough
Feel free to use six store-bought Filo Pastry Ready Rolled Sheets or make the phyllo pastry at home by following a recipe on our blog. Each sheet size should be approximately 30 cm x 50 cm (12-inch x 19-inch). If you plan on using homemade phyllo pastry, stretch it as much as possible, then brush it all over with melted butter. Fill with both toppings and roll into a swiss roll shape, then divine into three equal rolls to fit the baking dish. If you're using the sheets, follow the following step instructions.
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fill the phyllo dough
Prepare six sheets of phyllo dough, and stack two sheets together to get three separate sets of sheets. Brush the upper sheet of dough with melted butter all over. Sprinkle the bottom half of the sheet with toasted breadcrumbs, then spread the apple filling on top. Spread the cottage cheese filling over the other half of the dough, leaving a 2-cm or 1-inch edge on top. Starting at the bottom (apple filling), begin rolling the sheets into a swiss roll shape. Make sure to tightly roll the dumpling to prevent any filling leakage. Place the apple strukelj seam side down into the prepared baking dish, then repeat the process with the other two sets of dough and filling.
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topping
In a bowl, stir to combine the sour cream, powdered sugar, and egg. Pour all over the dumplings in the baking dish.
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bake and serve
Place the baking dish with the apple dumplings into the preheated oven on the middle rack. Bake for 45 minutes at 190 °C / 375 °F. When the struklji bakes, leave them to cool to room temperature, then cut into 2 cm or 1-inch struklji. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
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