First of all let me begin by telling you that this is not my recipe, this wonderful plum dumplings dessert was made by my mom. I tried to make it a bit healthier by substituting some of the ingredients. For example instead of sugar I used honey and sucanat; also I lowered the amount of oil used in the original recipe.

This is a must try! Unfortunately it takes 2 hours to make about 25 plum dumplings; I don’t have that patience so that’s the main reason why I avoid making cooked desserts. Also I wanted to take a “group” photo with all the lovely plum dumplings but it was too late, these little sweets disappeared as soon as they were served!

You should definitely try this Hungarian dessert! You’ll love it!

Ingredients:

• 1 kg mashed red skin potatoes (red potatoes have a higher amount of starch so the dough is stickier)
• 250 g whole wheat flour ( you can also use different flours like soy/almonds/rye flour)
• 2 eggs (or egg substitutes for vegans; you can also add 1-2 tbsp of dry yeast flakes)
• 1 tbsp unrefined sunflower oil 
• 25 plums, pitted
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp rum extract
• 3-4 tbsp sucanat

Garnish:

• 2 tbsp unrefined sunflower oil
• 150 g gluten-free bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Start by boiling the unpeeled potatoes in a pot of water (for small potatoes this will take about 10-15 minutes). After they are boiled remove them from the water and let them cool for a couple of minutes then peel and mash them.
Put the mashed potatoes in a large bowl and add the beaten eggs (or egg substitutes), oil and flour.

Mix all ingredients together until you get a sticky and smooth dough.

2. Mix the cinnamon, vanilla and rum extracts and the sucanat in a small bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of this mixture into the middle of each plum.

3. Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the bread crumbs and let them fry for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and put them on a large plate.

4. Divide the dough in two. Roll the dough and cut it into dumpling-size portions (ones that appear to be big enough to wrap your plum). Take each portion and form a small ball. Flatten the ball and place the plum into the center, then remake the ball with the plum inside.

Tip: You must have flour on your hands all the time so the dough won’t stick to your fingers.

5. Boil some water in a large pot. Add a pinch of sea salt.

When the water has reached boiling point, place some dumplings inside.

Be careful, if the dumplings stick to the bottom of the pot all you need to do is to shake it a little bit. Let them boil for 5 minutes. When ready they will rise from the bottom of the pot.

Remove them from the water using a slotted spoon and roll them in the bread crumbs. Serve with honey (or other healthy syrup) on top.