Piroshki is a family tradition.

My Ukrainian great-great-grandmother Roze brought her piroshki recipe to the US when she immigrated through Ellis Island after the turn of the 20th century.

Piroshki Tradition

Piroshki have been a part of just about every special occasion in my family ever since.  (Read more about Roze’s inspirational story and my Ukrainian family history here.)

I learned our family piroshki methods from my great-grandma, my grandma, and my mom.  The piroshki we made was always savory, with a potato-based filling that inspired my Grilled Potato Spinach Piroshki recipe.

My family piroshki traditions also inspired me to veer from the savory, and create a sweet piroshki filling.

Sweet Piroshki

Sweet Piroshki

Sweet piroshki and pierogi are not uncommon in Eastern Europe.  Sweet cheese, strawberry, apple, and blueberry are among the prevalent flavors.

I wanted to do something different.  I decided to make a sweet piroshki filling with two of my favorite things: Nutella and amarena cherries.

Make These Sweet Piroshki

Nutella and amarena cherries are an addicting match.  Put them both inside my piroshki dough, and by the time you finish frying the piroshki, you’ll question your ability to wait for that crisp dumpling to cool down before you take a bite.

Make these sweet piroshki even more irresistible by topping them with freshly whipped cream and powdered sugar.  You may find you like sweet piroshki just as much as their savory counterpart.

Sweet Piroshki

A Few Things!

Many sources say piroshki are made with leavened dough, while pierogi are made with unleavened dough.

The dumplings in the recipe that follows are made with unleavened dough.  But I’m still calling them piroshki, just like my great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother did.  I’ll never be able to call this family recipe by any other name.

Sweet Piroshki

Amarena cherries are now regularly available at Trader Joe’s.  You can also find amarena cherries here on Amazon [aff. link], or in my Amazon store.

And it doesn’t take a lot of Nutella to give these piroshki that chocolate hazelnut flavor that most of us love.  Follow the recipe instructions, and don’t use more than a Tbsp of Nutella in each piroshki.  Not overdoing the Nutella will also help the piroshki edges stay sealed during the boiling process.  Too much Nutella can make the piroshki pop open.

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Sweet Piroshki


5 from 3 votes

Sweet Piroshki with Amarena Cherries & Nutella

These sweet piroshki are stuffed with Amarena Cherries and Nutella.  Serve them with powdered sugar and whipped cream for the perfect dessert.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time30 minutes
Boiling time30 minutes
Total Time2 hours
Servings: 30 piroshki
Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 6 Tbsp butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup almond milk, or milk of choice; buttermilk is most authentic
  • 3 cups flour
  • ¼ tsp sea salt

For the filling:

  • Nutella, about 2 cups (1 Tbsp per piroshki)
  • Amarena cherries, about 60-90 (2-3 per piroshki)

Everything else:

  • Canola oil, for frying
  • Extra flour, for rolling out the dough

Instructions

Make the dough

  • To a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter and eggs. Whisk together until the eggs and butter incorporate, then add the milk. Whisk again until you’ve got a mostly smooth mixture.
  • Now add the flour and salt. Knead until the dough comes together. It will be smooth and pliable. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. You may need to add up to 1 cup more flour depending on the weather, but start slow, only adding a Tbsp or two at a time.
  • Divide the dough into 4 equal parts, cover, and let the dough rest for at least 10-15 minutes.

Roll out the dough

  • Flour a clean workspace. Take 1 section of dough, and roll it out until the dough is about ⅛ of an inch thick.
  • Use a 2 cup glass pyrex bowl, or any similar sized bowl, to cut out the dough rounds for the piroshki. You will get about 6-7 piroshki rounds from each of the 4 dough sections.
  • (Refer to the photo in my Grilled Potato Spinach Piroshki recipe for this and the following step, if needed.)

Compile the piroshki

  • Measure about 1 Tbsp of Nutella onto one half of each piroshki round. The Nutella will naturally spread a little bit, and that's ok. Just try to keep the Nutella from spreading too close to the edge of the dough: it will make it difficult to seal the edges when we fold the other half of the dough over the filling.
  • Now place 2-3 Amarena cherries on top of the Nutella. Be sure to remove the cherry stems first.
  • Next, cover the filling with the other half of the dough, pinching the edges together. If the edges don’t adhere, dip you index finger in water, rim the dough edge with water, and crimp the edges again. Using a very small amount of flour with the water can also be helpful.
  • Repeat the process of rolling, cutting, and compiling the piroshki with the remaining 3 sections of dough. (You can also freeze the remaining dough for later use.)

Boil the piroshki

  • Fill a large soup pot about ⅔ of the way full with water. Bring the water to a boil.
  • Carefully lower a few piroshki into the boiling water. I recommend boiling 3-6 piroshki at a time. As soon as they float to the top, cover the pot, lower the heat, and simmer the piroshki for 5 minutes.
  • Remove the piroshki from the water with a slotted spoon or fryer skimmer. Pat lightly with a paper towel to remove excess water, then place the boiled piroshki on a baking sheet to dry.
  • Repeat the boiling process with the rest of the piroshki.
  • At this point, you can fry the piroshki, or freeze them to fry later.

Fry the piroshki

  • Add a few Tbsp of canola oil to a skillet, preferably nonstick. Turn the heat to medium, and let the oil warm, about 1 minute.
  • Keeping the pan on medium heat, add a few piroshki to the pan, and fry for about 3-5 minutes, until golden brown.
  • Flip the piroshki with your spatula, and fry the other side until golden brown, another 3-5 minutes.
  • Place the fried piroshki on a plate lined with a paper towel to remove excess oil.
  • Repeat the frying processes until all the piroshki have been fried.

Serve and enjoy

  • Serve the piroshki with fresh whipped cream and powdered sugar sprinkled over the top.

Notes

Piroshki are vegetarian.
You can freeze piroshki after boiling them (before frying) for up to three months.