A delicious twist on traditional perogies that’s perfect for breakfast or brunch.
Apple Pie Perogies
For the dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup spelt flour
½ tsp salt (optional)
1 egg
½ cup Oikos Greek Yogurt (this yogurt is thick enough that it doesn’t need to be strained)
¼ cup cold unsalted butter (cubed)
For the filling:
2 large (3 small) firm Golden Delicious apples, cut into small dice
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1/3 cup cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1 pinch salt
1 Tbsp cornstarch
¼ cup chopped pecans
The “From Scratch” Method:
1. Prepare the dough: Using the dough blade that comes with your food processor, mix flours with salt by giving it a few pulses.
2. Next ‘cut in’ butter cubes. This is done by pulsing the cold butter into flour mix in processor until mix looks like coarse crumbs.
3. In separate small bowl whisk together Greek yogurt and egg till combined. This can now be added to flour mixture in processor and pulsed again. Pulse just until dough starts to form a ball around the blade. This happens very quickly. Do not over mix the dough as it will become tough.
4. Transfer dough to well floured surface. Perogi dough tends to be a little sticky at the beginning. Do not worry, knead until smooth, adding more flour if necessary. Form into a flattened ball. Wrap with plastic and “let rest” in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. Prepare the filling: Place apples and all other ingredients except cornstarch and pecans in a medium saucepan.
6. Add enough water to just cover the apples and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until they just start to soften. You want the apples to have some bite so beware of overcooking the apples.
7. Whisk cornstarch with a little cold water to prevent lumps and add to apple mixture. Bring to boil to thicken. Once thickened set aside to cool.
8. Add your chopped pecans to cooled mixture. This prevents pecans from getting soggy.
9. Assemble the perogies: Cut dough into half (or quarters) so you can work in batches. Dough is easier to roll when chilled and in smaller portions. Leaving the other pieces in fridge, roll out your dough with rolling pin on floured surface. You want it to be ?-inch thick. Then, using a 2 ½ inch cookie cutter proceed to cut out rounds. Fill each round with about a 1-2 tsps of apple filling. After placing filling in center of each round, fold up edge of wrapper closest to you to meet the top edges of other side. Seal by pressing or pinching with thumb and index finger. Use dry hands when doing this or dough will stick to fingers instead of itself. Dab a little of the liquid fruit filling to seal if necessary. You can also use a fork to crimp the edges if you like.
10. Cooking the Peorgies: Cook perogies in a large pot of boiling water till they float to the top. This takes about 3 – 5 minutes. Strain in colander. While doing this heat up non stick pan over medium-high heat. Once hot you can begin frying perogies in batches to prevent overcrowding with a little butter or oil. Create some color on each side or perogi, and serve with vanilla Greek yogurt, maple syrup, fresh berries or even a homemade fruit jam.
Tizz’s Tips:
-Dough can be made ahead of time and left in fridge for up to 3 days. Freezes well and defrost overnight in fridge.
-Be careful not to overstuff perogies. They can burst open when boiling. My rule is to fill them as much as possible while still being able to seal edges easily. Dough does stretch and is very forgiving. A perfect half moon shape for beginner dumpling makers.
-For a healthier option try baking perogies once assembled on parchment-lined baking sheet. Set oven to 400°F and bake till golden.
-By using a good non stick pan you can decrease the amount of butter and oil you use when frying and prevent the perogies from sticking.