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I can still remember the early morning sunshine entering the east-facing window of my small room in Ukraine. Slanting sunrays and inviting me to push the curtains and look out through the open window that filled my room with fresh, sweet air through the night.

Our home didn’t have a built-in kitchen. We had what was called a “summer kitchen”, which meant we had to walk a few steps outside, whether through the nice day like this or a cold, chilly winter day, to get to the kitchen. The old brick walls enclosed a small kitchen where my great-grandmother cooked, then my grandmother, and now my mother and I.

Our kitchen smelled of soups, and pies, and roasted pepper, and steamed varenyky. My mom often made the lazy version of a typical farmer cheese-filled classic varenyky for breakfast and served with farm made sour cream, honey, and raspberry preserve.

Now, as a mother to my two small boys, I do the same. Repeating the old ways of cooking delicious meals for the loved ones. I think you will really love this recipe! May you bring in some of my Ukrainian roots to your own table! Tag me on my IG so I can see the goodness you share around your table! It will make my day! @lifebeyondthepines. Thank you!

Ingredients:

Farmer Cheese – you can find it sometimes at Walmart or any farm market or make your own! I always make my own farmer cheese and it is very simple!

Eggs – we have been enjoying our own farm eggs. They add a nice golden color.

Sugar – traditional recipe calls for just a little bit of cane sugar, but I have skipped this ingredient a few times, making varenyky a tad bit salty. We generously dip them in honey and jam, so I found that adding sugar is not always necessary.

Flour – you can use regular all-purpose flour or coconut flour to make it gluten-free. I have tried it both ways and it works well!

How to make Farmer Cheese Dumplings

1. Mix farmer cheese with an egg, flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Knead the dough.

2. Place the dough on a table sprinkled with flour, roll into a sausage shape with a diameter of about 2-3 cm. Cut into small pieces and roll into a little balls.

3. Place a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Dump each dumpling into the water and simmer over low heat until they float to the surface. Fish out your dumplings with a slotted spoon.

4. Serve with butter, sour cream, and fruit jelly of your choice!

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @lifebeyondthepines