Magda's Cauldron

If you love Polish Christmas desserts but want something a little different than the classic poppy seed roll (makowiec), these sweet Polish poppy seed pierogi, pierogi z makiem, are for you. They’re a festive Polish Christmas Eve (Wigilia) dessert: soft boiled dumplings filled with rich poppy seed mixture, a hint of orange, and finished with warm honey butter and toasted almonds.
This easy Christmas poppy seed pierogi recipe is perfect if you already make makowiec or other Polish poppy seed desserts and want to try something new but familiar. The dough is simple, the filling can be made ahead, and you can serve these dumplings as a sweet course after traditional Polish Christmas pierogi with sauerkraut and mushrooms.

Christmas poppyseed pierogi

• Servings: 1 serving makes around 10-15 dumplings
• Prep Time: 20 min + 30 min resting
• Cook Time: 3-5 min
• Difficulty: Easy
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Filling

• 1 cup of store-bought poppy seed mixture (see my recipe for
traditional poppy seed filling

Dough

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup (about 125 g) all-purpose flour
• 40 ml hot water (add gradually)
• 1 Tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
• pinch of salt

Honey butter

• 1 table spoon almond flakes
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon honey
• pinch of cinnamon or grated zest of orange

Dough

Make the dough:
Mix flour with egg yolk and oil. Slowly add hot water bit by bit while mixing. Knead gently until soft, pliable dough forms (don’t overwork). If time allows, then cover and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. The dough will be more pliable.

Form

Roll the dough thinly and cut into circles. Spoon a little poppy seed mixture onto each circle, fold the dough over, and press the edges tightly with your fingers or a fork. Make sure the seal is tight.

Cook

Boil pierogi in salted water until they float to the surface (about 3–5 minutes). Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain gently.

Honey butter

In a dry pan, toast almond flakes until lightly golden, then set aside. In the same pan melt the butter, add honey and cinnamon or orange zest, and stir. Arrange the hot, cooked pierogi on a plate, spoon the warm honey butter over them, and sprinkle with the toasted almond flakes.