Chnöpfli
knöpfli · Swiss spaetzle
Small Swiss egg dumplings related to spätzle, served with cheese, butter, or saucy dishes.
About this dish
Small Swiss egg dumplings related to spätzle, served with cheese, butter, or saucy dishes. The recipe here chooses one named variation from that wider tradition; household fillings, shapes and serving styles may differ.
Recipe
Swiss buttered chnöpfli
- 300 g knöpfli flour or all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 120 ml milk
- 120 ml water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 30 g butter
- 1
Use 300 g knöpfli flour or all-purpose flour; 2 eggs; 120 ml milk and the listed remaining ingredients. Beat flour, eggs, milk, water and salt vigorously until smooth and bubbling. Cover and rest 30 minutes. Whisk the eggs and milk-water mixture first, then beat in flour until no lumps remain. Beat firmly enough to produce small air bubbles; the batter should be thick and slowly flowing. Cover during the rest.
- 2
Bring salted water to a gentle boil. Push batter through a knöpfli sieve in batches to make small round drops. Keep the sieve just above the hot water. Spread only a small portion at a time so the pot is not overwhelmed; scrape through to form short drops, not long sheets of dough.
- 3
Cook until floating, then 1 minute longer. Lift out and drain. Stir once gently to release the bottoms. Floating starts the final cook; check one for a tender center with no wet flour paste. Lift with a slotted spoon and drain before the next batch.
- 4
Toss in melted butter and serve. Melt the measured butter gently and toss warm chnöpfli lightly to keep them separate. Serve promptly or cool promptly if preparing ahead.
Note
A sieve makes short round chnöpfli; hand-scraping makes longer spätzle. Batter should fall in thick drops, not pour like cream.