Christmas is all about gifts and good food, right? We organize our gifts throughout the year – rarely at the last minute. When it comes to food, things are sometimes a little different. The stuff we want to cook and bake on Christmas is sometimes only decided shortly before the shops close on Christmas Eve. ;P Christstollen Dumplings with vanilla sauce and mulled wine plums are a quick and easy option for us when there is nothing really planned for dessert…

Anyone who gets (or bakes) Stollen in December will probably still have some left over on Christmas Day. It’s not one of those bakes you eat constantly. It’s a very rich and sweet bake. In our house, we might have a slice or two every few days when we want to eat something (really) sweet.
That’s why we always have some Stollen left over on Christmas, which is the basis for this delicious dessert here. After the first day of Christmas, it’s also not uncommon to have some bread rolls at hand that have not been eaten… and with that you got almost everything you need for the dumplings. Well, almost… you need a little more than that, of course. ;P

When it comes to dessert and Christmas, only a few people would probably think of dumplings first. Normally, these little balls of joy are rather savory and are served with meat and/or veggies. Not these here. There are also sweet dumplings out in the world, but most of them are savory, I think… ;)
If the base for your dumplings is something sweet, you can create a great sweet dessert. Just don’t use onions and garlic and maybe ditch the gravy – use some vanilla sauce instead and you got the perfect side for a sweet dumpling. We made the vanilla sauce from scratch, because it’s something easy to do. If you don’t want to do all that, you can use pre-made vanilla sauce from the store, of course. Same for the mulled wine plums. They are made from scratch, but something similar from the store or simply some fresh fruit or berries are also fine.
If you like German Christmas Stollen and other Christmas treats as much as we do, you might also enjoy these recipes here as well. Our Christmas Stollen with Marzipan is linked in the recipe as an option here, because the marzipan works well for the dessert. A regular Stollen without marzipan is also fine, of course.
In case you still got Stollen you haven’t eaten or used for the recipe, you might want to check our Christstollen Trifles as well. They are good to eat after Christmas as well… unless you are sick of all the Christmas cookies and treats. Then you might want to check one of our many other desserts on the blog. ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(for 6 dumplings)
For the vanilla sauce:
2 cups (500ml) milk
2-3 tbsp. sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean pod
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 medium egg yolk
For the mulled wine plums:
1 1/4 cups (300ml) mulled wine*
2 tbsp. sugar
1 pinch of cinnamon
5-6 plums
For the dumplings:
4 bread rolls (from the day before)
7 oz. (200g) Christmas Marzipan Stollen
2/3 cup (160ml) milk, lukewarm
2 medium eggs
2 tsp. zest of an organic orange
To finish:
1/3 cup (60g) sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
(Für 6 Knödel)
Für die Vanillesoße:
500ml Milch
2-3 EL Zucker
1 Prise Salz
1 Vanilleschote
1 1/2 EL Speisestärke
1 Eigelb (M)
Für die Glühwein-Pflaumen:
300ml Glühwein*
2 EL Zucker
1 Prise Zimt
5-6 Pflaumen
Für die Knödel:
4 Brötchen (vom Vortag)
200g Marzipan Stollen
160ml Milch, lauwarm
2 Eier (M)
2 TL Abrieb von Bio-Orange
Zum Rollen:
60g Zucker
1/2 TL Zimt

DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Start with the vanilla sauce by setting about 1/4 cup (60ml) of the milk to the side. Add the remaining milk together with sugar and salt to a saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean pod lengthwise in half and remove the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the milk and warm everything up. Let the vanilla soak in the warm milk for about 10 minutes – the milk should be warm only, neither hot nor boiling.
2. Mix the milk you kept on the side with cornstarch and egg yolk. Next, heat up the milk until it starts boiling, remove the vanilla bean pod, then add the cornstarch mixture while stirring constantly. Let the vanilla sauce bubble and thicken for a moment. Remove from the heat and let cool down completely. Stir frequently to prevent the sauce from getting a skin on top.
3. For the mulled wine plums, add the mulled wine, sugar, and cinnamon to a saucepan and bring the wine to a boil. Let the wine cook and reduce to about half. In the meantime, wash, stone, and cut the plums into slices. Add them to the saucepan and let them cook until soft (but not mushy). The mulled wine should be reduced to a thick sauce. Remove from the heat and let cool down.
4. Cut the bread rolls and the Christmas Stollen into small cubes and add them to a bowl. Warm the milk slightly, add the eggs and orange zest and mix to combine. Add the mixture to the cubed bread/Stollen and mix to combine. Let everything soak for about 15 minutes.
5. Bring a good amount of water in a large cooking pot to a boil and then reduce the heat. Shape six dumplings out of the bread/Stollen mixture, add them to the pot and let them cook/simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes. While the dumplings are in the water, mix the sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Take the dumplings out of the water, let them drain for a moment, then roll them in the sugar mixture. Serve immediately with the vanilla sauce and mulled wine plums.
1. Mit der Vanillesoße starten und dafür etwa 60ml der Milch zur Seite stellen. Die restliche Milch zusammen mit Zucker und Salz in einen kleinen Topf geben. Die Vanilleschote längs aufschneiden und das Mark herauskratzen. Schote und Mark in den Topf mit der Milch dazugeben und alles langsam erwärmen. Milch sollte warm, aber nicht heiß sein. Die Vanille für etwa 10 Minuten ziehen lassen.
2. Die zur Seite gestellte Milch mit der Stärke und dem Eigelb verrühren. Die Milch im Topf jetzt stärker erhitzen, bis sie anfängt zu kochen. Die Vanilleschote herausfischen und dann die Stärkemischung unter ständigem Rühren in den Topf dazugeben und unterrühren. Solange blubbern lassen, bis die Vanillesoße schön andickt. Vom Herd ziehen und abkühlen lassen. Zwischendurch immer wieder mal umrühren, damit sich keine Haut bildet.
3. Glühwein, Zucker und Zimt für die Glühwein-Pflaumen in einen kleinen Topf geben, aufkochen und etwa auf die Hälfte einkochen lassen. In der Zwischenzeit die Pflaumen waschen, entsteinen und in Spalten schneiden. Zum Topf mit dem Glühwein dazugeben und alles so lange köcheln lassen, bis Pflaumen weich (aber nicht verkocht) sind und der Wein zum Sirup reduziert ist. Vom Herd ziehen und abkühlen lassen.
4. Die Brötchen in sehr kleine Würfel schneiden, den Stollen ebenfalls würfeln oder zerbröseln und beides zusammen in eine Schüssel geben. Die Milch leicht erwärmen, dann die Eier und die Orangenschale dazugeben und alles gut verrühren. Zur Schüssel mit den Brötchen und Stollen dazugeben, alles gut vermengen und dann etwa 15 Minuten einweichen lassen.
5. Einen großen Topf mit Wasser zum Kochen bringen, dann die Hitzezufuhr etwas reduzieren. Aus der Mischung aus Brötchen und Stollen jetzt sechs Knödel formen, diese in den Topf geben und bei geringer Hitzezufuhr für etwa 15-20 Minuten ziehen lassen. Während die Knödel im Wasser sind, Zucker und Zimt in einer kleinen Schüssel vermischen. Die Knödel herausnehmen, kurz abtropfen lassen und dann in der Zucker-Zimt-Mischung wenden. Mit der Vanillesoße und den Glühwein-Pflaumen auf einem Teller anrichten und sofort servieren.

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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Christstollen (Christmas Fruit Loaf) Dumplings
- Prep Time: 00:30
- Cook Time: 00:30
- Total Time: 01:20
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The perfect Christmas dinner dessert if you got some leftover Christstollen at home: Christstollen Dumplings with homemade vanilla sauce and mulled wine plums.
Ingredients
For the vanilla sauce:
2 cups (500ml) milk
2–3 tbsp. sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean pod
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 medium egg yolk
For the mulled wine plums:
1 1/4 cups (300ml) mulled wine*
2 tbsp. sugar
1 pinch of cinnamon
5–6 plums
For the dumplings:
4 bread rolls (from the day before)
7 oz. (200g) Christmas Marzipan Stollen
2/3 cup (160ml) milk, lukewarm
2 medium eggs
2 tsp. zest of an organic orange
To finish:
1/3 cup (60g) sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
1. Start with the vanilla sauce by setting about 1/4 cup (60ml) of the milk to the side. Add the remaining milk together with sugar and salt to a saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean pod lengthwise in half and remove the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the milk and warm everything up. Let the vanilla soak in the warm milk for about 10 minutes – the milk should be warm only, neither hot nor boiling.
2. Mix the milk you kept on the side with cornstarch and egg yolk. Next, heat up the milk until it starts boiling, remove the vanilla bean pod, then add the cornstarch mixture while stirring constantly. Let the vanilla sauce bubble and thicken for a moment. Remove from the heat and let cool down completely. Stir frequently to prevent the sauce from getting a skin on top.
3. For the mulled wine plums, add the mulled wine, sugar, and cinnamon to a saucepan and bring the wine to a boil. Let the wine cook and reduce to about half. In the meantime, wash, stone, and cut the plums into slices. Add them to the saucepan and let them cook until soft (but not mushy). The mulled wine should be reduced to a thick sauce. Remove from the heat and let cool down.
4. Cut the bread rolls and the Christmas Stollen into small cubes and add them to a bowl. Warm the milk slightly, add the eggs and orange zest and mix to combine. Add the mixture to the cubed bread/Stollen and mix to combine. Let everything soak for about 15 minutes.
5. Bring a good amount of water in a large cooking pot to a boil and then reduce the heat. Shape six dumplings out of the bread/Stollen mixture, add them to the pot and let them cook/simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes. While the dumplings are in the water, mix the sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Take the dumplings out of the water, let them drain for a moment, then roll them in the sugar mixture. Serve immediately with the vanilla sauce and mulled wine plums.
Notes
Let your creativity shine in the kitchen!
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