Chnöpfli, Knöpfli, Spätzli, Spaetzle… There are as many names and spellings for this delicious cheesy dish as there are recipe variations. There’s only one common denominator: they’re all delicious!
Viana told me to get better with keywords, etc, when writing articles, so there’s a better chance that Google will find us. Well, good luck with that one! How many people Googled Chnöpfli recently? So consider yourself very lucky to have found this and that you’re reading this recipe. Even luckier if you’ve actually tasted it!
The Chnöpfli recipe I’m writing here is the one I grew up with in Switzerland. It’s my mom’s recipe. And yes, I asked her permission to use it. As a matter of fact, I just got back from visiting her and I made these Chnöpfli over there (under her supervision) to make sure I got it right. And yes, I did. So, this recipe is “Mom Boenzli Approved!”
There's only one downside to this simple recipe with simple ingredients. It needs a special Chnöpfli sieve.
The word Chnöpfli, by the way, means little button. In the Swiss German (spoken) language, adding -li at the end of a noun makes it the diminutive form (most of the time). Chnopf = button, Chnöpfli = little button.
🧾 The ingredients
Flour, milk, eggs, cheese, butter, olive oil and salt. Deceptively simple. Any cheese that melts nicely will do, but because this is my mother’s recipe, only aged Swiss Gruyère cheese is acceptable. This imported Swiss cheese can be a little pricey in the US, but it’s worth it.
🥣 The batter
Start with mixing four large eggs, three cups flour, and 1 cup milk (plus olive oil and salt) in a large bowl.
Once all the ingredients are stirred together, start vigorously whisking the batter with the spoon for a couple minutes until it starts to bubble...it really does. That’s when you can stop and put the bowl aside.
If it’s too runny, add flour. If its too thick, add water. It should be thick enough to run, but not runny, otherwise the batter will drop into the water too fast (see photo below, where the batter is being poured onto the sieve).
🍲 The process
Preheat your oven to 350℉. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Grease a 9x13 baking dish, grease the sieve, and get all the equipment ready. It’s a bit of a production and a bit of a cleanup but, hey, deliciousness sometimes requires some elbow grease.
Once the water is simmering, stir your batter a couple more times. Put the greased sieve on top of the pot of simmering water, pour some batter onto it, and use a scraper or rubber spatula to move the mixture back and forth while it’s dropping into the water.
Remove sieve, wait a couple minutes until the Chnöpfli float to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon, and place into a greased baking pan.
Keep repeating this process until all the batter is used up and the Chnöpfli are in the baking pan. Now, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is all melted and mixed in with the Chnöpfli.
Serve it as a main course (mom serves it with some apple compote or as a side dish with your favorite main course.
Looking for more great recipes?
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Did you make this Chnöpfli recipe? Let us know in the comments below!
📝 Recipe
Chnöpfli - The Swiss Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Maldon salt (plus salt for the water)
- 1 tablespoon butter (to grease the sieve and baking dish)
- 8 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Start with mixing four large eggs, three cups flour, and 1 cup milk (plus olive oil and salt) in a large bowl.
- Once all the ingredients are stirred together, start vigorously whisking the batter with the spoon for a couple minutes until it starts to bubble...it really does. That’s when you can stop and put the bowl aside. If it’s too runny, add flour. If its too thick, add water. It should be thick enough to run, but not runny, otherwise the batter will drop into the water too fast.
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
- In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish, grease the sieve, and get all the equipment ready.
- Once the water is simmering, stir your batter a couple more times.
- Put the greased sieve on top of the pot of simmering water, pour some batter onto it, and use a scraper or rubber spatula to move the mixture back and forth while it’s dropping into the water.
- Remove sieve, wait a couple minutes until the Chnöpfli float to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon, and place into a greased baking pan.
- Keep repeating this process until all the batter is used up and the Chnöpfli are in the baking pan.
- Now, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is all melted and mixed in with the Chnöpfli.
- Serve it as a main course or as a side dish with your favorite main course.
Notes
Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Chloe
OMG, thank you for sharing this recipe. I had it once when I visited Switzerland and loved it! Now I can make it myself, thanks for reminding me of that wonderful trip!
maplewoodroad
Oh, that's fantastic, so happy to hear that! Enjoy! 🙂