Apple Dumplings

​We were getting ready to leave on vacation and I had a basket full of apples that needed to be used up before we left.   I was trying to decide between apple pie and apple sauce but then I came across this recipe for apple dumplings in my stack of "recipes to try."  I thought this would be the perfect dessert to serve at our summer cookout.

​I pulled this recipe out of a Southern Living magazine in October of 2009.  (Which is strange because I've never had a subscription to Southern Living.  Watch your magazines because apparently, I am now tearing recipes out of other people's magazines.) I doubled the recipe to make 12 dumplings instead of 6.

Apple Dumplings
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons butter
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
6 small rome apples, peeled and cored
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

​Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in saucepan.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in 2 T. butter.

​I peeled my apples and I cut them in half to get the core out.   

​Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in shortening.  (My baking assistant did a fabulous job with this - don't you think?)

​Cover and chill.  Stir milk into flour mixture.

​Knead 3-4 times.

​Roll into an 18x12" rectangle.  (Mine wasn't exactly a rectangle as you can tell.)

​Cut into 6 squares.  Place 1/2 apple in center of each square.  Top with 1/2 T. butter.

​Replace apple top.  Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 t. cinnamon and 1/4 t. nutmeg.  Sprinkle over apples.

​Moisten edges of dough with water and fold dough over apple.  Pinch edges to seal.

​Place dumplings in a greased 13x9" pan.

​Pour syrup over dumplings.

​Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.  

​Sprinkle with pecans.  

​I drastically underestimated the amount of time involved in making these individual desserts to a crowd.  In retrospect, I think I should have stuck to making an apple pie. Don't get me wrong, these dumplings were delicious - they were just a lot of work.  I served them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and everyone seemed to enjoy them.

The only complaint that I had is that the syrup never really got thick and "syrupy".  I boiled it for a really long time and it still never really came together like I thought it should.  Perhaps to proportions are wrong and it doesn't need 1 1/2 cup of water.  I think when I make these again, for a smaller crowd, I will try adding just a cup or even 3/4 cup water to make the syrup.

Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe