A Shout Out for Apples

Fall  means one word to me.....apples!

I love apples! And anything I can make with apples.

Applesauce

Apple Crisp

Pork Chops and applesauce

Apple Bread

Cinnamon Apple Cake

But my favorite thing to make.....apple dumplings.

My grandma has been making apple dumplings since I was a young child. In fact, she's been making those alomost as long as she has been making whoopie pies.

During my teens and twenties, my grandmother would make 150 to 200 apple dumplings for her church's fall bizarre. And each year, they would sell out of her delicious apple dumplings.

One of the first recipes I requested from her as a young married woman was apple dumplings.  It didn't take me long to master these sweet treats!

It starts with the apples. I'm not too selective on which variety I use. I have made dumplings with Jonagold, Yellow Delicious, Red Delicious, Honey Crisp, Macintosh, Golden Supreme, Cortland and Granny Smith.  They all taste great. The biggest thing you need to worry about is the size of the apple. The larger the apple, the longer the baking time.

First, you need to prepare your syrup.  It's simple..... white sugar, water, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. 

While you are bringing your syrup to a boil, you can work on your dough. A little flour, salt, baking powder, crisco and milk comprise of your dough.

The hard part comes next. You need to roll your dough to 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface.  Once you have your dough rolled out, then it is time to core your apples and peel them.  There are different types of items you can use to core your apples, but I prefer to use a standard apple corer as pictured. 

Once you have your apple cored, then use a paring knife and peel the skin. Set the apple on your dough, leaving roughly 1 1/2 inch to 2 inches of even dough around the apple to fold around it.  Add about a teaspoon of cinnamon, a tablespoon of white sugar and 1/2 of a tablespoon of butter.   

Yes, I am aware that it looks like more than 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.....but let's just say I had a good helper!

Then fold the edges around. Place the dumpling in a ungreased dish with the seam side down.  The recipe will make 4 to 6 dumplings, depending on the size of your apple.

Make sure not to pack too many dumplings into your dish as you need to leave plenty of room for the syrup. It's the best part! Make sure you pour it over the dumplings and fill the pan, leaving roughly an inch of room so that the pan doesn't boil over.

Bake these beauties for 35 minutes and serve with vanilla ice cream. I even make and bake these in aluminum pans and freeze them to eat during the winter. Just thaw them in the frig for a day and warm in the microwave.

Wow - I think I'm going to go eat a dumpling right now!  This is being linked up to Two Maids a Baking. And linked up to Permanent Posies.