Apple Dumplings
One of my all time favorite, warm and fuzzy, my-Mummer-loves-me desserts. My earliest recollection of the treat was Mom making a pan of these for us after an apple picking excursion to Newport, or Newburgh, or Newry, or wherever they grow apples in Maine. They were delicious and they went fast. A few years later when I was a growing lad in high school, I’d bring my friends Dave and Lee and Eric home for a game of pool and a “snack”. The four of us would polish off a dozen of these babies in one sitting. I remember Mom once making 72 of these at a time…a true labor of love. Oh yeah…they also freeze well, so if you don’t have any high school friends, they’ll keep a while.
-Scott
INGREDIENTS
- Pastry for 9-inch two crust pies
- 6 baking apples (each about 3 inches in diameter), pared and cored
- 3 tablespoons raisins, optional
- 3 tablespoons chopped nuts
- 2½ cups packed brown sugar
- 1⅓ cups water
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oven to 425°. Prepare pastry. Gather into a ball. Roll ⅔ of the pastry into 14-inch square on lightly floured board with rolling pin; cut into 4 squares. Roll remaining pastry into rectangle, 14x7 inches; cut into 2 squares. Place apple on each square.
Mix raisins and nuts; fill each apple. Moisten corners of each pastry square; bring 2 opposite corners up over apple and pinch. Repeat with remaining corners; pinch edges of pastry to seal. Place dumplings in ungreased baking dish, 13 x 9 x 2 inches.
Heat brown sugar and water to boiling; carefully pour around dumplings. Bake, spooning or basting syrup over dumplings 2 or 3 times, until crust and apples are tender, about 40 minutes. Serve warm or cool with cream or sweetened whipped cream if desired. (Vanilla ice cream is also excellent.)
6 Dumplings