EASY APPLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. For syrup, place 1 cup sugar, water, 3 tablespoons butter and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes; remove from heat., Mix the remaining ½ cup sugar and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 21x14-in. rectangle; cut into 6 squares. Place an apple on each square. Fill center of each with 4 teaspoons sugar mixture and ½ teaspoon butter. Moisten edges of crust with water; bring up corners over apples, pinching edges to seal. Place in an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish., Pour syrup around apples. Bake until golden brown and apples are tender, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.

APPLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Cut in the butter, using a pastry blender or fork, until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle with the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well with fork until all flour is moistened. Gather the dough together, and press it into a 6x4-inch rectangle.
• Lightly sprinkle flour over a cutting board or countertop. Cut off 1/3 of the dough with a knife; set aside. On the floured surface, place 2/3 of the dough. Flatten dough evenly, using hands or a rolling pin, into a 14-inch square; cut into 4 squares. Flatten the remaining 1/3 of the dough into a 14x7-inch rectangle; cut into 2 squares. You will have 6 squares of dough.
• Remove the stem end from each apple. Place the apple on a cutting board. Using a paring knife, cut around the core by pushing the knife straight down to the bottom of the apple and pull up. Move the knife and make the next cut. Repeat until you have cut around the apple core. Push the core from the apple. (Or remove the cores with an apple corer.) Peel the apples with a paring knife.
• Place 1 apple on the center of each square of dough. In a small bowl, mix the raisins and nuts. Fill the center of each apple with raisin mixture. Moisten the corners of each square with small amount of water; bring 2 opposite corners of dough up over apple and press corners together. Fold in sides of remaining corners; bring corners up over apple and press together. Place dumplings in a 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish.
• In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the brown sugar and 1 1/3 cups water to boiling over high heat, stirring frequently. Carefully pour the sugar syrup around the dumplings.
• Bake about 40 minutes, spooning syrup over apples 2 or 3 times, until crust is browned and apples are tender when pierced with a fork.
• Serve warm or cooled with syrup from pan.

APPLE DUMPLING PUDDING

Steps:

• Combine applesauce, brown sugar, 3/4 tsp nutmeg and cinnamon in a large saucepan.
• Heat over medium low heat untilsugar is dissolved and sauce is bubbling.
• In mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1/4 tsp nutmeg.
• Beat the egg, stir into buter and milk and add all at once to flour mixture.
• Stir together until just moistened and stiff.
• Drop by heaping TBS onto bubbling applesauce.
• Cover and cook 20 minutes.
• Do not lift lid.
• Serve with pouring cream or whipped cream.

APPLE DUMPLINGS WITH SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide into 8 portions. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until easy to handle., Preheat oven to 350°. Roll each portion of dough between 2 lightly floured sheets of waxed paper into a 7-in. square. Place an apple on each square. Place 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar in the center of each apple., Gently bring up corners of pastry to each center, trimming any excess; pinch edges to seal. If desired, cut out apple leaves and stems from dough scraps; attach to dumplings with water. Place in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar., In a large saucepan, combine sauce ingredients. Bring just to a boil, stirring until blended. Pour over apples. , Bake until apples are tender and pastry is golden brown, 50-55 minutes, basting occasionally with sauce. Serve warm.

APPLE DUMPLING ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk; stir just until moistened (dough will be soft and sticky)., Turn dough onto a floured surface. Roll into an 18x12-in. rectangle. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon to within 1 in. of edges; top with apples. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Using a serrated knife, cut into 12 slices. Place in a greased 13x9-in. baking pan, cut side down., In a small saucepan, combine sauce ingredients; bring to a boil, whisking to blend. Cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Pour over top., Bake, uncovered, until golden brown and bubbly, 45-55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

APPLE DUMPLINGS WITH RICH CINNAMON SAUCE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Mix 3 Tbs. of butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon and all the nuts in a small bowl. Spoon a portion of the mixture into each hollowed-out apple core.
• For boxed pie crusts, unroll one of the dough sheets onto a floured work surface. Pulling on sides of dough to straighten rounded edges, roll it into an approximate 12-inch square, then cut the dough into four 6-inch squares; brush the perimeter of each square with egg white. Set an apple half on each square. Bring up the 4 corners of dough around the apple and pinch edges to seal. Place on a large (at least 18- by 12-inch) parchment-covered baking dish. Brush dumpling tops and sides with egg white; sprinkle with sugar. Repeat process with remaining apples and dough.
• Bake dumplings until pastry sets and starts to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes longer.
• While apples bake, bring 1 cup water, the remaining 2 Tbs. butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon to boil in asmall saucepan over medium heat. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tsps. water; whisk into hot syrup for a smooth sauce. Cover, keep warm.
• For each serving, spoon a portion of sauce on a dessert plate. Set apple dumpling over warm sauce; serve immediately.

CHEF JOHN'S APPLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter a baking dish.
• Combine brown sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, and water in a small pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and boil until all sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat and swirl pot gently to combine. Reserve sauce until needed.
• Stir sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Core the unpeeled apples.
• Divide pie dough into 4 portions. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into 4 circles about 1/8-inch thick and 7 inches in diameter, or large enough to fully wrap an apple.
• Place apples in the center of each round of dough. Spoon about 3 teaspoons of cinnamon sugar into the apple cores; fill each hole with a teaspoon of butter.
• Wrap each apple up in pie dough, sealing the dough together at the top. Be careful not to pull and stretch it too tightly around the apple as you wrap, or it might break apart when it bakes; brush lightly with water if dough won't stick together. Even out the top and trim off any excess; shape into decorative leaves if desired.
• Place wrapped apples seam-side up into the buttered baking dish. Ladle some sauce over each to cover completely.
• Bake in the preheated oven, basting with sauce occasionally, until pastry is browned and cooked through and apples are tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and baste with more sauce. Serve warm.

OLD-FASHIONED APPLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch pan.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a large rectangle, about 24 by 16 inches. Cut into 6 square pieces. Place an apple on each pastry square with the cored opening facing upward. Cut butter into 8 pieces. Place 1 piece of butter in the opening of each apple; reserve remaining butter for sauce. Divide brown sugar between apples, poking some inside each cored opening and the rest around the base of each apple. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples.
• With slightly wet fingertips, bring one corner of pastry square up to the top of the apple, then bring the opposite corner to the top and press together. Bring up the two remaining corners, and seal. Slightly pinch the dough at the sides to completely seal in the apple. Repeat with the remaining apples. Place in prepared baking dish.
• In a saucepan, combine water, white sugar, vanilla extract and reserved butter. Place over medium heat, and bring to a boil in a large saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved. Carefully pour over dumplings.
• Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Place each apple dumpling in a dessert bowl, and spoon some sauce over the top.