Grandma's Apple Dumplings

Over the river and through the woods...  Yes, this recipe takes me right back to my grandma's kitchen on Thanksgiving Day.  She always made this dessert, along with pumpkin pie and probably one or two more, but this is the one  I remember the most from those delicious holidays in her home.  Now that I cook the Thanksgiving meal myself, I more fully appreciate the work this feast involves.  We all pitched in and helped a little, but really, she did it mostly by herself.  I know she would do it all over again if she could, especially if she knew the fond memories she created, for me and her other grandchildren. 

I don't usually make Apple Dumplings for Thanksgiving, but try to always bake them some time during the fall.  And, as I serve them, I make sure to remind my children that this was Grandma's recipe.  They spent a lot of time in her home when they were little, and I want them to connect the dishes she taught me to make with the loving memories they have of her.   Continuing to prepare these special foods is keeping her legacy alive and my favorite way to share family history.

I consider this a special occasion dessert, not because it's so difficult to make, although it does require a little extra effort.  What makes it really special, is that each dumpling is it's own individual dessert.   Bringing out a cooked apple wrapped in it's very own little pastry shell is pretty impressive.  It's like a gift on a plate.

The first thing I do is make my pastry dough.  You can go here to find a recipe for the perfect pastry dough.  Every time I make this, I'm still amazed at how well it turns out, so flaky and delicious, just like a piecrust should be.   Next, I peel and core the apples.

I rolled out the piecrust into a rectangle and cut it into 6 inch squares.  I doubled the ingredients when I made the pastry recipe, to ensure that I had plenty.  I can vaguely remember a time in the past when I was making these and had to stop the assembly in order to make more pastry dough to finish the recipe.  That wasn't fun.   A double recipe gives me plenty of dough to wrap the apples. with enough leftover to make a single crust pie on another day.  This pastry dough lasts for days in the refrigerator or months in the freezer.

I took each pastry square and rolled it a little larger than the recipe called for, so it would easily fold over the apple.  With the cored apple sitting in the middle of the pastry square, I filled the center with a cinnamon sugar mixture.

I topped the apple with a little square of butter.

I then folded each corner to the center, moistening the tips of the dough with a little water to help them stick together.

Here's what each dumpling should look like when you're finished.

This dish is ready for the oven.  But first they need to go back into the refrigerator and get nice and cold.  Right before I baked them, I mixed up a syrup that I used to pour into the bottom of the pan, around each of the dumplings,

like this...   Oh, and I topped each dumpling with another square of butter.  It just adds to the deliciousness!

Here's what the dish looks like when it comes out of the oven.  I really should have taken a picture of one of the dumplings on a dessert plate, but you'll have to use your imagination as to how pretty each one looks resting in a little puddle of that cinnamon and apple flavored syrup, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Sometimes, it's just hard to stop and take pictures.

Grandma's Apple Dumplings

6 small apples

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1 T. butter

Syrup

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 t. cinnamon

1 cup water

Pastry dough

Peel and core apples.  Place 1 apple in center

of 6" pastry square.  Fill cavity with cinnamon

and sugar mixture.  Moisten points of pastry

square. Bring opposite corners together and 

overlap.  Dot tops with butter.  Place in baking 

pan with space between each dumpling.  Chill

thoroughly.  Make syrup by mixing ingredients

and boiling for 3 minutes. Pour hot syrup around

dumplings in pan.  Bake 7 minutes in 450 degree

oven or until slightly browned.  Lower temperature

to 350 degrees and bake about 35 minutes, until

dumpling is browned and apple is tender.  Enjoy

with whipped cream or ice cream.

*What special desserts are you making to celebrate the season?