The Most Awesome Apple Dumplings Recipes

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.

GREAT AUNT INA'S APPLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Pastry: In a large mixing bowl, sift flour and salt together. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter or two knives in opposite directions until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of water over mixture and gently toss with a fork. Repeat with more water until mixture is all moistened. Form into a ball. Flatten pastry dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a little less than 1/8-inch thick and cut into 7-inch squares.
• Syrup: Prepare the syrup by bringing 2 cups water, 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons butter and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium-low heat and let simmer until reduced to a thick enough syrup to lightly coat the back of a spoon.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a large rimmed baking dish and set aside.
• Apples: Peel and core an apple for each pastry square you have. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.
• Place an apple in the middle of one of the square pastries. Fill the core cavity of the apple with some of the cinnamon sugar mixture and dot with a tablespoon of butter. Bring opposite points of pastry up over the apple. Overlap, moisten with water and seal. Carefully lift the pastry-wrapped apple and place it in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining apples, pastry squares, cinnamon sugar mixture and butter.
• Pour hot syrup evenly over the tops and around the dumplings.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust on each dumpling is golden brown and apples are cooked all the way through. You can test the apples by poking them with a fork or skewer.
• Serve warm with the hot syrup that's in the bottom of the baking dish and ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

APPLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the pastry dough: Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the lard and butter and mix with your hands until crumbly. Slowly add the water and mix until the dough comes together, then coat with flour to prevent sticking. Refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 2 hours and preferably overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out the dough into a 1/8-inch-thick square on a lightly floured surface, then cut the into six 7-by-7-inch squares.
• For the apple filling: Peel and core the apples. Place an apple in the center of each dough square. Put 1 piece of butter into the center of each apple. Push some brown sugar down on top of the butter until packed tight. Put a second piece of butter on top of the sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon liberally across the dough and the filled apples. Fold opposite corners of the dough up around each apple, and then turn over and mold the rest of the dough over the apples, being careful not to leave any parts of the apples exposed. Tear off any excess dough on the bottom of each apple.
• Place the apples in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• For the dumpling sauce: Combine the water, granulated sugar, butter and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Ladle 1/2 cup of the dumpling sauce over each dumpling and pour the excess sauce into the baking dish. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is tender, about 35 minutes. Serve warm.

THE MOST AWESOME APPLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
• Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Beat egg, add to flour mixture.
• Add vinegar and water to flour mixture.
• Mix until dough forms.
• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter for sauce.
• Add brown sugar, water, and cinnamon and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat.
• Roll out dough into 4 pieces.
• Place 3-4 apple slices on each piece of dough, wrap dough around apples; covering completely.
• Place apple dumplings, seam side down in 8 x 8 inch square baking pan.
• Pour sauce over dumplings.
• Bake in preheated 375 oven for 30 minutes.
• Serve with icecream or whipped cream.