Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings with Brown Sugar Sauce

by HomeCooking
Prep: 1h
Cook: 55m
dessert, baked good
Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings with Brown Sugar Sauce - Image

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Ingredients
Servings:8
3cupall-purpose flour
1tspsalt
1cupshortening
1/3cupwater
8tart apples
8tspbutter
9tspcinnamon sugar
1 1/2cupbrown sugar
1cupwater
1/2cupbutter
Nutrition Facts

Per serving

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Instructions
  1. 1

    Mix up the dough

    In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Cut in the 1 cup shortening with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture looks crumbly, like coarse meal. Gradually add the 1/3 cup cold water, tossing with a fork just until the dough pulls together into a ball. Don't overwork it — a little handling goes a long way toward keeping that crust tender and flaky.

  1. 2

    Chill it down

    Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Set them on a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, until firm and easy to roll. This little rest is the secret to dough that behaves when you go to wrap those apples.

  2. 3

    Roll and fill

    Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Peel and core the apples. Roll each portion of chilled dough between two lightly floured sheets of waxed paper into about a 7-inch square. Set an apple in the middle of each square, then tuck 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar down into the center of each apple.

  3. 4

    Wrap the dumplings

    Gently bring the corners of the dough up over each apple to cover it completely, trimming any extra and pinching the seams to seal. If you're feeling fancy, cut little leaves and stems from the dough scraps and stick them on with a dab of water. Set the dumplings in a greased 13x9-inch baking dish and sprinkle with half of the remaining cinnamon sugar.

  4. 5

    Make the brown sugar sauce

    In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, 1 cup water, and the 1/2 cup cubed butter. Bring it just to a boil, stirring until smooth and blended. Carefully pour the warm sauce over and around the dumplings, then sprinkle with the last of the cinnamon sugar.

  5. 6

    Bake until golden

    Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the apples are fork-tender and the pastry is golden brown, spooning some of that sauce back over the tops a couple of times as they bake. Serve warm — a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the sauce doesn't hurt one bit.

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Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings with Brown Sugar Sauce

Created by: HomeCooking

Prep Time: 1h
Cook Time: 55m
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 8 tart apples
  • 8 tsp butter
  • 9 tsp cinnamon sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup butter

Instructions

  1. Mix up the doughIn a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Cut in the 1 cup shortening with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture looks crumbly, like coarse meal. Gradually add the 1/3 cup cold water, tossing with a fork just until the dough pulls together into a ball. Don't overwork it — a little handling goes a long way toward keeping that crust tender and flaky.
  2. Chill it downDivide the dough into 8 equal portions. Set them on a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, until firm and easy to roll. This little rest is the secret to dough that behaves when you go to wrap those apples.
  3. Roll and fillHeat your oven to 350 degrees. Peel and core the apples. Roll each portion of chilled dough between two lightly floured sheets of waxed paper into about a 7-inch square. Set an apple in the middle of each square, then tuck 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar down into the center of each apple.
  4. Wrap the dumplingsGently bring the corners of the dough up over each apple to cover it completely, trimming any extra and pinching the seams to seal. If you're feeling fancy, cut little leaves and stems from the dough scraps and stick them on with a dab of water. Set the dumplings in a greased 13x9-inch baking dish and sprinkle with half of the remaining cinnamon sugar.
  5. Make the brown sugar sauceIn a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, 1 cup water, and the 1/2 cup cubed butter. Bring it just to a boil, stirring until smooth and blended. Carefully pour the warm sauce over and around the dumplings, then sprinkle with the last of the cinnamon sugar.
  6. Bake until goldenBake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the apples are fork-tender and the pastry is golden brown, spooning some of that sauce back over the tops a couple of times as they bake. Serve warm — a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the sauce doesn't hurt one bit.

Notes & Tips

This is the kind of dessert that makes the whole kitchen smell like fall. A whole apple, tucked into flaky homemade pastry and baked in a buttery brown sugar sauce until it's soft and syrupy — folks have been making these since way back, and there's a reason they've stuck around. Use a good tart baking apple like Granny Smith so it holds its shape and cuts through all that sweetness. Don't skip basting; that's what gives the crust its shine and keeps everything glossy. Serve warm with ice cream or a splash of cream. Leftovers keep on the counter a couple days, though I'd be surprised if they last that long.