Baked Apple Dumplings: A Recipe

On rare occasions, my mom would make apple dumplings for supper on cold winter evenings. She never made them as often as I wished she would, but they were all the more special because of their scarcity. I am not certain what recipe she used, but it was a delicious one.

I have experimented with several different recipes to find a good one for baked apple dumplings. One I tried had too much dough and not enough apple, and another was too sweet. So I have finally settled on my favorite recipe for baked apple dumplings!

These are a bit time-consuming to prepare (which is probably why my mother didn't make them often), but I think they are well worth the effort. If you own an apple corer/peeler, that would speed up the process considerably.

I also make my own cinnamon sugar for this recipe. I measure out the sugar and stir in cinnamon until it "looks right."

Ingredients:

6 baking apples

2 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup shortening

1/2 cup milk

6 heaping teaspoons cinnamon sugar (or more if you have a big sweet tooth)

Sauce:

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees while you prepare the apples.

Pare and core the apples. (Do not slice.) Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender. Sprinkle milk over mixture and press together with a fork until the dough holds together. Do not over-mix. Roll out dough and cut into six squares.

Place an apple on each square of dough and pour cinnamon sugar inside the apple cavity. Pat dough around the apple, securing edges. Place in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish, with the seam side down.

To make the sauce:

Combine brown sugar, water, and cinnamon and cook on HIGH for 5 minutes in the microwave. Add butter and allow it to melt. Pour the sauce over the apples and bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until apples are tender.

Serve each apple with sauce, in a bowl of cold milk. Delicious! Or serve with vanilla ice cream. These apple dumplings can be a dessert, but they are quite filling on their own as a main dish for supper.

Enjoy!