It's the end of September, and this morning we woke up to 52 degrees outside. Fall is here, and it is my favorite time of year! And that means it's time to bake. It is apple season and who doesn't love a good apple dumpling? This recipe is one that I found while visiting the Amish Country in PA in 1980. These dumplings are so delish! I hope you make them and enjoy them as much as my family has.
Pastry for 2-10 inch pie shells
6 medium-firm cooking apples
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ( 1/4 stick) butter
SAUCE
2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon mace ( if you do not have mace, you can use allspice, or pumpkin pie spice, or even ginger)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Cream ( drizzle)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the pie dough to form a rectangle 14 x 21 inches. Cut into 6 even squares. Peel and core the apples, but leave them whole .Pour the lemon juice into a small bowl. In another bowl combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Roll each apple first in the lemon juice, then in the sugar mixture. Then place each apple in the middle of a dough square. Fill each apple cavity with about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and a teaspoon of butter. Pull the pastry squares up over the apples and crimp the edges tightly. Place in oiled 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan. Bake for 1 hour or until the apples are tender. ***see below, 30 minutes divided.
While apples are baking, combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan set over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook rapidly for 1 minute. After the dumplings have baked for 30 minutes, pour the sauce over the tip of the dumplings and bake 30 minutes longer, basting occasionally. Serve hot with cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
