Baked Apple Dumplings

(from 226-2tone’s recipe box)

Serves 8

Use a melon baller or a metal teaspoon measure to core the apples. We like to serve the dumplings warm with vanilla ice cream and Cider Sauce (see Cider Sauce recipe). Other sweet, moderately firm apples, such as Braeburns or Galas, can be used in this recipe.

Source: Cook's Country October/November 2009 (from RecipeThing user Bethany)

Categories: Desserts

Ingredients

  • Dough:
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
  • 3/4 cups cold buttermilk
  • Apple Dumplings:
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped
  • 4 Golden Delicious apples (see note)
  • 2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Directions

  1. Make Dough Process flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor until combined. Scatter butter and shortening over flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer to bowl. Stir in buttermilk until dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly until dough is cohesive. Press dough into 8- by 4-inch rectangle. Cut in half, wrap each half tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

  2. Prep Apples Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. In second bowl, combine butter, raisins, and 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar mixture. Peel apples and halve through equator. Following photos 1 and 2, remove core and pack butter mixture into each apple half.

  3. Assemble Dumplings On lightly floured surface, roll each dough half into 12-inch square. Cut each 12-inch square into four 6-inch squares. Working one at a time, lightly brush edges of dough square with egg white and place apple, cut-side up, in center of each square. Following photo 3, gather dough one corner at a time on top of apple, crimping edges to seal. Using paring knife, cut vent hole in top of each dumpling.

  4. Finish Apples Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Following photo 4, arrange dumplings on prepared baking sheet, brush tops with egg white, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake until dough is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 10 minutes. Serve with Cider Sauce.

  5. TWO ROTTEN APPLES – HEATSTROKE: Some apples, such as McIntosh, can’t take the heat. They turn into applesauce before the pastry is baked. EXTRA CRUNCHY: Whole apples are barely cooked when the pastry is done. To avoid that, we use halved Golden Delicious.

  6. DUMPLING ASSEMBLY LINE – 1. Scoop out the core and seeds, taking care not to pierce the bottom of the apple halves. 2. Divide the butter mixture among the apple halves, filling the hollows. 3. Fold the corners of the dough up to enclose the apple halves, overlapping and crimping to seal. 4. Arrange the dumplings on baking sheet, brush with egg white, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

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