We used to get together with an aunt and uncle and cousins almost every fall and make apple dumplings. My mother would peel apples and my aunt would make the pastry and wrap the apples.
We cousins would hoot and holler and play, and wait to devour apple dumplings.
It seems like memories can be attached to foods. Tapioca always makes me think of my Grandma. Smarties make me think of her too. She always handed them out to us.
At my other Grandma’s we would munch fat, orange Cheese Curls, licking our fingers, stained from the snacks. I can still envision my Grandma pulling them out of the place she stored them.
It’s only natural, I suppose, when you think about it, for food to conjure up memories. Food is a part of life and we have been blessed with an abundance. Rather like turkey and Thanksgiving, certain foods fit certain occasions.
I don’t make apple dumplings all that often, but usually at least once every autumn. My daughter has discovered that she really likes them and both kiddos have enjoyed helping make them. I enjoy making them now and then. There are several steps it seems like, so it’s nice to have teamwork. None of the steps are hard, I just seem to think a recipe with several steps always looks like a bigger deal to make! 🙂
I bring you…………….APPLE DUMPLINGS!
Ingredients
- Pastry
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2/3 cup lard
- 4 T. water
- Apples
- 6 small-medium sized apples, sliced in half, cored and peeled
- Filling
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 T. butter
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
For pastry:
Mix flour and salt. Cut in lard and add water. Mix until soft dough is formed. Let rest.
For Filling:
Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
Forming dumplings:
Divide dough into six pieces.
Roll a dough piece into a circle. Place two apple halves upright on dough circle. Holding halves together, fill cavity of apple with a couple of spoonfuls cinnamon-sugar filling or until pretty well filled.
Bring circle of dough up around apple, squeezing it closed and pinching dough together on the top of the apple.
Place dumpling in a 9x13 baking dish.
Repeat with the rest of the dough pieces and apples.
For syrup:
Combine sugar and cinnamon. Add water and butter and cook over medium heat, whisking the whole time. Bring to a boil and boil 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour into 9x13 pan of dumplings.
Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.
Serve warm with milk and/or vanilla ice cream!
Notes
My apple dumplings are not magazine picture worthy by any means! If the apples are very big, you really need to make a recipe and a half of dough if you want the apples completely covered. As you can see in my photos, we just work with what we have and don't always get the apples completely covered and sometimes they come apart while they're baking etc. etc. They get eaten, so it's all good! {I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to recipes. We just kinda roll.}
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These apple dumplings look delicious and seem fairly easy to make! I would love to try these!
Stopping by from “Let’s Get Social Sunday”. Following via G+ and Twitter.
Have a great week 🙂
They aren’t hard..they just take a little time. But they’re fun to make, I think. And yummy to eat!
These look delicious and amazing. I like that your kids helped, too. I think my grand daughter would enjoy this, too. Glad you posted at the Love In the Kitchen Tuesday Table link party. I’ve pinned, liked, twittered and G+-ed your post. I’d love it if you dropped by for a visit at http://www.kneadedcreations.com . I look forward to seeing you over there! Deb @ Kneaded Creations.
They are yummy and fun to make now and then. I like having my kiddos help when it works out. It is fun and I notice a huge difference in how much faster the prep work goes! 🙂 Thanks so much for coming by!