Grandma’s Apple Dumplings

This recipe is from my Mom’s mom. She was the most amazing baker. She would make every grandchild their favorite pie for Thanksgiving. I remember her cherry pie, key lime pie and these apple dumplings. I’m sure there were more, but that’s all I can remember! These dumplings are so delicious and so sweet! My Mom always laughs because my Grandma liked sugar in everything. She put sugar in her chili, in her spaghetti sauce, and even on her cantaloupe! I remember her baking for us when I was little and everything turned out so beautifully! I am not great (or patient) when it comes to rolling out pastry dough so this probably looks nothing like it should – I sure wish that I would have watched her bake and sew a little more than I did so that I could have learned more from her. She would probably laugh to herself at my dumplings, but enjoy eating them anyway! My Aunt Nancy makes these now so I’ll have to get some lessons from her next time I see her.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup pure cane sugar
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter

• 6 apples, peeled and sliced
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup shortening (or I use homemade rendered lard that is good for pastries)
• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 2/3 cups sugar for sprinkling
• cinnamon for sprinkling
• dots of butter

Directions

Peel and slice apples. Set aside.

Mix flour, salt and baking powder.

Cut in lard or shortening with a pastry cutter.

Add milk and stir until flour is moistened. May need to add a little more milk.

Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and cut into 6 squares.

Place sliced apples in each square.

Sprinkle apples with cinnamon, sugar and a dot with butter. This takes about 2/3 cup sugar.

Pull the four corners of the dough together and around the apples and pinch at the top. I made a huge mess doing this and did the best I could to close up the dumplings. I had extra apples so I just put them around the dumplings and sprinkled them with sugar and cinnamon too.

Place all 6 dumplings in a 9X13 baking dish.

Place sugar, water, cinnamon and butter in a pan on the stove and cook until thickens a little bit to make a syrup.

Pour the syrup over the dumplings.

Bake at 375 degree for 35 minutes.