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Mother’s Apple Dumplings

Close up of a apple dumpling.
Number of Servings: 
Serves 8

Ingredients

  • For the Apples

    • 2 cups packed brown sugar
    • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
    • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
    • 8 Gala apples, peeled and cored
  • For the Dough

    • 4 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 12 cups unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
    • 2 Tbsp vegetable shortening
    • 12 cup ice water
  • To Bake

    • 8 pats unsalted butter
    • Cinnamon-sugar, to taste

Directions

  1. Make the Apples

    1. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
    2. Fill the centers of the apples with the mixture. Set aside.
  2. Make the Dough

    1. Put the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.
    2. Add the cubed butter and pulse until just incorporated.
    3. Slowly add the ice water through the feed tube and pulse until a ball forms. Do not overwork the dough.
    4. Flatten two disks of dough and wrap in plastic for about 1 hour.
    5. Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C) (Gas mark 5).
    6. On a pastry cloth, using a floured rolling pin covered with a pastry stocking, roll the dough out into a rough square 18 inch (3 mm) thick.
    7. Cut into 8 squares and set a filled apple in the center of each square. Bring the corners of the dough up to cover the entire apple and pinch the top to seal. Repeat with the remaining apples and dough.
    8. Place the dumplings on a rimmed baking sheet.
  3. Bake the Dumplings

    1. Dot the tops of the dumplings with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
    2. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, until the apple is tender when pierced carefully with a fork.
    3. Let cool a bit, then serve warm or at room temperature in individual serving bowls.

Notes

  • These dumplings are wonderful dolloped with something creamy:
    • good-quality vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
    • Greek yogurt sweetened to taste with a bit of honey
Nutrition Info: 
1,114 Calories, 8 g Protein, 183 mg Cholesterol, 110 g Carbohydrates, 56 g Total sugars (37 g Added sugars), 6 g Fiber, 73 g Total fat (44 g sat), 313 mg Sodium, ★★★★★ Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E, Phosphorus

Home is where the heart ought to be. But nowadays too many of us are missing the human connection and emotional replenishment that only a rewarding home life can bestow. Designer Rosanna Bowles wants to change that.

In Coming Home, she shares a year-round plan for establishing traditions--and, in the process, making memories--that will restore home to its central place in your family's life. Taking her cues from the seasons' changing moods--spring's awakening, summer's vibrancy, fall's bittersweet transition, and winter's introspection--Bowles creates a calendar of activities, rituals, and celebrations that will bring you back home in the deepest and most fulfilling sense.

And because the table is where family and beloved friends most often come together, she provides more than fifty favorite recipes--for simple family meals and sumptuous holiday feasts--that deliciously express each season's character.

Contributor

Rosanna Bowles

Rosanna Bowles started her successful dishware company in 1982. She has won many design awards for her tableware, including the Gift of the Year award in the UK.

She has been featured in The New York Times, Country Living, Family Circle, O, The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Harper's Bazaar, and many other publications. She lives in Seattle, WA and on the coast of Oregon.