Apple Dumplings

Ingredients

• 6 small cooking apples (Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Rome), about 3 inches in diameter*
• 3 tablespoons raisins, dried cranberries or dried cherries, if desired
• 3 tablespoons chopped nuts, if desired
• 2 ½ cups packed brown sugar
• 1 ⅓ cups water
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. 1Preheat the oven to 425°F. Prepare your pastry dough, rolling two-thirds of it into a 14-inch square, then cutting that into four 7-inch squares. Roll the remaining dough into a 14x7-inch rectangle and cut it into two 7-inch squares.
2. 2Peel and core the apples, placing one in the center of each pastry square. Combine the raisins and chopped nuts, then pack this mixture into the hollowed center of each apple. Lightly moisten the corners of the pastry dough with water.
3. 3Lift two opposite corners of the pastry over the top of the apple and pinch them together. Bring the remaining two corners up to meet in the center, pinching all the seams tightly to seal the apple completely inside the dough.
4. 4Arrange the wrapped apples in an ungreased 13x9-inch glass baking dish.
5. 5Combine the brown sugar, water, softened butter, and ground cinnamon in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Carefully pour the hot syrup into the baking dish around the base of the dumplings.
6. 6Bake for about 40 minutes, pausing two or three times to spoon the hot syrup over the pastry. The dumplings are ready when the crust turns golden brown and a small knife easily pierces the tender apples. Serve warm or at room temperature with fresh cream.
7. 7Select small apples for this preparation, as the 7-inch dough squares cannot fully wrap and seal larger fruit.

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