Delicious baked apples and cinnamon wrapped in a flaky crust and drizzled with a homemade caramel sauce. Warm apple dumplings with vanilla ice cream are amazing!
Cut in the butter, using a pastry blender, until particles are about the size of small peas.
2/3 cup butter or shortening
Add the milk and press together gently, working the dough only enough to hold it together. Do not overmix. If the dough is too dry and doesn't want to hang together, add more milk until it becomes cohesive.
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk
Sprinkle your clean countertop with flour and roll out the dough as you would for a pie. But you want to roll it out into about a 17 x 12 1/2" rectangle instead of a circle.
Cut the rectangle into six equal-sized squares. Place a whole apple onto each square, and gather the dough up over the apple. Moisten the edges with a bit of cold water and fasten them securely at the top of the apple. You will want to try to create a seal. Although some of mine will crack open a bit sometimes when baking, and it's not a big deal.
Spread the six dumplings into a greased 9 x 13" baking dish.
Caramel Sauce:
Combine brown sugar, water, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and boil lightly for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the butter, and stir until melted.
2 cups brown sugar, 2 cups water, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup butter (4 Tbs.)
Pour the sauce over the top of the dumplings.
Bake, uncovered, for 50 - 55 minutes or until apples feel soft when poked.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
I like to use granny smith apples to make dumplings. Their tartness balances out the sweetness, and they hold up well to baking.Amish recipes will tell you to fill the cavity of the apples with brown sugar, but it tends to be very sweet. So I only put a little bit of brown sugar inside the apple.*Nutrition is approximate